בראשית רבה כ״אBereshit Rabbah 21

Section 1א׳

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֱלֹהִים הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ וגו' (בראשית ג, כב), כְּתִיב (דניאל ח, יג): וָאֶשְׁמְעָה אֶחָד קָדוֹשׁ מְדַבֵּר וַיֹּאמֶר אֶחָד קָדוֹשׁ לַפַּלְמוֹנִי הַמְדַבֵּר וגו', וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶחָד, זֶה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ו, ד): שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד. קָדוֹשׁ, כִּי הַכֹּל אוֹמְרִים לְפָנָיו קָדוֹשׁ. מְדַבֵּר, גָּזַר גְּזֵרוֹת קָשׁוֹת עַל בְּרִיּוֹתָיו, (בראשית ג, יח): וְקוֹץ וְדַרְדַּר תַּצְמִיחַ לָךְ. וַיֹּאמֶר אֶחָד קָדוֹשׁ לַפַּלְמוֹנִי הַמְדַבֵּר, רַבִּי הוּנָא לַפְּלָנְיָא, תִּרְגֵּם עֲקִילַס לַפְּנִימִי, זֶה אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁהָיְתָה מְחִצָּתוֹ לִפְנִים מִמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת. (דניאל ח, יג): עַד מָתַי הֶחָזוֹן הַתָּמִיד, גְּזֵרָה שֶׁנִּגְזְרָה עַל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן לְעוֹלָם הָיְתָה, אֶתְמְהָא, (דניאל ח, יג): וְהַפֶּשַׁע שֹׁמֵם, כָּךְ יִהְיֶה פִּשְׁעוֹ שׁוֹמֵם עָלָיו בַּקֶּבֶר, (דניאל ח, יג): תֵּת וְקֹדֶשׁ וְצָבָא מִרְמָס, כָּךְ יִהְיֶה הוּא וְתוֹלְדוֹתָיו, עֲשׂוּיִים מִרְמָס לִפְנֵי מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת. (דניאל ח, יד): וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי עַד עֶרֶב בֹּקֶר אַלְפַּיִם וּשְׁלשׁ מֵאוֹת וגו', רַבִּי עֲזַרְיָה וְרַבִּי יוֹנָתָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יִצְחָק, בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ עֶרֶב אֵין בֹּקֶר וְכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ בֹּקֶר אֵין עֶרֶב, אֶלָא לִכְשֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה בֹּקְרָן שֶׁל עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים עֶרֶב וְעַרְבָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בֹּקֶר, בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה (דניאל ח, יד): וְנִצְדַּק קֹדֶשׁ, בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אֲנִי מַצְדִיקָן מֵאוֹתָהּ גְּזֵרָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֱלֹהִים הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ.

“The Lord God said: Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now, he might extend his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22). “The Lord God said: Behold, the man [hen haadam] has become as one of us [mimenu]” – “I heard a holy one speaking, and the holy one said to Palmoni who was speaking…” (Daniel 8:13). “I heard [a holy] one” – this is the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Hear, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). “Holy” – because everyone says ‘holy’ before Him. “Speaking [medaber]” – he issued harsh edicts against His creations: “Thorns and thistles it will grow for you” (Genesis 3:18). “And the holy one said to Palmoni who was speaking” – to so-and-so. Akila the proselyte translated it [“to Palmoni”] as “to the innermost one [penimi]” – this is Adam the first man, whose station was more internal than that of the ministering angels. “Until when will be the eternal vision?” (Daniel 8:13) – ‘Was the edict that was decreed upon Adam the first man to be eternal?’ he asked in astonishment. “And the desolating transgression” (Daniel 8:13) – will his transgression render him [permanently] desolate in the grave? “Giving the holy one and his host for trampling” (Daniel 8:13) – will he and his descendants be [forever] given for trampling before the angel of death? “He said to me: Until evening-morning two thousand three hundred…” (Daniel 8:14) – Rabbi Azaria and Rabbi Yonatan in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: Whenever it is evening it is not morning and whenever it is morning it is not evening. However, when the morning of the idolaters becomes evening, and the evening of Israel becomes morning, at that moment, “the holy one will be vindicated” (Daniel 8:14) – at that moment, I will absolve them [mankind] from that edict. That is what is written: “The Lord God said: Behold, the man has become as one of us.”

Section 2ב׳

הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (משלי כד, ל): עַל שְׂדֵה אִישׁ עָצֵל עָבַרְתִּי וְעַל כֶּרֶם אָדָם חֲסַר לֵב, אָמַר רַב הוּנָא הֲרֵי שֶׁקָּנָה שָׂדֶה וְקָנָה כֶּרֶם קָרוּי אִישׁ, וְקָרוּי אָדָם, וְנִקְרָא עָצֵל, מָה הֲנָיָה לוֹ. אֶלָּא עַל שְׂדֵה אִישׁ עָצֵל עָבַרְתִּי, זֶה אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, עַל כֶּרֶם אָדָם חֲסַר לֵב, זוֹ חַוָּה. אָמַר רַב הוּנָא הֵיכָן מָצִינוּ שֶׁנִּקְרֵאת חַוָּה אָדָם (ישעיה מד, יג): כְּתִפְאֶרֶת אָדָם לָשֶׁבֶת בָּיִת. (משלי כד, לא): וְהִנֵּה עָלָה כֻלּוֹ קִמְּשֹׁנִים, (בראשית ג, יח): וְקוֹץ וְדַרְדַּר תַּצְמִיחַ לָךְ. (משלי כד, לא): כָּסּוּ פָנָיו חֲרֻלִּים, (בראשית ג, יט): בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּיךָ תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם. (משלי כד, לא): וְגֶדֶר אֲבָנָיו נֶהֱרָסָה, (בראשית ג, כג): וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ ה' מִגַּן עֵדֶן, כֵּיוָן שֶׁשְּׁלָחוֹ הִתְחִיל מְקוֹנֵן עָלָיו, (בראשית ג, כב): וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֱלֹהִים הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ, הָוָה כְּחַד מִמֶּנּוּ.

That is what is written: “I have passed by the field of an indolent man [ish] and the vineyard of a person [adam] lacking heart” (Proverbs 24:30) – Rav Huna said: If someone bought a field and bought a vineyard, he is called ish and he is called adam, yet he is also called “indolent” – what good is he? Rather, “I have passed by the field of an indolent man” – this is Adam the first man. “And the vineyard of a person [adam] lacking heart” – this is Eve. Rav Huna said: Where have we found that Eve was called adam? “Like the splendor of a person [adam], to sit in a house” (Isaiah 44:13). “And behold, it was all overgrown with thistles” (Proverbs 24:31) – “thorns and thistles it will grow for you” (Genesis 3:18). “Its surface covered with nettles” (Proverbs 24:31) – “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). “And its stone fence destroyed” (Proverbs 24:31) – “the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden” (Genesis 3:23). When He sent him away, He began lamenting over him: “The Lord God said: Behold, the man was as one of us” – he had been like one of us.

Section 3ג׳

אִם יַעֲלֶה לַשָּׁמַיִם שִׂיאוֹ וְרֹאשׁוֹ לָעָב יַגִּיעַ (איוב כ, ו), אִם יַעֲלֶה לַשָּׁמַיִם שִׂיאוֹ, רוּמֵיהּ. וְרֹאשׁוֹ לָעָב יַגִּיעַ, עַד מָטֵי עֲנָנַיָא, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּרַבִּי סִימוֹן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר מְלוֹא כָל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ בְּרָאוֹ מִן הַמִּזְרָח לַמַּעֲרָב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קלט, ה): אָחוֹר וָקֶדֶם צַרְתָּנִי, מִן הַצָּפוֹן לַדָּרוֹם מִנַּיִן (דברים ד, לב): וּלְמִקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם וְעַד קְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם, וּמִנַּיִן אַף כַּחֲלָלוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר (תהלים קלט, ה): וַתָּשֶׁת עָלַי כַּפֶּכָה. (איוב כ, ז): כְּגֶלְּלוֹ לָנֶצַח יֹאבֵד, עַל שֶׁגָּלַל מִצְוָה קַלָּה נִטְרַד מִגַּן עֵדֶן, (איוב כ, ז): רֹאָיו יֹאמְרוּ אַיּוֹ, הוּא הָאָדָם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁטְּרָדוֹ הִתְחִיל מְקוֹנֵן עָלָיו וְאוֹמֵר הֵן הָאָדָם וגו'.

“Though his exaltedness ascends to the heavens, and his head reaches the clouds” (Job 20:6) – “though his exaltedness ascends to the heavens” – his stature; “and his head reaches the clouds” – until it reaches the clouds. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: He created him [Adam] filling the entire world from east to west, as it is stated: “Back and front You shaped me” (Psalms 139:5). From north to south, from where is it derived? “[From the day God made Adam on the earth,] and from one end of the heavens to the other end” (Deuteronomy 4:32). From where is it derived that he even filled the space of the world? The verse states: “You placed Your palm upon me” (Psalms 139:5). “He will perish forever like his dung [kegelelo]” (Job 20:7) – because he rolled away [galal] a minor commandment, he was expelled from the garden of Eden. “They who saw him will say: Where is he?” (Job 20:7) – that is Adam. When He sent him away, He began lamenting over him and saying: “Behold, the man…”