佐哈尔·诺克 33

1AND THE FEAR OF YOU AND THE DREAD OF YOU SHALL BE UPON EVERY BEAST OF THE EARTH: as much as to say, “Henceforward you will assume the facial impress of man”; for up to that time their facial impress was not that of human beings. For at first: “in the image of God created he him” (Gen. 1, 27), also “in the likeness of God made he him” (Ibid. 5, 1); but when they sinned, their facial impress was changed from the supernal prototype, and through this transformation they became afraid of the beasts of the field.

2Whereas formerly all the creatures of the world, when looking up towards man, encountered the supernal sacred impress and thus were filled with fear and trembling, now after they sinned their appearances were transformed, and it was men who feared and dreaded the rest of the animal world.

3Thus it is that all who are mindful of their Master, who keep themselves from sin and do not transgress the precepts of the Torah, retain their visage unaltered from the supernal prototype, and hence all the creatures of the world fear them and tremble before them. But when men transgress the precepts of the Torah, their visages change, and they fear the other creatures and tremble before them; the beasts of the field obtain dominion over men because they do not see any more in them the true supernal image.

4Hence, now that the world was reinstated in its former position, He bestowed on them His blessing and granted them dominion over all the creatures, as we read: AND UPON ALL THE FISHES OF THE SEA: INTO YOUR HAND ARE THEY DELIVERED; that is, all, even to the fishes of the sea.’ R. Hiya said: ‘It is written “into your hand were they delivered” (nithanu), i.e. originally, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He delivered all in man’s hand, as it is written, “and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, etc.” (Gen. 1, 28).’

5In reference to the words “And God blessed Noah”, R. Hizkiah discoursed on the text: Of David, Maskil. Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Ps. 32, 1). He said: ‘This verse contains deep mysteries of wisdom. For we have been taught that David, in offering praise to the Holy One, blessed be He, made use of ten varieties of praise, one of which was Maskil, which is one of the ten grades (of illumination), and the word here implies that David qualified himself to attain that grade.

6The verse proceeds: “Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” The words nesui pesha mean literally “whose transgression is uplifted”. That is to say, when the Holy One, blessed be He, weighs the sins and the merits of men in the balance, happy then is he whose sins rise and mount in the one scale whilst his merits sink down the other.

7“Whose sin is covered”: i.e. when the world is being chastised, that man will be concealed so that the destroyer will have no power over him, in the same way that Noah was concealed by the Holy One, blessed be He, so that he escaped the consequences that Adam’s sin drew upon the world. For that sin transferred dominion from man to the other creatures, making him fear them, and thus reversing the true order of things. Therefore when Noah went forth from the ark, the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed him, as it is written, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, etc.”

8AND YOU, BE YE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY. The women do not seem to have been included in this blessing, as it was only addressed to Noah and his sons. R. Simeon, however, said that the term ve-athem (and you) includes both male and female. And further, the particle eth preceding “his sons” signifies the inclusion of their spouses.

9It is because the women were included that God said: “Do you be fruitful and multiply”, to propagate your kind. On this occasion the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them seven precepts of the Torah-to them and to all their successors, until Israel stood at Mount Sinai, when they received all the precepts of the Torah in one code.’