וַיִּקְרָ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל וְאוּלָ֛ם ל֥וּז שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃
He named that site Bethel; but previously the name of the city had been Luz.
וינאץ השקד. זה עצם שבזנב שהוא כמו שקד. ובלשון תלמוד נקרא השקד לוז שבשדרה שכיון שבא לידי זקנה הבשר מתמעט והעצם ההוא יוצא ובולט מתום העור ונראה כאו הינץ השקד וינץ כמו עלתה נצה.
"And the almond tree blossoms"—this refers to a bone at the end of the spine, shaped like an almond. In Talmudic language, the almond (שקד) is called the Luz bone (לוז שבשדרה). As one ages, the flesh diminishes, and this bone protrudes from the skin, appearing as if the almond tree has blossomed. The term "blossoms" (וינץ) is similar to "the bud sprouts" (עלתה נצה).
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶמְחֶה אֶת הָאָדָם, רַבִּי לֵוִי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר אֲפִלּוּ אִסְטְרוֹבִּלִּין שֶׁל רֵחַיִּים נִמְחֶה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר סִימוֹן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר אֲפִלּוּ עֲפָרוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן נִמְחֶה. כַּד דָּרְשָׁה רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּצִפּוֹרִי בְּצִבּוּרָא וְלֹא קִבְּלוּ מִינֵיהּ. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק אָמַר אֲפִלּוּ לוּז שֶׁל שִׁדְרָה, שֶׁמִּמֶּנוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵצִיץ אֶת הָאָדָם לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא, נִמְחָה. אַדְרִיָּאנוֹס שְׁחִיק עֲצָמוֹת שָׁאַל אֶת רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן חֲנַנְיָא אָמַר לוֹ מֵהֵיכָן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵצִיץ אֶת הָאָדָם לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא, אָמַר לוֹ מִלּוּז שֶׁל שִׁדְרָה, אָמַר לוֹ מִנַּיִן אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַיְתִיתֵיהּ לְיָדִי וַאֲנָא מוֹדַע לָךְ, טָחֲנוֹ בָּרֵחַיִם וְלֹא נִטְחַן, שְׂרָפוֹ בָּאֵשׁ וְלֹא נִשְׂרַף, נְתָנוֹ בְּמַיִם וְלֹא נִמְחֶה, נְתָנוֹ עַל הַסַּדָּן וְהִתְחִיל מַכֶּה עָלָיו בְּפַטִּישׁ, נֶחְלַק הַסַּדָּן וְנִבְקַע הַפַּטִּישׁ וְלֹא חָסַר כְּלוּם.
“The Lord said: I will obliterate man [haadam]” – Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Even the lower millstone was obliterated. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Even the dust of Adam the first man was obliterated. When Rabbi Yehuda expounded this in public in Tzippori, they did not accept it from him. Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yehotzadak said: Even the sacrum, from which the Holy One blessed be He will cause man to sprout in the future, was obliterated.
Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, once asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya, saying to him: From where will the Holy One blessed be He cause man to sprout in the future? He said to him: From the sacrum. He said to him: From where do you know this? He said to him: Bring one to me and I will show you. He ground it in a mill, but it did not become ground up. He placed it in water but it did not dissolve. He placed in on an anvil and began striking it with a hammer; the anvil split and the hammer broke and it [the sacrum] lacked nothing.
Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, once asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya, saying to him: From where will the Holy One blessed be He cause man to sprout in the future? He said to him: From the sacrum. He said to him: From where do you know this? He said to him: Bring one to me and I will show you. He ground it in a mill, but it did not become ground up. He placed it in water but it did not dissolve. He placed in on an anvil and began striking it with a hammer; the anvil split and the hammer broke and it [the sacrum] lacked nothing.
בַּת בְּתוּאֵל בַּת בִּתּוֹ שֶׁל אֵל. רַב הוּנָא אָמַר, לֹא כָךְ הוּא, וְאֲנָא הֲוִית בִּכְרַכֵּי הַיָּם וְשָׁמַעְנָא דְּהֲווּ קָרָאן לְהַהוּא גַּרְמָא דְשִׁדְּרָה, הַהוּא דְּאִשְׁתָּאַר בְּקִבְרָא מִכָּל גּוּפָא, בְּתוּאֵל רַמָּאָה. שְׁאֵלִית עֲלֵיהּ, אָמְרוּ דְּהוּא כְּרֵישָׁא (דמיא) דְחִויָא, דְּאִיהוּ רַמָּאָה, והַהוּא גַּרְמָא הוּא רַמָּאָה מִכָּל שְׁאָר גַּרְמֵי.
"The daughter of Betu'el" means the daughter (Heb. bat) of El. Rav Huna disagreed with this. He said that Betu'el is not (one of Malchut's name). I have been to distant lands, and heard there that this is the name of the bone of the spine. Of all the bones this one remains in the grave. It is called 'Betu'el the deceitful'. I asked about it, and they said that its shape resembles a head of a serpent, which is deceitful. And that more than any other bone in the body, this bone is deceitful.
דְּתָאנָא אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, הַהוּא גַּרְמָא לָמָּה אִשְׁתָּאַר בְּקִיּוּמָא יתִּיר מִכָּל שְׁאָר גַּרְמֵי. מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיהוּ רַמָּאָה. וְלֵית סָבִיל טַעֲמָא דִמְזוֹנָא דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא כִּשְׁאָר גַּרְמֵי, וּבְגִינֵי כָּךְ הוּא תַּקִּיף מִכָּל גַּרְמֵי והוּא לֵיהֱוִי עִקְּרָא דְּגוּפָא אִתְבְּנֵי מִנֵּיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב בַּת בְּתוּאֵל הָאֲרַמִּי.
For we have learned that Rabbi Shimon asks, Why does this bone endure longer than the other bones? This is because it is deceitful and does not bear the taste of human food like the other bones. For that reason, it is stronger than all the other bones. And at the resurrection of the dead, the body will be built on this root. This is the meaning of the verse, "the daughter of Betu'el the Arammian."