What “great principle” is embedded with this very plain and simple phrase, “This is the book of the history of man?" The Torah teaches us to focus our energies and efforts on improving our future, rather than endlessly bemoaning our mistakes of the past.
The final section of Parashat Bereishit (5:1-6:8) presents a genealogical record of Adam’s descendants through the birth of Noach’s three sons, culminating with a description of the depravity of mankind in Noach’s time. This section begins with the introductory clause, “Zeh sefer toledot Adam” – “This is the book [or, ‘record’] of the history of man” (5:1). Innocuous as this phrase may seem, at least one view in Chazal, as recorded in Torat Kohanim (Kedoshim, 4:12) and the Talmud Yerushalmi (Nedarim 9:4), sees this verse as encapsulating the “kelal gadol ba-Torah” – the greatest principle in the Torah. Responding to Rabbi Akiva’s famous assertion that “Love your fellow as yourself” (Vayikra 19:18) constitutes a “great principle in the Torah,” Ben Azai counters by citing this verse – “This is the book of the history of man” – as an even greater “principle.” What “great principle” is embedded with this very plain and simple phrase, “This is the book of the history of man”?
The Ra’avad, in his commentary to Torat Kohanim, as well as Raboteinu Ba’alei Ha-Tosefot here in Parashat Bereishit, find the answer in the continuation of the verse: “on the day on which God created man, He made him in the image of God.” Without delving into the precise meaning of this concept, the Torah here reiterates the fact that God created man in His own image, so-to-speak, with some sort of resemblance to the Almighty. It is this concept that Ben Azai sought to emphasize in his response to Rabbi Akiva, who championed the importance of the Biblical adage, “Love your fellow as yourself.” Based on this verse alone, we might conclude that a person with little self-respect or dignity, who does not mind subjecting himself to degradation or physical abuse, may treat others with the same standard he accepts with regard to himself. Just as he does not mind insult or injury, so may he inflict emotional or physical pain on others. Ben Azai therefore affords primary importance to this verse in Parashat Bereishit, which establishes the notion that every human being is created in the divine image, and therefore deserves respect and kind treatment even by those who do not insist on such for themselves.
In homiletic writings, many different approaches have been taken to uncover the profound message underlying the phrase, “Zeh sefer toledot Adam.” Rav Dov Weinberger, in his Shemen Ha-tov, suggests that the “great principle” represented by this verse emerges by considering the context in which it appears. The previous section tells of Kayin’s murder of his brother and its aftermath. Despite being punished, Kayin ultimately recovers, settling east of Eden, begetting children and building cities. The Torah’s elaboration on Kayin’s progeny perhaps serves to emphasize his having overcome the mistakes of his past and success in rebuilding his life and his future. This section also tells of the birth of Shet to Adam and Chava, who see their new son as a “replacement” of Hevel, who was killed by his brother.
In this vein, the Shemen Ha-tov suggests, we might understand the phrase “Zeh sefer toledot adam” and its profound importance in Ben Azai’s view. The story of the history of man is the story of downfall and recovery, of failure and success, of tragedy and renewal. The great challenge of life, as can be seen in the lives of the very first generations of people, is that of recovery, to overcome downfalls and begin anew, to respond to setbacks with a firm resolve to move forward. This “story of the history of man” continues in the subsequent chapters, where we read of the deluge and the gradual renewal of human life on earth.
According to Ben Azai, this message constitutes the kelal gadol ba-Torah – the fundamental principle of the Torah. The Torah teaches us to focus our energies and efforts on improving our future, rather than endlessly bemoaning our mistakes of the past. When we experience failure, frustration or sorrow, we look to the “book of the history of man” to remind us of the importance of recovery and renewal, of the need to put the mishaps of the past behind us and work towards a brighter and more successful future.