Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 1:22/רמב"ן על בראשית א׳:כ״ב

אוַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר גָּזַר בָּהֶם הַבְּרָכָה וְאָמַר בָּהֶם שֶׁיִּפְרוּ וְיִרְבּוּ, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ פֵּרוֹת רַבִּים שֶׁיּוֹצִיא הָאֶחָד רַבִּים כְּמוֹתוֹ. וְעִנְיַן הַבְּרָכָה בַּיְּלִידָה, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁאָמַר וּבֵרַכְתִּיהָ וְהָיְתָה לְגוֹיִם (בראשית י"ז:ט"ז). וְגַם בַּצְּמָחִים תָּבֹא לְשׁוֹן בְּרָכָה (ויקרא כה כא), וְצִוִּיתִי אֶת בִּרְכָתִי לָכֶם בַּשָּׁנָה הַשִּׁשִּׁית, אֲבָל לֹא נֶאֱמַר כֵּן בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי לְפִי שֶׁהַנִּבְרָאִים בְּכָל בַּעֲלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ הָיוּ שְׁנַיִם בִּלְבַד זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה לְמִינֵיהֶם, כָּעִנְיָן בָּאָדָם, וְהֻצְרְכוּ לִבְרָכָה שֶׁיִּרְבּוּ מְאֹד, אֲבָל בַּצְּמָחִים צָמְחוּ עַל פְּנֵי כָּל הָאֲדָמָה רַבִּים מְאֹד כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵם הַיּוֹם. וְלֹא אָמַר בַּבְּהֵמוֹת וּבַחַיּוֹת בְּרָכָה, שֶׁמִּזֹּאת הַגְּזֵרָה שֶׁגָּזַר בְּבַעֲלֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַתְּנוּעָה שֶׁבַּמַּיִם הָרִבּוּי נִתְרַבּוּ בַּעֲלֵי נֶפֶשׁ הַתְּנוּעָה שֶׁבָּאֶרֶץ, כִּי בַּעֲלֵי נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְדַבֶּרֶת כֻּלָּם עִנְיָן אֶחָד בִּבְרִיאָתָם. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (ב"ר יא ג) כִּי בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹת בְּנֵי אָדָם צָדִים מֵהֶם וְאוֹכְלִים, הֻצְרְכוּ לִבְרָכָה:

1AND G-D BLESSED THEM SAYING. He decreed the blessing on them and said of them that they should be fruitful and multiply, meaning that they should bring forth abundantly, that one creature should bring forth many like itself. The purport of the blessing is procreation, even as it says, And I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations.¹⁹¹ In connection with plants also, the term “blessing” applies: Then I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year.¹⁹² However, it does not say so on the third day [when the plants and trees were created] because all created living beings were only a single pair, male and female, according to their kind, and therefore they were in need of a blessing to bring forth abundantly; but in the case of plants, they sprang up over the face of the entire earth in great abundance, just as they exist today. Nor did He mention a blessing on the sixth day for cattle and beasts because in the decree of abundancy which He decreed for the moving souls in the waters there were included the moving souls on the earth, as all living souls that do not speak are in the same class of creation. And our Rabbis have said¹⁹³ that they [the fish and fowl] were in need of a blessing because people hunt them and eat them.¹⁹⁴

בוּמִלְאוּ אֶת הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים בֵּרֵךְ אוֹתָם שֶׁיְּמַלְּאוּ לְרֻבָּם הַיַּמִּים אַף הַנְּחָלִים וְהָאֲגַמִּים, אוֹ שֶׁמִּלּוּאָם בַּיַּמִּים הוּא כִּי בַּנְּחָלִים מְעַטִּים הֵם:

2AND FILL THE WATERS IN THE SEA. He blessed them that in their abundancy they would fill the seas, the streams and the pools. Or it may be that their “filling” is to be in the seas only for in the streams they are few.

גוְהָעוֹף יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁבְּרִיאָתוֹ מִן הַמַּיִם בִּרְכָתוֹ תִּהְיֶה בָּאָרֶץ, שֶׁיִּפְרוּ וְיִרְבּוּ עָלֶיהָ, כִּי אֵין בָּעוֹף שֶׁיַּטִּיל בֵּיצָיו בַּמַּיִם וְיִגְדְּלוּ שָׁם רַק הַשּׁוֹכְנִים תָּמִיד בַּמַּיִם וְנִזּוֹנִים מֵהֶם עוֹשִׂין בֵּיצֵיהֶם בָּאָרֶץ וְנוֹלָדִים בָּהּ:

3AND LET FOWL MULTIPLY IN THE EARTH. Although the fowl were created out of the waters, their blessing — that they be fruitful and multiply — was to be on the earth for there is no fowl that lays its eggs in the waters and has them grow there. Even those fowl which abide always in the waters and derive their food from them lay their eggs on the earth, and there they are born.