LET THE WATERS SWARM WITH SWARMS OF LIVING CREATURES. R. Eleazar said: ‘These are the lower waters, which brought forth species corresponding to those above, so that there was a lower order and a higher order.’ R. Hiya said: ‘It was the upper waters which brought forth a “living soul”, to wit, the soul of the first man, as it is written, “and the man became a living soul” (Gen. 2, 7).’
AND FOWL TO FLY ABOVE THE EARTH. These are the emissaries from the upper world which appear to men in visible shape. For there are others of whose existence man knows only by conjecture.
These latter are referred to in the next verse in the words, “every winged fowl after its kind”. The words “after its kind” are used in connection with the latter and not with the former, because the latter never take the forms of another species, whereas the former do. Nevertheless, they do differ one from another.
יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם שֶׁרֶץ נְפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אִלֵּין מַיִין תַּתָּאִין דְּרַחֲשִׁין זַיְינִין כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעֵילָא. אִנּוּן עִלָּאֵי וְאִנּוּן תַּתָּאֵי. רִבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר עִלָּאֵי אַפִּיקוּ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה. וּמַאי נִיהוּ. דָּא נֶפֶשׁ דְּאָדָם קַדְמָאָה כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה.
LET THE WATERS SWARM WITH SWARMS OF LIVING CREATURES. R. Eleazar said: ‘These are the lower waters, which brought forth species corresponding to those above, so that there was a lower order and a higher order.’ R. Hiya said: ‘It was the upper waters which brought forth a “living soul”, to wit, the soul of the first man, as it is written, “and the man became a living soul” (Gen. 2, 7).’
וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל הָאָרֶץ אִלֵּין שְׁלִיחֵי עִלָּאִין דְּאִתְחַזּוּן לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא בְּחֵיזוּ דְּבַר נָשׁ. מַשְׁמַע דִּכְתִיב יְעוֹפֵף עַל הָאָרֶץ. בְּגִין דְּאִית אָחֳרָנִין דְּלָא אִתְחַזּוּן אֶלָא בְּרוּחָא מַמָּשׁ לְפוּם סֻכְלְתָנוּ דִּבְנִי נְשָׁא.
AND FOWL TO FLY ABOVE THE EARTH. These are the emissaries from the upper world which appear to men in visible shape. For there are others of whose existence man knows only by conjecture.
בְּגִינֵי כָךְ לָא כְּתִיב בְּאִלֵּין לְמִינֵהוּ כְּאִנּוּן אָחֳרָנִין דִּכְתִיב בְּהוּ וְאֶת כָּל עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ, בְּגִין דְּאִלֵּין לָא מְשַׁנְיָין מִמִּינַיְיהוּ לְעָלְמִין כְּהָנֵי אָחֳרָנִין דְּלָא כְּתִיב בְּהוּ לְמִינֵהוּ. וְאִי תֵימָא אִית בְּהוּ דִּמְשַׁנְיָין דָּא מִן דָּא. הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי דְּהָא אִית בְּהוּ דִּמְשַׁנְיָין אֵלִּין מֵאִלֵּין בְּגִינֵי כָךְ כְּתִיב וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד:
These latter are referred to in the next verse in the words, “every winged fowl after its kind”. The words “after its kind” are used in connection with the latter and not with the former, because the latter never take the forms of another species, whereas the former do. Nevertheless, they do differ one from another.