Derasha 2 on Bereishis 5:2

TT #183 · Parashas Bereishis · Fifth Aliyah · Passuk 2

Complete Passuk

זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בְּרָאָ֑ם וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָ֗ם וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶת־שְׁמָם֙ אָדָ֔ם בְּי֖וֹם הִבָּֽרְאָֽם׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

TT points to Megillah 9a (verified).

E-Daf image (Megillah 9a)

Core Text

Core Textמַעֲשֶׂה בְּתַלְמַי הַמֶּלֶךְ... וְכָתְבוּ לוֹ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאוֹ.
English of Core Text: An incident with King Ptolemy... and they wrote for him “male and female He created him” (singular).
On the daf / in context: One of the deliberate changes for Ptolemy: the plural “them” was rendered singular to avoid the appearance of multiple creators or of an original androgynous pair that might be misread.
Type of Learning: Custom (protective translation for Ptolemy)
What Is Learned: The elders altered “male and female He created them” to the singular for Ptolemy.