(טו) ויקח יהוה אלהים את האדם וינחהו בגן עדן לעבדה ולשמרה
(15) The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.
"ויניחהו בגן עדן לעבדה ולשמרה", ושמא תאמר כי יש מלאכה בגן עדן לפתח ולשדד את האדמה. ולא כל האלנות נצמחין מאליהן.
(1) ADAM IN PARADISE
WITH love abounding did the Holy One, blessed be He, love the first man, inasmuch as He created him in a pure locality, in the place of the Temple, and He brought him into His palace, as it is said, "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15). From which place did He take him? From the place of the Temple, and He brought him into His palace, which is Eden, as it is said, "And he put him into the garden of Eden to dress it" (ibid.). Perhaps thou wilt say: To plough (the fields) and cast out the stones from the ground. But did not all the trees grow up of their own accord?
(ב) או שמא תאמר יש מלאכה בגן עדן להשקות את הגן, והלא כבר נהר יוצא מעדן להשקות את הגן שנ' ונהר יוצא מעדן וכו'.
(2) Perhaps thou wilt say: There was some other work (to be done) in the garden of Eden, (such as) to water the garden. But did not a river flow through and issue forth from Eden, and water the garden, as it is said, || "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden" (Gen. 2:10)?
(ג) ומה הלשון הזה לעבדה ולשמרה, ולא אמרה לעבדה ולשמרה אלא לעסוק בדברי תורה ולשמור את כל מצותיה, שנ' לשמור את דרך עץ החיים, ואין עץ חיים אלא תורה, שנ' עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה.
(3) What then is the meaning of this expression: "to dress it and to keep it"? (The text) does not say "to dress it and to keep it" except (in the sense) of being occupied with the words of the Torah and keeping all its commandments, as it is said, "to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). But the "tree of life" signifies only the Torah, as it is said, "It is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon it" (Prov. 3:18).