“God said: Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth on the face of the firmament of the heavens” (Genesis 1:20) . “God said: Let the water swarm” – it is written: “There is none like You among the gods, Lord, and nothing akin to Your deeds” (Psalms 86:8). It is the usual way of the world that a mortal human fashions a form on dry land. But the Holy One blessed be He fashions a form in the water, as it is stated: “God said: Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures.” Yaakov of Kefar Nevorai once issued a ruling in Tyre that fish require ritual slaughter. Rabbi Ḥagai heard this and sent a message to him: ‘Come here to be flogged.’ He said to him: ‘Is a man who says a Torah concept to be flogged?’ He said to him: ‘From where in the Torah is this derived?’ He said to him: ‘From what is written: “God said: Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth” – just as a bird requires ritual slaughter, so, too, fish require ritual slaughter.’ He said to him: ‘You did not issue a proper ruling.’ He said to him: ‘From where can you prove it to me?’ He said to him: ‘Bend over, and I will prove it to you. It is as it is written: “Will flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them and it suffice for them? If all the fish of the sea will be gathered for them, will it suffice for them?” (Numbers 11:22). “Will be slaughtered” is not written here [regarding fish], but rather, “will be gathered.”’ He said to him: ‘Strike your blows, beat your beating, as it is helpful in learning a lesson.’ Yaakov of Kefar Nevorai once issued a ruling in Tyre that it is permitted to circumcise the son of a non-Jewish woman on Shabbat. Rabbi Ḥagai heard this and sent a message to him: ‘Come here to be flogged.’ He said: ‘Is a man who says a Torah concept to be flogged?’ He said to him: ‘From where in the Torah is this derived?’ He said to him: ‘“They verified their lineages by their families, by their patrilineal houses” (Numbers 1:18) – the family of the father is called family; the family of the mother is not called family.’ He said to him: ‘You did not issue a proper ruling.’ He said to him: ‘From where can you prove it to me?’ He said to him: ‘Bend over and I will prove it to you.’ He said: ‘If the son of a non-Jewish woman were to come to you and say: I want to become a Jew, with the stipulation that I be circumcised on Shabbat or on Yom Kippur, would one desecrate it for him? Is it not so that one desecrates Shabbat and Yom Kippur only for [circumcising] the son of an Israelite woman?’ He said to him: ‘From where do you derive this?’ [He said:] ‘It is from what is written: “Now, let us establish a covenant with our God to send away all the [non-Jewish] wives, and those born from them, according to the counsel of the Lord…”’ (Ezra 10:3). He said to him: ‘Rabbi, are you flogging me based on received Scripture?’ He said to him: ‘But is it not written there: “It shall be done in accordance with the Torah”?’ (Ezra 10:3). He said to him: ‘From which [verse in the] Torah?’ He said to him: ‘From what Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: “You shall not intermarry [with them]” (Deuteronomy 7:3). Why? “Because he will divert your son from following Me” (Deuteronomy 7:4) – your [grand]son who comes from an Israelite woman is called your son, but your [grand]son who comes from a non-Jewish woman is not called your son.’ He said to him: ‘Strike your blows, as it is helpful for absorbing [a lesson]; beat your beating, as it is helpful in learning a lesson.’ “And let birds fly” – it is the usual way of the world that a flesh-and-blood king builds a palace and settles occupants in the upper and lower levels. Does he, perhaps, do so in its air space? The Holy One blessed be He, however, settles occupants even in the air space, as it is written: “And let birds fly above the earth…” “God created the great serpents and every living creature that crawls, with which the water swarmed by their species, and every winged bird in its kind, and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:21). “God created the…serpents [ hataninim ]” – Rabbi Pinḥas said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: Taninim is written without a yod being the sign of the plural. – this is Behemoth and Leviathan, that have no mates. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Behemoth has a mate, but has no desire [to mate], as it is stated: “The sinews of its testicles are knotted” (Job 40:17). Rav Huna said in the name of Rav Matna: The peacock comes from a single white-colored drop, and yet it has three hundred and sixty-five colors, corresponding to the number of days in the solar year. Rabbi Yirmeya Kahana asked Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: ‘One who crossbreeds sea animals, what is the halakha ?’ He said to him: ‘Also in their regard it is written: “By their species.”’ With this, ben Lakish spread out his net for Kahana. Kahana raised an objection: ‘Is “by their species” not written regarding fish as well?’ that they should not be interbred, as that is an impossible act. With this, Kahana spread out his net to trap Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish. How, indeed can this be done? Rabbi Yona said: ‘I can explain it regarding driving animals: One brings two fish, a mairon and an asparon , ties them together with reed-grass, and leads them along in the river or the sea. It is prohibited to do so, due to the prohibition of diverse kinds, as we learned: 8:2. The diverse kinds that were mentioned regarding driving them [together], may not be used to plow, to haul, or to pull together. Thus it is stated: “And every living creature that crawls, with which the water swarmed by their species”’ (Genesis 1:21). “And every winged bird” (Genesis 1:21) – this is the peacock. “God said: Let the earth produce the spirit of living beings by their species, animals, and crawling creatures, and beasts of the earth by their species, and it was so” (Genesis 1:24). “God said: Let the earth produce…” – Rabbi Elazar said: “The spirit of living beings” – this is the life spirit of Adam the first man. “God made the beasts of the earth by their species, and the animals by their species, and every creature that crawls upon the ground by its species, and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:25). “God made the beasts of the earth by their species” – Rabbi Hoshaya Rabba said: This is the serpent. Rabbi Ḥama bar Hoshaya said: Regarding souls, it says four items, but when they were actually created it says [only three items]: “The beasts of the earth by its species, and the animals by its species, and every creature that crawls upon the ground.” This is bewildering. Rabbi said: [The extra spirit] refers to the demons, as the Holy One blessed be He created their souls, but when He was about to create their bodies, Shabbat [arrived and] became sanctified and He did not [have time to] create them. This is to teach you proper conduct from the demons: If a person has in his possession a precious object or a gem on the day before Shabbat just before dusk, one says to him: ‘Cast it away from you,’ as [even] the One who spoke and brought the world into being was engaged in the creation of the world and created their souls [of the demons], but when He was about to create their bodies, Shabbat [arrived and] became sanctified, and He did not create them.
Genesis Rabbah 7
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