"...these are the sons of Zivon: Ayah and Anah" (36: 24).
"He is Anah, who discovered the mules (hayemim) in the dssert, while he was pasturing the donkeys for Zivon, his father."
R Shimon B Gamliel disagrees: the donkey was introduced into the world in the days of Anah. He quotes our verse. He adds that those who are experts in difficult verses add that Anah himself was a mamzer, born of an illicit union and therefore brought the mule into the world.
This last point is repeated by Rashi in the beginning of his comment: "Anah is called the brother of Zivon but here he is called his son. This indicates that Zivon had relations with his mother, and she gave birth to Anah."
Shmuel suggests the following exegesis for a verse (Vayyikra 19:19): "You shall observe (tishmoru) my statutes- the ones that have been established from time immemorial."
Rashi explains that he means that there are certain statutes that Noach and his sons were commanded to keep and they are mentioned in the continuation of the verse. For example, "you shall not mate your animal…". Rashi, in his comment on the verse in the chumash, writes: "You shall observe my statutes, and they are the following...".
Rashi avoided the exegesis presented by Shmuel because he is of the opinion that the idea of mating two dissimilar animals did not come into the world until the deviant act of Anah.
On this view, Hashem did not direct us to avoid doing something that one would never have considered doing. Mating dissimilar animals is so contrary to an understanding of creation that it is inconceivable to Rashi that anyone would have done so by mistake. The command by Hashem to avoid doing the repulsive mating would have itself brought the possibility of such an act into the world. Therefore it is clear why Rashi rejects the position of R Yose, who says that such an act was already done in the time of creation, and was actually considered by Hashem (to complete creation) in that first erev shabbat!
It is certainly true that it takes a certain kind of "wisdom" to imagine that such an act represents the completion of Gd's work in creating the animals, but according to Rashi this wisdom was not employed by the first persons in the world to enhance creation.
For Rashi, it seemed simpler to say that the possibility of such mating began with Anah. Further, Anah did not take this action because of his greater "wisdom" but because of something that stained or stigmatized him. He drew the curious conclusion that if he was a halachic mamzer, then he would make it his goal to produce anomalies-forbidden mixtures- in the animal kingdom as well.
For Rashi, the idea of acting in this way was made possible by Anah, but not as a result of his wisdom rather out of a personal interest in making as much mamzerut in the world as possible.
This analysis accords well with the position of the Rambam in the guide, (Part 3, chapter 37). He says that the nations of the world arranged this kind of mating in order to give honor to their gods. In this context, the Rambam reminds us that forbidden to follow the "hukkim (norms) of the nations".
Gut shabbos, Chaim Brovender
Missed a parasha? Visit the parasha archives...
Return to Yeshivat Hamivtar - Orot Lev
