Derasha 1 on Bereishis 3:17

TT #140 · Parashas Bereishis · Third Aliyah · Passuk 17

Complete Passuk

וּלְאָדָ֣ם אָמַ֗ר כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֘עְתָּ֮ לְק֣וֹל אִשְׁתֶּ֒ךָ֒ וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֲרוּרָ֤ה הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲבוּרֶ֔ךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙ תֹּֽאכְלֶ֔נָּה כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

TT points to Yerushalmi Kilayim 1:7 (verified).

Core Text

Core Textתַּנְיָא, לָמָּה נִתְקַלְּלָה הָאָרֶץ? רַבִּי יֵידָן בַּר שָׁלוֹם אָמַר: עַל יְדֵי שֶׁעָבְרָה עַל גְּזֵרוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, [שֶׁאָמַר] תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, וְהִיא לֹא עָשְׂתָה כֵּן אֶלָּא וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע לְמִינֵהוּ...
English of Core Text: It was taught: Why was the earth cursed? Rabbi Yedan bar Shalom said: Because it transgressed the decrees of the Holy One, blessed be He, who said “Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed,” and it did not do so, but “the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind”...
On the daf / in context: One view attributes the curse of the ground to its own earlier deviation from the precise terms of the creation command (mixing of species / failure of exact compliance).
Type of Learning: Custom (reason the ground was cursed)
What Is Learned: The earth itself had already failed to fulfill the creation command exactly; therefore it shared in the curse.