May 2, 2025
The first Rashi brings down Reb Simlai
Divrei Dovid – the Taz’s work on Rashi
Sugihara
אשה כי תזריע. אָ”רַ שִׂמְלַאי: כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיְּצִירָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אַחַר כָּל בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף בְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, כָּךְ תּוֹרָתוֹ נִתְפָּרְשָׁה אַחַר תּוֹרַת בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף (ויקרא רבה יד):
Slightly different in the Medresh, although seems the same:
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׂמְלָאי, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיְצִירָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אַחַר בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף, כָּךְ תּוֹרָתוֹ אַחַר בְּהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ויקרא יא, מו): זֹאת תּוֹרַת הַבְּהֵמָה, וְאַחַר כָּךְ אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ.
Rashi in English:
R. Simlai said: Even as the formation of man took place after that of every cattle, beast and fowl when the world was created, so, too, the law regarding him is set forth after the law regarding cattle, beast and fowl (Leviticus Rabbah 14:1).
What are Rashi and Rabbi Simlai saying? Is he only saying that this is why the laws of childbirth and plagues are discussed in this location? This seems to be flat, Yasher Koach — meaning so what.!
Nechma Leibowitz brings down the Ibn Ezra and asks what is the difference between Rashi and the Ibn Ezra:
Ibn Ezra:
אשה כי תזריע. אחר שהשלים תורת הטהור והטמא בנאכלין הזכיר טמא אדם
On Rashi the Sifsei Chacomin brings in the Gemara in Sanhedrin 38A and answers our question:
במעשה בראשית. ואם תאמר והתם גופא מ”ט יצירתן של בהמה וחיה קודם ליצירתו של אדם. כבר תירצו בגמרא סנהדרין ל”ח מפני מה נברא אדם בע”ש, כדי שלא יהו אומרים שותף היה להקב”ה במעשה בראשית. ד”א שאם תזוח דעתו עליו אומרים לו יתוש קדמך. ד”א כדי שיכנס למצוה מיד. ד”א כדי שיכנס לסעודה מיד, משל למלך וכו’.
וא”ת ואם נתפרשה התורה כסדר הבריאה היה לו להקדים סדר מצורע לפרשת כי תזריע, דהא מצורע מדבר באיש, ותזריע מדבר באשה, ואדם נברא קודם חוה. וי”ל דיותר תדיר שאשה תלד ממה שאיש להיות מצורע. ועי”ל מש”ה הקדים תזריע למצורע, דעיקר הצרעת בא כשמשמש עם אשתו נדה, כדאמרינן בגמרא. ועי”ל דאשה היא כמו קרקע עולם שמצמחת מה שזורעים בה, והאדם מקרקע עולם נברא, לכן כתב באשה כי תזריע וילדה זכר, כלומר שהזכר נברא מן האשה שהיא קרקע עולם וק”ל:
Divrei Dovid – the Taz’s work on Rashi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_HaLevi_Segal %5Bד”ד%5D
קשה מאי נ”מ מהיקש זה? ותו הקשה הרא”ם דבפרק א’ דיני ממונות אמרינן דלכך אדם נברא באחרונה, שאם יתגאה אומרים לו יתוש קדמך במעשה בראשית, וכדי שימצא הכל מוכן לסעודה, וכולם אינם שייכים כאן?גם הקושיא למה כתב דין אדם כי יהיה בעור בשרו אחר הדין האשה כי תזריע, הא האשה נבראת באחרונה?ונ”ל לתרץ כל זה דכוונת ר’ שמלאי לומר דכשם שיש טעם לשבח בבריאת האדם באחרונה כדי שיבא האדם וימצא סעודה מוכנת, ה”נ בתורת האדם שנתפרש אחר תורת בהמות וחיות ועופות, פירוש לענין איסור והיתר, כדאיתא במדרש על זאת החיה, כל אמרת אלוה צרופה, לא ניתנו המצות לישראל פירוש מה איסור לאכילה, אינו אלא לצרף בהן את הבריות ובזה הוא אוהב אותנו. כדאיתא במדרש, שמי שאוהב את עבדו הוא מזהירו מאכילות רעות, ע”כ אמר שכשם בשעת בריאה נברא האדם באחרונה בשביל מעלתו שימצא מזון ערוך, ה”נ בתורה ומצות שנתן הקב”ה לישראל הוא בשביל טובתן לצרף אותם, ע”כ נזכר באחרונה שיהי’ לו צירוף מצות ע”י תורת בהמה חיה ועוף, ומש”ה לק”מ מאדם כי יהיה בעור בשרו, דשם אין שייך צירוף:
In the Work of Creation. You might ask: Why did the creation of animals and beasts precede the creation of man? The Sages already answered in Sanhedrin (38a): “Why was man created on Erev Shabbos? So that they [i.e., the heretics] would not say Hashem had a partner in the Work of Creation. Another explanation: Because if man would be haughty they can say to him: The mosquito preceded you. Another explanation: So that he would immediately become obligated in a mitzvah [Shabbos]. Another explanation: So that he would find everything immediately prepared for his meal. This can be compared to a king…”
You might ask: If the Torah explains according to the order of creation, then Parshas Metzora should come before Parshas Ki Tazria, because Metzora speaks of a man and Tazria speaks of a woman, and Adam was created before Chavah!
The answer is: It is more common for a woman to give birth than for a man to become afflicted with tzora’as. Furthermore, we can say: The reason Tazria comes before Metzoro is because the main reason a person is afflicted with tzora’as is because he has relations with his wife when she is a menstruant, as the Gemara says (Erachin 16a, and Tanchuma Tazria 11). Another answer: The woman is compared to the earth’s soil, which causes what is planted (שזורעים) in it to grow. Man, as well, was created from the earth’s soil. Therefore, it is written regarding a woman: “When [a woman] conceives (תזריע) and gives birth to a male child,” i.e., the male is created from the female who is likened to the earth’s soil.
Divrei Dovid:
This raises a difficulty: What practical difference does this comparison make? Furthermore, Re’m raised the difficulty that the Gemora says in Sanhedrin (38a) that the reason Adam was created last was so that if he would be haughty it can be said to him: The mosquito preceded you in the work of creation, and so that he would find everything prepared for his meal, [and more reasons,] all of which are not applicable here! He also asks: Why does it mention the law [of tzora’as]: “When a man will have in the skin of his flesh” after the law pertaining to a woman: “When [a woman] conceives”? The woman was created last!
It appears to me the answer is: All this is what R. Simlai [who is cited in Rashi] means to say: Just as there is a good reason why Adam was created last — so that he would come and find everything ready for his meal — so too, regarding the law of man: It was explained after the laws of animals, beasts and birds, i.e., with regard to what is forbidden and permitted [among them]. This follows what it says in the Midrash (Vayikro Rabboh 13:3) on the verse (11:2): “These are the living things” — “Every word of Hashem is refined” (Mishlei 30:5), “The mitzvos were given to Israel” — i.e., what is forbidden to be eaten — “only for the sake of refining the people with them.”
In this way Hashem demonstrates his love for us, as it says in the Midrash that someone who loves his servant cautions him from eating harmful food. Therefore, R. Simlai said that just as Adam was created last at the time of Creation for his advantage, so that he finds his provisions prepared, so too, regarding Torah and mitzvos, Hashem gave them to Israel for their benefit, to refine them. Therefore, mankind was mentioned last so that they would have the refinement of mitzvos by means of the laws pertaining to animals, beasts and birds. Therefore, there is no difficulty posed from: “When a man will have, in the skin of his flesh” [the law of tzora’as of a man is mentioned after the section dealing with a woman], for there [the concept of] refinement is not relevant (Divrei Dovid).
I initially did not understand the Divrie Dovid because the Medreh on Zos Hachaya says that all Mitzvos are a refinement, not just food products. However, as I thought about it, the Divrei Dovid makes sense. Just like God gave us the laws of Kashrus to refine us, so too all Mitzvos refine us. This is the reason why the laws of purity by man are after the laws of Kosher food. It is all to refine us.
Maybe the answer to Professor Nechama Leibowitz is that Rav Simali is telling us a great lesson and the Ibn Ezra is Pshut Peshat.
On another Drush level you can answer that Rav Simlai is telling us that man is the crown of creation of Hashem. Man who has free choice can choose to become great and become heavenly or choose to degrade himself and become like animals. The entire idea of Korbanos and the need to remain with ritual purity is that Mitzvos refines us and we always have to make choices to live a holy life both in terms of spirtuality but also in terms of life choices. We always have two roads before us and as the Torah says in Devorim 30:19 we have to choose life:
וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ.
Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” talks about choices in life, while not addressing directly choosing good and evil is about choices we make and ends the poem with the line “And that has made all the difference.”
This idea to live a heavenly life applies to every aspect of our lives, even on mundane matters. I was once at a Target in a foul mood and the sales person offered me a product that was priced too low that seemed to be a mistake. I took it and paid the low price, not creating a Kiddush Hashem, I was wearing a Yarmulke. To this young sales person with piercings, I behaved no different than a person on the take and to this day I think about my failure to rise above the mundane. I felt terrible afterwards and still feel the pain of failure.
Not only that, had I done the right thing Hashem would have placed crowns on my head. Just like with Reuven, Moshe, and Boaz — see the end of this Blog Post.
Rabbi Rakeffet’s Shiur on Sunday morning May 4th was about the life of Sugihara who saved thousands of Jews. He used the book, “In Search of Sugihara” by Hillel Levine. It was a great speech. I had correspondence with a historian who knows the entire story and this person texted me:
“Sugihara has gotten the lion share of interest & gratitude — much of it overblown in my view. Hillel Levine (whom I know well) broke fresh ground on Sugihara… but also fed the exaggerations of his role in saving Jews.”
This bothered me. The overall email to me was very positive, however what was said bothered me. As the days have passed, I think I understand her point, however, Sugihara’s action changed the world. As Rabbi Rakeffet has said that these Torah Scholars from Mir in Shanghai came to America in the late 1940s and changed Torah in America. Rabbi Rakeffet greatly benefited from them and they changed his trajectory in life. I think the opposite is true that we cannot give him enough credit for what he did to change the course of history.
We all have moments of time that if we understand and grasp the opportunity it will change the course of our lives or we can change the course of other people’s lives. Avrohom Stein, OBM, in a chance meeting in 1977 changed my life and through him I found my purpose in life. This led to my job as a banker and throughout many of the 33 years I worked at Peterson Bank and MB Financial I was able to do Chesed almost every day at work. People come over to me and remind me of favors I did for them. I feel that maybe, just maybe I changed lives. Towards the end of my career my authority was taken away and I did less Chesed but always looked for opportunities to help, to be there for people.
If I knew the future ramifications of what I did, I would have walked, dancing with my customers and we would have crowns on my head.
I am not sure what the historian meant and I assume she did not diminish from the role Sugihara played in the lives of the people he saved. I do know that he changed destiny. I do not know exactly what she meant.
I am fond of saying that just like a Rashi and other Rishonim are Diamonds that sparkle from every different direction you look at it and through various angles we see great sparks of wisdom, so too with people, we have to see the holy sparks that they do. We may not see it from one angle, but we have to go 365 degrees to find their greatness and crown them. While this is not a perfect match, the idea is that we have to probe and find greatness in Torah and in people.
There is a Medresh that says by three incidents in Tanach, had the person doing the action realized what the Torah said about them they would have danced:
1 – By Reuven trying to save Yoseph
Medresh Lakach Tiv 37:22:1
ויאמר אליהם ראובן אל תשפכו דם. כוונתו לשמים. שנאמר למען הציל אותו מידם. אלולי היה יודע ראובן שעתיד הכתוב להעיד עליו למען הציל אותו מידם להשיבו אל אביו. לא היה נפרד ממנו כלל.
תנחומא בובר, וישב י״ג:ט׳
ויאמר אליהם ראובן אל תשפכו דם. למה שרוח הקודש אומרת למען הציל אותו מידם וגו’, אילו היה ראובן יודע שהקב”ה כותב עליו הפסוק הזה, היה נוטלו על שכמו והיה מוליכו אל אביו.
2 – When Aharon greeted Moshe in the desert
3 – When Boaz measured six measures of grain to Rus (Rus 3:17)
וַתֹּ֕אמֶר שֵׁשׁ־הַשְּׂעֹרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה נָ֣תַן לִ֑י כִּ֚י אָמַ֣ר [אֵלַ֔י] אַל־תָּב֥וֹאִי רֵיקָ֖ם אֶל־חֲמוֹתֵֽךָ׃
“And she said, ‘These six measures of barley he gave me, for he said to me: Do not return to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
Exploring Kotzk 