He said: ‘Was man then alone? Is it not written, “male and female he created them”, and we have learnt that man was created “with two faces”? What it means, however, is that the male did not concern himself with the female and had no support from her; she was at his side and they were like one from the back.
Therefore God sawed him in two and separated the female from him and brought her to the man, so that they should be face to face. And when she was gathered in to man,
Therefore he who unites with the wife of another impairs the union, for the union of the Community of Israel is with the Holy One, blessed be He, alone, whether it is a time with him of mercy or of judgement. He who joins with the wife of another is like one who denies the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel, and therefore he does not obtain forgiveness by repentance until he departs from the world, until he enters repentant into the other world to receive his punishment.’
R. Eleazar said: ‘He who denies the Community of Israel is not received as a penitent until he has been punished in Gehinnom; all the more so if he denies both the Community of Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the more so if he caused God the trouble of forming a bastard in the wife of another.’
פָּתַח רִבִּי אֲחָא וְאָמַר, (בראשית ב׳:י״ח) וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ' אֱלֹהִים לֹא טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ וְגוֹ'. אֲמַאי פָּתַח קְרָא הָכִי, אֶלָּא הָא אִתְּמַר, דְּעַל דָּא לָא כְּתִיב, כִּי טוֹב בַּשֵּׁנִי, בְּגִין דְּזַמִּין אָדָם לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא, וּכְתִיב, לֹא טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ.
R. Aha then discoursed on the verse: “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone”, etc. (Gen. 2, 18).
וְכִי לְבַדּוֹ הֲוָה, וְהָא כְּתִיב, (בראשית ה׳:ב׳) זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם. וְתָנֵינָן אָדָם דּוּ פַּרְצוּפִין אִתְבְּרֵי, וְאַתְּ אַמְרַת, לֹא טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ. אֶלָּא דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּנוּקְבֵיהּ, וְלָא הַוַת לֵיהּ, סֶמֶךְ לָקֳבְלֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּהֲוַת בְּסִטְרוֹי, וַהֲווּ כַּחֲדָא מֵאֲחוֹרָא, וּכְדֵין הֲוָה הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ.
He said: ‘Was man then alone? Is it not written, “male and female he created them”, and we have learnt that man was created “with two faces”? What it means, however, is that the male did not concern himself with the female and had no support from her; she was at his side and they were like one from the back.
אֶעֱשֶׂה לּוֹ עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ. מַהוּ כְּנֶגְדּוֹ, לָקֳבֵל אַנְפּוֹי, לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא דָּא בְּדָא אַנְפִּין בְּאַנְפִּין, מָה עֲבַד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, נָסַר לֵיהּ וְנָטִיל נוּקְבָּא מִנֵּיהּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (בראשית ב׳:כ״א) וַיִּקַּח אַחַת מִצַּלְעוֹתָיו. מַהוּ אַחַת. דָּא נוּקְבָּא דִּילֵיהּ. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שיר השירים ו׳:ט׳) אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי. וַיְבִיאֶהָ אֶל הָאָדָם, אַתְקִין לָהּ כְּכַלָּה וְאַיְיתֵי לָהּ לְמֶהֱוִי לָקֳבֵיל אַנְפּוֹי נְהִירִין אַנְפִּין בְּאַנְפִּין. וּבְעוֹד דְּהֲוָה מִתְדַּבְּקָא נוּקְבָּא בְּסִטְרוֹי, הֲוָה הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ. לְבָתַר, סְלִיקוּ תְּרֵין, וְקָמוּ שֶׁבַע כַּחֲדָא.
Therefore God sawed him in two and separated the female from him and brought her to the man, so that they should be face to face. And when she was gathered in to man,
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְכְּנָשׁ (ס"א דאתתקנת) לְגַבֵּי אָדָם, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּרִיךְ לוֹן, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (בראשית א׳:כ״ב) וַיְבָרֶךְ אוֹתָם אֱלֹהִים. כְּחַזָּן דִּמְבָרֵךְ לְכַלָּה בְּשֶׁבַע בְּרָכוֹת. מִכָּאן אוֹלִיפְנָא, חָתָן וְכַלָּה, כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְבָּרְכָן בְּשֶׁבַע בְּרָכוֹת אִתְדַּבְּקָן כַּחֲדָא, כְּדוּגְמָא דִּלְעֵילָּא.
then God blessed them, like the reader of the service who blesses the bride with seven blessings.
וְעַל דָּא מַאן דְּאָתֵי לְאִתְחַבְּרָא בְּאִנְתּוּ דְּאָחֳרָא, הָא פָּגִים זִוּוּגָא, (כביכול עביד ב' רשויות לעילא) דְּהָא זִוּוּגָא דְּכְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, בְּזִמְנָא דְּאִיהוּ בְּרַחֲמֵי, וּבְזִמְנָא דְּאִיהוּ בְּדִינָא. תָּא חֲזֵי, מַאן דְּמִתְחַבָּר בְּאִנְתּוּ דְּאָחֳרָא, כְּאִילּוּ מְשַׁקֵּר בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּבִּכְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא מְכַפֵּר לֵיהּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה, וּתְשׁוּבָה תַּלְיָא עַד דְּיִסְתָּלַק מֵעָלְמָא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (ישעיהו כ״ב:י״ד) אִם יְכוּפַּר הֶעָוֹן הַזֶּה לָכֶם עַד תְּמוּתוּן. וְאֵימָתַי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּעָאל בִּתְשׁוּבָה לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, וְאִית לֵיהּ לְקַבְּלָא עוֹנְשָׁא.
Therefore he who unites with the wife of another impairs the union, for the union of the Community of Israel is with the Holy One, blessed be He, alone, whether it is a time with him of mercy or of judgement. He who joins with the wife of another is like one who denies the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel, and therefore he does not obtain forgiveness by repentance until he departs from the world, until he enters repentant into the other world to receive his punishment.’
רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, מַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּכְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לָא יִתְקָבַּל בִּתְשׁוּבָה, עַד דְּיִתְדָּן בְּדִינָא דְּגֵיהִנָּם. כָּל שֶׁכֵּן, מַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּכְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְכָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִי אַטְרַח לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֶעְבַּד דִּיּוּקְנָא דְּמַמְזֵר בְּאִנְתּוּ דְּאָחֳרָא, וְאַכְחִישׁ פּוּמְבִּי דְּמַלְכָּא.
R. Eleazar said: ‘He who denies the Community of Israel is not received as a penitent until he has been punished in Gehinnom; all the more so if he denies both the Community of Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the more so if he caused God the trouble of forming a bastard in the wife of another.’