בס”ד
- Genesis 1:28
| And G-d blessed them and G-d said to them, “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and all life that creeps upon the earth”. | וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹקים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹק֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכׇל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ |
2. Bereshit Rabba 8:12
| “And dominate over the fish of the sea” – Rabbi Ḥanina said: If they merit it, [they will] dominate [redu], but if not, they will fall [yeredu]. Rabbi Yaakov of Kefar Ḥanin said: One who fulfills “in our image, in our likeness – “And dominate”; those who do not fulfill “in our image, in our likeness” – they will fall [yeredu]. | וּרְדוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם (בראשית א, כח), אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, אִם זָכָה רְדוּ, וְאִם לָאו יֵרְדוּ. אָמַר רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב דִּכְפַר חָנִין, אֶת שֶׁהוּא בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ, וּרְדוּ. אֶת שֶׁאֵינוֹ בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ, יֵרְדוּ. |
3. Deuteronomy 20:19-20
| If you besiege a city for a long period of time, waging war against it to conquer it, you may not destroy its trees by cutting them down with an axe. For you would eat from the tree; you shall not cut it down—are trees like the man in the field who would retreat into the besieged city? You may only destroy a tree that you know does not produce fruit, cutting it down in order to build structures for the siege against the city warring with you, until its fall. | כִּֽי־תָצ֣וּר אֶל־עִיר֩ יָמִ֨ים רַבִּ֜ים לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם עָלֶ֣יהָ לְתׇפְשָׂ֗הּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִ֤ית אֶת־עֵצָהּ֙ לִנְדֹּ֤חַ עָלָיו֙ גַּרְזֶ֔ן כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ תֹאכֵ֔ל וְאֹת֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִכְרֹ֑ת כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה לָבֹ֥א מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃ רַ֞ק עֵ֣ץ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדַ֗ע כִּֽי־לֹא־עֵ֤ץ מַאֲכָל֙ ה֔וּא אֹת֥וֹ תַשְׁחִ֖ית וְכָרָ֑תָּ וּבָנִ֣יתָ מָצ֗וֹר עַל־הָעִיר֙ אֲשֶׁר־הִ֨וא עֹשָׂ֧ה עִמְּךָ֛ מִלְחָמָ֖ה עַ֥ד רִדְתָּֽהּ׃ {פ} |
4. Sanhedrin 59a
| There is nothing that is permitted to Jews that is forbidden to non-Jews. Nothing? What about war brides? The reason that a war bride is permitted to Jews and forbidden to non-Jews is that non-Jews are not authorized to conquer. | ליכא מידעם דלישראל שרי ולעובד כוכבים אסור ולא והרי יפת תואר התם משום דלאו בני כיבוש נינהו |
5. Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 529
| The root of this commandment is well-known — it is in order to teach our souls to love good and benefit and to cling to it. And through this, good clings to us and we will distance [ourselves] from all bad and destructive things. And this is the way of the pious and people of [proper] action — they love peace and are happy for the good of the creatures and bring them close to Torah, and they do not destroy even a grain of mustard in the world. And they are distressed by all loss and destruction that they see; and if they can prevent it, they will prevent any destruction with all of their strength. But not so are the wicked — the brothers of the destructive spirits. They rejoice in the destruction of the world, and they destroy themselves — [since] in the way that a person measures, so is he measured; which is to say that he clings to it forever, as the matter that is written (Proverbs 17:5), “the one who rejoices in calamity, will not be cleared (of evil).” And the one who desires the good and rejoices in it, “his soul will dwell in the good” forever. This is known and famous.[i] | שֹׁרֶשׁ הַמִּצְוָה יָדוּעַ, שֶׁהוּא כְּדֵי לְלַמֵּד נַפְשֵׁנוּ לֶאֱהֹב הַטּוֹב וְהַתּוֹעֶלֶת וּלְהִדָּבֵק בּוֹ, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ תִּדְבַּק בָּנוּ הַטּוֹבָה, וְנַרְחִיק מִכָּל דָּבָר רַע וּמִכָּל דְּבַר הַשְׁחָתָה. וְזֶהוּ דֶּרֶךְ הַחֲסִידִים וְאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה, אוֹהֲבִים שָׁלוֹם וּשְׂמֵחִים בְּטוּב הַבְּרִיּוֹת וּמְקָרְבִים אוֹתָן לַתּוֹרָה, וְלֹא יְאַבְּדוּ אֲפִלּוּ גַּרְגֵּר שֶׁל חַרְדָּל בָּעוֹלָם, וְיֵצַר עֲלֵיהֶם בְּכָל אֲבַדּוֹן וְהַשְׁחָתָה שֶׁיִּרְאוּ, וְאִם יוּכְלוּ לְהַצִּיל יַצִּילוּ כָּל דָּבָר מֵהַשְׁחִית בְּכָל כֹּחָם. וְלֹא כֵן הָרְשָׁעִים אֲחֵיהֶם שֶׁל מַזִּיקִים, שְׂמֵחִים בְּהַשְׁחָתַת עוֹלָם, וְהֵמָּה מַשְׁחִיתִים אֶת עַצְמָם, בְּמִדָּה שֶׁאָדָם מוֹדֵד בָּהּ מוֹדְדִין לוֹ. כְּלוֹמַר, בָּהּ הוּא נִדְבָּק לְעוֹלָם, וּכְעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב (משלי יז, ה) שָׂמֵחַ לְאֵיד לֹא יִנָּקֶה. וְהֶחָפֵץ בַּטּוֹב וְשָׂמֵחַ בּוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ בְּטוֹב תָּלִין לְעוֹלָם, זֶה יָדוּעַ וּמְפֻרְסָם. |
6. Kohelet Rabbah 7:13
| When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He took him and showed him all the trees in the Garden of Eden, and He said to him: ‘See My creations, how beautiful and exemplary they are. Everything I created, I created for you. Make certain that you do not ruin and destroy My world, as if you destroy it, there will be no one to mend it after you.[ii] | בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נְטָלוֹ וְהֶחֱזִירוֹ עַל כָּל אִילָנֵי גַּן עֵדֶן, וְאָמַר לוֹ, רְאֵה מַעֲשַׂי כַּמָּה נָאִים וּמְשֻׁבָּחִין הֵן, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָאתִי בִּשְׁבִילְךָ בָּרָאתִי, תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹא תְקַלְקֵל וְתַחֲרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ אֵין מִי שֶׁיְתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ |
[i] Sefer HaChinukh, translated by R. Francis Nataf, Sefaria 2018
[ii] The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah, 2022
By Rabbi Tani Burton
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