Copyright 2009 by Gary Konecky, 2010  by examiner.com and Gary Konecky and 2011 by Gary Konecky

Genesis 1:28 states:  And G-d blessed them, and G-d said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and over all the beasts that tread upon the earth."

What does this verse mean?  Does it give us license to hunt animals to extinction?  Does it permit us to engage in wanton environmental destruction?  Are we allowed to exploit natural resources with no thought given to the consequences (including destruction of creation itself)?

When we went over how to interpret the Bible, I said that historical content matters.  At the time the Bible was written, women were treated as property.  If a single woman was raped, the law required the rapist to pay compensation to her father.  Furthermore, the rapist was required to marry her and would not be allowed to divorce her.  (note 1)

Men had dominion over women. Rashi, the great Torah commentator, in his explanation of the meaning of this verse notes the Hebrew letter ’vav’ is omitted in a key word (see Part 6: Interpreting the Bible (continued)).  This makes the word a masculine singular imperative to teach that the male subdues the female that she should not be a gadabout.  It is also meant to teach you that the man, whose way it is to subdue, is commanded to propagate, but not the woman.  (note 2)

Rashi’s explanation is a perfect example of the way male and female sexual and social roles were structured.  Not only were male and female roles radically different then they are today, male-male relationships were also radically different then they are today.

It is also important to note, that the subdue it phrase refers not to creation, but to men’s control over women.  This verse is not about dominating the earth.  For we are taught in Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13:  “When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: Look at my works! See how beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake I created them all. Take care not to spoil or destroy My world, for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note 1:  For additional discussion of this point, see page 204 of Wrestling With G-d & Man, Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition by Rabbi Steven Greenberg, copyright 2004, published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

See also pages 47-48 of The Torah Anthology / Me’Am Lo’Ez, Vol. 18, Deuteronomy IV, Laws & Warning, by Rabbi Shmuel Yerushalmi, translated by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger, Moznaim Publishing Corp., copyright 1991

Note 2:  http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8165/showrashi/true 

Recommended additional reading (not used a source for the material presented here):

Pages 35-36 of A Portion of Kindness, A Weekly Portion of Chesed, by Rosally Saltsman, edited by Judy Silkoff, Melech Publications, copyright 2006

The commentary on Numbers 22:32 on pages 672-673 of The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Hebrew Text, English Translation and Commentary, Second Edition, edited by Dr. J.H. hertz, C.H., Late Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Soncino Press, copyright 1960.

The commentary on Deuteronomy 25:4 on pages 854-855 of The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Hebrew Text, English Translation and Commentary, Second Edition, edited by Dr. J.H. hertz, C.H., Late Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Soncino Press, copyright 1960.

Make a Free Website with Yola.