אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃

This is the legacy of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.

וְכֹ֣ל ׀ שִׂ֣יחַ הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה טֶ֚רֶם יִֽהְיֶ֣ה בָאָ֔רֶץ וְכָל־עֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה טֶ֣רֶם יִצְמָ֑ח כִּי֩ לֹ֨א הִמְטִ֜יר יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָדָ֣ם אַ֔יִן לַֽעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃

At this stage the world was still incomplete, as no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no vegetation of the field had yet sprouted; because the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth. Although rain is a part of the natural order of the world, it was not mentioned in the previous chapter alongside the formation of the seas, dry land, or vegetation. Since it had not yet rained, the plants were unable to fully grow. The Sages teach that the plants initially only barely emerged from the ground. When the first man was created, he prayed for them, and the first rains came, causing the plants to sprout and grow. And there was no man to till the ground. People can work the land even when there is no rainfall, by drawing water from elsewhere. Without man, however, the land remained unworked.

וְאֵ֖ד יַֽעֲלֶ֣ה מִן־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְהִשְׁקָ֖ה אֶֽת־כָּל־פְּנֵֽי־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃

A mist would rise from the earth, and water the entire surface of the ground. The essence of rain already existed, but the complete hydrological cycle was not yet in place. The Torah here describes a primordial water cycle: Mist would rise from the earth, condense, and fall to water the ground.

וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃

The creation of vegetation, which occurred on the third day of Creation, will soon be described in detail. But first the Torah elaborates on the creation and actions of a far more important entity, man, whose formation was previously depicted only in general terms: The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground. Unlike the other created beings, which were fashioned in one step, God created man in stages: First he was a lump of earth, a purely physical entity known by the Sages as a golem . And He then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, giving life to this inanimate object. Man became a living creature. The soul of man is living not only in the sense that it is not dead, but also in that it contains a special vitality: It is a speaking soul. The breath of life within man is not just an abstract entity or form of sanctity concealed inside him; rather, it radiates outward from within him.

וַיִּטַּ֞ע יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים גַּן־בְעֵ֖דֶן מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַיָּ֣שֶׂם שָׁ֔ם אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָצָֽר׃

As part of the Creation process, the Lord God planted a garden, in the place known as Eden to the east . Although Eden refers to a place, the word itself means pleasure. The ambiguity and mystery regarding this location is further accentuated by the fact that the verse describes it as located eastward without offering any point of reference. This place is a lost world outside the realm of our current experience. He placed there the man whom He had formed.

וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כָּל־עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְט֣וֹב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע׃

The Lord God grew from the ground in the Garden of Eden every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life, which will be discussed later, in the midst of the garden, in the center, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

וְנָהָרּ֙ יֹצֵ֣א מֵעֵ֔דֶן לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת אֶת־הַגָּ֑ן וּמִשָּׁם֙ יִפָּרֵ֔ד וְהָיָ֖ה לְאַרְבָּעָ֥ה רָאשִֽׁים׃

A river emerged from Eden to water the garden; and from there it, the river, would part and would become four headwaters.

שֵׁ֥ם הָֽאֶחָ֖ד פִּישׁ֑וֹן ה֣וּא הַסֹּבֵ֗ב אֵ֚ת כָּל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַֽחֲוִילָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם הַזָּהָֽב׃

The name of the one is Pishon; it is that which encircles the entire land of Havila, where the gold is found. Pishon is generally identified with the Nile.

וּֽזֲהַ֛ב הָאָ֥רֶץ הַהִ֖וא ט֑וֹב שָׁ֥ם הַבְּדֹ֖לַח וְאֶ֥בֶן הַשֹּֽׁהַם׃

The gold in the deposits of that land is of particularly good quality; there is also bdellium and the onyx stone.

וְשֵֽׁם־הַנָּהָ֥ר הַשֵּׁנִ֖י גִּיח֑וֹן ה֣וּא הַסּוֹבֵ֔ב אֵ֖ת כָּל־אֶ֥רֶץ כּֽוּשׁ׃

The name of the second river is Gihon; it is that which encircles the entire land of Kush. It is possible that Kush is modern-day Ethiopia. Some identify Kush as the mountain range known today as the Hindu Kush, which stretches between modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan.

וְשֵׁ֨ם הַנָּהָ֤ר הַשְּׁלִישִׁי֙ חִדֶּ֔קֶל ה֥וּא הַֽהֹלֵ֖ךְ קִדְמַ֣ת אַשּׁ֑וּר וְהַנָּהָ֥ר הָֽרְבִיעִ֖י ה֥וּא פְרָֽת׃

The name of the third river is Tigris; it is that which goes east of Ashur. The Tigris is an immense river in Mesopotamia, known even today by this name. And the fourth river is Euphrates. There is no need for the verse to elaborate on the location of the Euphrates, as throughout virtually the entire Bible, whenever a verse mentions a river without further specification, it refers to the Euphrates. This river serves as the border between the lands of the Middle East and the surrounding lands. This is also the meaning of the expression “beyond the river,” which appears throughout the Bible and rabbinic literature, as well as in archaeological findings.

וַיִּקַּ֛ח יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעָבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ׃

The Lord God took the man, and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. In contrast to the other creations scattered throughout the garden, the man was placed there for a particular purpose, namely, to cultivate the ground and to keep it. Just as in the previous chapter man was commanded to rule over the entire world, here man is given responsibility over a part of this otherworldly place. The world was not yet functioning in its fixed manner; perhaps rain never fell in the Garden of Eden, which instead drew all its sustenance from the river flowing through it and required the care of man. Consequently, it was of great importance for the man to cultivate the garden and to protect it from harm.

וַיְצַו֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים עַל־הָֽאָדָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר מִכֹּ֥ל עֵֽץ־הַגָּ֖ן אָכֹ֥ל תֹּאכֵֽל׃

The Lord God commanded the man, saying: From every tree of the garden you may eat, and from them you shall draw your sustenance.

וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֙עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם אֲכָלְךָ֥ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת׃

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat; for on the day that you eat of it you shall die. If you eat from this tree, you will die.

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־לּ֥וֹ עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃

The Lord God said: It is not good that the man shall be alone. All living creatures were created male and female, and they were meant to multiply. Only man was created without a mate. Is one to conclude, then, that man was never meant to procreate? Perhaps God created man in His image, with intelligence and free will, as His parallel in this world. If so, just as God is alone above, man was likewise alone below, and this is how he was meant to fulfill his duties. To rule out this understanding, the Torah states that it is not good, neither for man himself nor for the world, for him to be alone. God continued: Therefore, I will make for him a helper alongside him, someone who completes him. Man requires a partnership with another being; this partnership would signify the beginning of humanity.

וַיִּצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָ֗ה כָּל־חַיַּ֤ת הַשָּׂדֶה֙ וְאֵת֙ כָּל־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיָּבֵא֙ אֶל־הָ֣אָדָ֔ם לִרְא֖וֹת מַה־יִּקְרָא־ל֑וֹ וְכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִקְרָא־ל֧וֹ הָֽאָדָ֛ם נֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּ֖ה ה֥וּא שְׁמֽוֹ׃

To that end, the Lord God formed from the ground every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man, master of creation below, to see what he would call it. Whatever the man would call every living creature, that was its name.