Genesis Chapter 1 בְּרֵאשִׁית
וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ.
And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'
According to this narrative, the first commandment was Be fruitful and multiply (in plural) - was given to both Adam and Eve; therefore both men and women are obligated to be fruitful and multiply - how else would a man bring children to this world without a female?
Genesis Chapter 9 בְּרֵאשִׁית
וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-נֹחַ וְאֶת-בָּנָיו; וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ.
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth
The Zohar below brings the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda that the commandment for procreation is for men only based on the narrative said to Noah and his SONS - and NO females were mentioned?
Comes Rabbi Shimeon and corrects and expounds on the word אֹתָם BOTH to assert that the procreation commandment includes MALES and FEMALES. Moreover אֶת-נֹחַ וְאֶת-בָּנָיו and Noah and his children came to include Noah's wife and Noah's daughter in law in the commandment of procreation.
IT APPEARS FROM ALL THIS THAT WOMEN ARE ALSO OBLIGATED IN THE COMMANDMENT OF PROCREATION
I would like add that women go thru huge pain to bring and raise children, if they were NOT obligated, they would NOT have deserved a reward for procreation? And how would they rectify the sin of EVE who brought death to the world? Indeed God rewards them for procreation and for rectifying the sin of Eve. Because God does NOT spare his reward from NO ONE. He always pays in full.
Comments