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<p style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0">The following are excerpts from RSRH's commentary on Bereishis 1:28</p>
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<p style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"><span class="co_VerseText">28. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and over all the beasts
that tread upon the earth.</span></p>
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<p style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0"><span class="co_VerseText"><span class="co_VerseText">"</span><span class="co_VerseNum">כח</span><span class="co_VerseText">וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֘ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ
וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ:</span><br>
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<div>28 God blessed both of them, and He made both of them responsible for<br>
the fulfillment of mankind’s mission.</div>
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<div><span class="co_VerseText"><span class="co_VerseText">פְּר֥וּ</span></span>
<div>refers to marriage, the union of the sexes for production of human<br>
fruit — children. Just as the choice energies and saps of the tree become<br>
“free” in its fruit as an independent germ (see above, v. 11), so the<br>
noblest traits of godliness and humaneness of the father and mother<br>
unite to produce an independent human germ.</div>
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<div><span class="co_VerseText"><span class="co_VerseText">רְב֛וּ </span></span>
<div>refers to the family. <i>r'vah</i> = to multiply. Begetting children is not<br>
sufficient in order for the human species to multiply. Even in the case<br>
of many species of animals, increase of the breed is dependent on care<br>
of the young; and in the case of the human species, such care is absolutely essential — even if viewed only from a physical standpoint. A<br>
<div>human child has no chance of survival at all, if his parents do not<br>
provide him with care from the moment of his birth and do not continually<br>
promote his bodily well-being and development. Not the birth,<br>
but the care is the true cause of human increase.</div>
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But <i>r'vah</i> includes more than this. The parents are obligated to reproduce<br>
themselves through their children: They must recur in the image<br>
of their children; and the children are to resemble their parents —<br>
not only physically, but spiritually and morally. The parents are to plant<br>
and nurture in their children the best of their spiritual and moral powers.<br>
In short, their duty is to form and educate their children spiritually<br>
and morally. Only then will they recur in the image of their children<br>
and fulfill the mitzvah of <span class="co_VerseText"><span class="co_VerseText">רְב֛וּ
</span></span>.</div>
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<div><span class="co_VerseText"><span class="co_VerseText">כִבְשֻׁ֑הָ </span></span>
<div>refers to property (see Commentary, v. 26). Man is commanded<br>
to master the earth and subdue it. His task is to acquire the products<br>
of the earth and to transform them, so that they become fit for his<br>
purposes. Acquisition of property is prerequisite for the tasks of home<br>
and society. Property serves as an instrument with which home and<br>
society achieve their aims. Thus, the acquisition of property becomes<br>
a moral duty.<br>
The mitzvah of äåùáëå, however, is written here last, which implies<br>
a limitation: There is no moral value to property, unless it is devoted<br>
to home and society. It is a person’s duty to acquire material assets, in<br>
order to build a home and to further the society. He should not build<br>
a home and support the society in order increase his assets and his<br>
wealth.</div>
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The mitzvah of <span class="co_VerseText"><span class="co_VerseText">וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ</span></span> is given at once to both sexes; they are to<br>
collaborate in harmony so as to fulfill this mission of man. Nevertheless,<br>
before establishing his home, man must first acquire material assets,<br>
and this duty — subduing the earth, so as to further man’s aims — is<br>
primarily incumbent only upon the male. For this reason the duty of marriage and<br>
of establishing a home is assigned directly only to the man, and only<br>
to him is it given as an unconditional duty. To the woman it is given<br>
as a conditional duty; it applies to her, only when she joins her husband.<br>
(See Yevamos 65b.)</div>
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These commands place the Divine imprint on every aspect
<div>of familyand communal life. The Torah does not recognize the compartmentalization<br>
of life into God-oriented or “religious,” on the one hand, and<br>
profane, untouched by things Divine, on the other. God claims all of<br>
life for His service and for the fulfillment of man’s mission as<i> adom</i>. This<br>
applies, first and foremost, to family and communal life.</div>
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