MTC Chumash In Depth - Genesis 3:11-13 - Nakedness and Deception | Sefaria

MTC Chumash In Depth - Genesis 3:11-13 - Nakedness and Deception

ByDoron Lazarus

בראשית ג׳:י״א-י״ג

(יא) וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֚י הִגִּ֣יד לְךָ֔ כִּ֥י עֵירֹ֖ם אָ֑תָּה הֲמִן־הָעֵ֗ץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר צִוִּיתִ֛יךָ לְבִלְתִּ֥י אֲכָל־מִמֶּ֖נּוּ אָכָֽלְתָּ׃

(יב) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר הָֽאָדָ֑ם הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָתַ֣תָּה עִמָּדִ֔י הִ֛וא נָֽתְנָה־לִּ֥י מִן־הָעֵ֖ץ וָאֹכֵֽל׃

(יג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים לָאִשָּׁ֖ה מַה־זֹּ֣את עָשִׂ֑ית וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה הַנָּחָ֥שׁ הִשִּׁיאַ֖נִי וָאֹכֵֽל׃

Genesis 3:11-13

(11) Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?” (12) The man said, “The woman You put at my side—she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

(13) And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done!” The woman replied, “The serpent duped me, and I ate.”

רש"י על בראשית ג׳:י״א-י״ג

(א) מי הגיד לך. מֵאַיִן לְךָ לָדַעַת מַה בֹּשֶׁת יֵשׁ בְּעוֹמֵד עָרֹם?

(ב) המן העץ. בִּתְמִיהָ:

(א) אשר נתתה עמדי. כָּאן כָּפַר בַּטּוֹבָה (עבודה זרה ה):

(א) השיאני. הִטְעַנִי, כְּמוֹ אַל יַשִּׁיא אֶתְכֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ (דברי הימים ב' ל"ב):

Rashi on Genesis 3:11-13

(1) מי הגיד לך WHO TOLD THEE? — Whence has the knowledge come to you what shame there is in standing naked? (2) המן העץ HAST THOU EATEN OF THE TREE — The ' ה of the word המן expresses a question. (1) אשר נתת עמדי WHOM THOU GAVEST TO BE WITH ME — Here he showed his ingratitude (Avodah Zarah 5b). (1) השיאני means HE DECEIVED ME; — we find the word in the same meaning in (2 Chronicles 32:15), “Now therefore let not Hezekiah beguile you” (Genesis Rabbah 19).

רמב"ן על בראשית ג׳:י״א-י״ג

(א) וטעם האשה אשר נתת עמדי כלומר האשה אשר אתה בכבודך נתת אותה לי לעזר היא נתנה לי מן העץ והייתי חושב שכל אשר תאמר אלי יהיה לי לעזר ולהועיל וזהו מה שאמר בענשו "כי שמעת לקול אשתך" שלא היית ראוי לעבור על מצותי בעבור עצתה ורבותינו (במסכת ע"ז ה) קורין אותו בזה כפוי טובה ירצו לפרש שענה אותו אתה גרמת לי המכשול הזה שנתת לי אשה לעזר והיא יעצתני להרשיע:

(א) וטעם מה זאת עשית לעבור על מצותי כי האשה בכלל אזהרת אדם כי היתה עצם מעצמיו בעת ההיא וכן היא בכלל העונש שלו ולא אמר באשה "ותאכלי מן העץ" כי היא נענשה על אכילתה ועל עצתה כאשר נענש הנחש ועל כן אמרה הנחש השיאני ואוכל כי העונש הגדול על האכילה והנה מכאן נוכל ללמוד עונש למחטיאי אדם בדבר כאשר למדונו רבותינו (פסחים כב ע"ז ו) בפסוק ולפני עור לא תתן מכשול (ויקרא יט יד):

Ramban on Genesis 3:11-13

(1) THE WOMAN WHOM THOU GAVEST TO BE WITH ME. The sense of it is to say: “The woman whom Thy Honor Himself gave me for a help, she gave me of the tree, and I thought that whatever she says to me is a help and benefit to me.” This is why He said when meting out his punishment, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,³⁸⁹Further, Verse 17. meaning “You should not have transgressed My commandment on account of her advice.” Our Rabbis have called Adam “ungrateful” for this remark.³⁹⁰Avodah Zarah 5b. By this they mean to explain that the sense of his answer was: “Thou caused me this stumbling for Thou gavest me a woman as a help, and she counselled me to do evil.”³⁹¹He thus ascribed his sin to G-d’s giving him Eve as a help. (Rashi, ibid.) In this he spoke ungratefully. (1) WHAT IS THIS THOU HAST DONE to transgress My commandment? For the woman was included in the admonition given to Adam since at that time she was yet bone of his bones, and similarly she was included in his punishment. The reason why G-d did not say to the woman, “and thou hast eaten of the tree,” is that she was punished for both her eating and her advice, just as the serpent was punished for the advice. This is why she said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat,³⁹²In the verse before us. Thus she mentioned both the eating and the advice. as the punishment for the beguiling was greater than that for the eating. [Hence as soon as she mentioned that the serpent beguiled her, G-d meted out his punishment immediately, as is stated in the following two verses.] Thus we may derive from here the principle of punishment for those that cause people to sin in any matter, just as our Rabbis have derived it from the verse, Thou shalt not put a stumbling-block before the blind.³⁹³Leviticus 19:14. In Pesachim 22 b, the verse is interpreted to mean: do not give a person who is “blind” in a matter advice which is improper for him. Advising or causing one to sin is thus included in this prohibition. Ramban is here suggesting that while the admonition against causing people to sin is derived from the verse in Leviticus, the principle of punishment for such advice is derived from here.

ספורנו על בראשית ג׳:י״א-י״ג

(א) מי הגיד לך ידיעת הטוב והרע.

(ב) כי עירום אתה. שבשביל זה תהיה ראוי להתכסות:

(א) היא שנתת אותה לעזר ולהועיל:

(ב) נתנה לי מן העץ והיתה למכשול ובזה יחס אשמתו לקונו תמורת התשובה שהיתה ראויה לו כמו שעשה דוד באמרו אל נתן חטאתי:

(א) מה זאת עשית אמר זה לעורר גם אותה אל התשובה כי לא יחפוץ במות המת כי אם בשובו:

Sforno on Genesis 3:11-13

(1) מי הגיד לך, who revealed to you the difference between good and evil? (2) כי עירום אתה, that on account of familiarity with evil you felt the need to cover your genitals. (1) היא, she, who was meant to be an assistant to me has turned out to be the opposite. (2) נתנה לי מן העץ, and has become a hindrance instead of a help. By saying these words, Adam tried to blame his Creator for having committed a sin. Adam, instead of being defensive by repenting, apologizing, admitting his guilt, as did David when the prophet Natan had called him to order over his conduct with Bat Sheva, (Samuel II 12,13) (1) What is this that you have done. Hashem said this to arouse her to repent.

העמק דבר על בראשית ג׳:י״א-י״ג

(א) המן העץ אשר צויתיך. ולא אמר המן עץ הדעת. כי באמת אין בעץ הדעת טבע להחטיאו ח״ו ושיהא בו ענין טומאה כמו בכל מיני טרפות וערלה וכדומה. אלא שהקב״ה צוה על האדם שיהא באותו מעלה דבוק להקב״ה מה שא״א בהשיגו דעת אנושי אם לא ע״י יגיעה רבה כמו שהיו אנשי מעלה המעטים. וא״כ העול הוא שעבר על הצווי:

(א) ואכל. הוא כמו ודוי כאומר חטאתי שאכלתי...

Haamek Davar on Genesis 3:11-13

(1) From the Tree That I Commanded You. He didn't say from the Tree of Knowledge, because in truth, it was not in the nature of the Tree of Knowledge to cause sin like some impure thing, like with other types of non-kosher foods.

Rather Hashem commanded man that he retain that spiritual greatness he cleave to Hashem that which is impossible to achieve through human intellect, if not through great effort, like is found with unique exceptional people. And if so, the sin with specifically violating Hashem's command.

(1) And I ate. This was Adam’s confession for his sin.

Rav Hirsch on Genesis 3:12
To whom You have placed by my side, who according to Your Will was to be equal in rank to me, that together, we are not only to form one heart and one soul, but to be one flesh, one body to carry out the effort and dictates of mind and will. She gave me and her will was accordingly decisive for me.

The fact that Adam did not excuse himself with the luscious temptation of the fruit, nor that his wife had led him astray, but simply stated that naturally her decision went for him too, shows clearly the original completely harmonious equality of the status of man and woman.