Derasha 3 on Bereishis 2:6 · Parashas Bereishis

Complete Passuk

וְאֵ֖ד יַֽעֲלֶ֣ה מִן־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְהִשְׁקָ֖ה אֶֽת־כָּל־פְּנֵ֥י הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃

Core Text

Core Textוְסָמִיךְ לֵיהּ וַיִּיצֶר ה׳ אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן הָאֲדָמָה — כָּאִשָּׁה שֶׁמְּגַבֶּלֶת עִיסָתָהּ בְּמַיִם וְאַחַר כָּךְ נוֹטֶלֶת חַלָּה, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן נִקְרָא חַלָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם וּגְרָמָה לוֹ חַוָּה מִיתָה, לְפִיכָךְ תִּשְׁמֹר מִצְוַת חַלָּה.

English of Core Text: And next to it “And the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground” — like a woman who kneads her dough with water and afterward takes challah; this teaches that Adam the first man is called the challah of the world, and Chavah caused death to him; therefore she [the woman] shall observe the mitzvah of challah.

On the daf / in context: The juxtaposition of the mist/watering with the formation of man yields the midrash that man is the “challah” separated from the dough of the world, and the mitzvah of challah is given to women in response to Chavah’s role.