בראשית רבה ט״וBereshit Rabbah 15

Section 1א׳

וַיִּטַּע ה' אֱלֹהִים גַּן בְּעֵדֶן מִקֶּדֶם (בראשית ב, ח), דְּבֵי רַבִּי יַנַּאי אָמְרִין, לָמָּה הוּא מַזְכִּיר שֵׁם מָלֵא בִּנְטִיעַת הַגַּן, שֶׁמִּתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתָהּ הִיא צְרִיכָה כִּוּוּן. קֹדֶם עַד שֶׁלֹא נוֹצְרָה מִמְּעֵי אִמָּהּ, אָדָם צָרִיךְ לְכַוֵּן אֶת רוּחוֹתֶיהָ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים קד, טז): יִשְׂבְּעוּ עֲצֵי ה' אַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן אֲשֶׁר נָטָע, אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא כְּקַרְנֵי חֲגָבִים הָיוּ, וַעֲקָרָן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּשְׁתָלָן בְּתוֹךְ גַּן עֵדֶן. יִשְׂבְּעוּ עֲצֵי ה' וגו', אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, יִשְׂבְּעוּ חַיֵּיהֶם, יִשְׂבְּעוּ מֵימֵיהֶם. יִשְׂבְּעוּ מַטַּעְתָּן. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן לֹא הָיָה הָעוֹלָם רָאוּי לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בַּאֲרָזִים, שֶׁלֹא נִבְרְאוּ אֶלָּא לְצֹרֶךְ בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: יִשְׂבְּעוּ עֲצֵי ה' אַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן, וְאֵין לְבָנוֹן אֶלָּא בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, הֵאיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (דברים ג, כה): הָהָר הַטּוֹב הַזֶּה וְהַלְּבָנוֹן. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן אָמַר עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה מִינֵי אֲרָזִים הֵם, וְאֵין לְךָ מְשֻׁבָּחִים מִכֻּלָּם אֶלָּא שִׁבְעָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ישעיה מא, יט): אֶתֵּן בַּמִּדְבָּר אֶרֶז שִׁטָּה וגו'. רַבִּי אַחָא אָמַר ג' בְּרוֹשׁ, בְּרָתָא. תִּדְהָר, אַדְּרָא. תְּאַשּׁוּר, פַּקְסִינוֹן. וְלָמָּה קוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ תְאַשּׁוּר, שֶׁהוּא מְאֻשָּׁר מִכֻּלָּן. הוֹסִיפוּ עֲלֵיהֶן עוֹד שְׁלשָׁה, אַלּוֹנִים, אַרְמוֹנִים, אַלְמֻגִּים. אַלּוֹנִים, בַּלּוּטִין. אַרְמוֹנִים, דִּלְבּוֹן. אַלְמֻגִּים, אַלְוָם.

“The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the east; He placed there the man whom He had formed” (Genesis 2:8). “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the east” – the school of Rabbi Yanai says: Why does it mention a full name regarding the planting of the garden? It is because from the beginning of its planting it requires forethought. From the start, [even] before it emerges from its mother’s womb, a person must plan out which direction is appropriate for it. That is what is written: “The trees of the Lord are sated, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted” (Psalms 104:16). Rabbi Ḥanina said: They [the initial saplings] were as [tiny as] the antennae of grasshoppers when the Holy One blessed be He uprooted them and planted them in the Garden of Eden. “The trees of the Lord are sated…” – Rabbi Ḥanina said: They are sated with the lives that they live, they are sated with the water that they need, they are sated in their planting. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The world was not worthy of using cedars [for secular buildings], as they were created solely for the purpose of the Temple. That is what is written: “The trees of the Lord are sated, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.” And “Lebanon” is nothing other than the Temple, as it says: “That goodly mountain and the Lebanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: There are twenty-four species of cedar, but only seven are the highest quality of them all. That is what is written: “I will put cedar [erez], shita, [hadas and etz shemen in the wilderness; I will place in the desert berosh, tidhar and te’ashur together]” (Isaiah 41:19). Berosh – berata, tidhar – adera, te’ashur – paksinon. Why is it called te’ashur? It is because it is the most praiseworthy [me’ushar] of them all. They [subsequently] added three more to the list: Alonim, armonim, and almugim, Alonim – balutin, armonim – dalbon, almugim – alvam.

Section 2ב׳

גַּן בְּעֵדֶן, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, גַּן, גָּדוֹל מֵעֵדֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל לא, ט): וַיְקַנְאֻהוּ כָּל עֲצֵי עֵדֶן אֲשֶׁר בְּגַן הָאֱלֹהִים. וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, עֵדֶן, גְּדוֹלָה מִגַּן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּטַּע ה' אֱלֹהִים גַּן בְּעֵדֶן. וְהָכְתִיב (בראשית ב, י): וְנָהָר יֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן לְהַשְׁקוֹת, עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי מִתַּמְצִית בֵּית כּוֹר תַּרְקַב שׁוֹתָה. עַל דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה כְּפִיגִי שֶׁהִיא נְתוּנָה בְּגִנָּה, וּמַשְׁקָה אֶת כָּל הַגִּנָּה. וְהָא רַבִּי יְהוּדָה יֵשׁ לוֹ שְׁנֵי מִקְרָאוֹת, וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אֵין לוֹ אֶלָּא מִקְרָא אֶחָד, אָמַר רַבִּי חָנִין דְּצִפּוֹרִי הֵאִיר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֵינוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וּמָצָא לוֹ מִקְרָא אַחֵר מַכְרִיעַ עַל גַּבָּיו, וְאֵיזֶה זֶה (ישעיה נא, ג): וַיָּשֶׂם מִדְבָּרָהּ כְּעֵדֶן וְעַרְבָתָהּ כְּגַן ה'.

“A garden in Eden” – Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei, Rabbi Yehuda says: The garden is larger than Eden, as it is stated: “All the trees of Eden that were in God’s garden envied it” (Ezekiel 31:9), [and it is stated: “You were in Eden, of God’s garden” (Ezekiel 28:13)]. Rabbi Yosei says: Eden is larger than the garden, as it is stated: “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden.” It is written: “A river emerges from Eden to water the garden” (Genesis 2:10). According to the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, [this means that] from the runoff of a beit kor, a tarkav could be watered. According to the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda, it is like a spring that is situated in [the middle of] the garden and waters the entire garden. But Rabbi Yehuda adduces two verses, whereas Rabbi Yosei adduces only one verse. Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori said: The Holy One blessed be He illuminated the eyes of Rabbi Yosei and he found another verse that was decisive in addition to the first. Which is that? “He will render its wilderness like Eden and its desert like the garden of the Lord” (Isaiah 51:3).

Section 3ג׳

מִקֶּדֶם, אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן, אַתְּ סָבוּר קֹדֶם לִבְרִיָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, וְאֵינוֹ אֶלָּא קֹדֶם לְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן. אָדָם נִבְרָא בַּשִּׁשִּׁי, גַּן עֵדֶן בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים עד, יב): וֵאלֹהִים מַלְכִּי מִקֶּדֶם פֹּעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ, רְאוּ פָּעֳלָא טָבָא שֶׁהִתְקִין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שְׂכָרִי עַד שֶׁלֹא עָמַדְתִּי לִפְעֹל.

“To the east [mikedem]” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: You may think that it means before the creation of the world, but in fact it means only before the creation of man. Man was created on the sixth day, the Garden of Eden on the third day. That is what is written: “For God is my King from times of old [mikedem], working salvation in the midst of the land” (Psalms 74:12) – look at His benevolent works, as the Holy One blessed be He prepared my reward even before I [mankind] began to do anything.