[Mesorah] l'zot yikarei ishah

[Zvi Lampel]

R. Zev Sero wrote: 
>Zvi Lampel wrote:
> Sholom Simon wrote:
> 
> > : In Gen. 2:23, Adam says "l'zot yikarei ishah," usually translated
> > : something like "this one shall be called Woman." However, the 
> gender of
> > : the verb "yikarei" is masculine, while the pronoun (zot) and the
> > : predicate noun (ishah) are both feminine.
> 
ZL:
> I always thought the translation was "For this reason she shall be 
> called ishah." Just have to find what pronoun for reason (or similar 
> word) would be feminine.

RZS:
: Where do we find "lezot" meaning "therefore" in Chumash? And if it
: means "therefore", shouldn't it be "lazot", not "lezot"?

: If you are right though, that just brings RSS's question back -
: according to your translation it should definitely be "tikarei".


"LaZos" actually only appears in Chumash one other time (Shemos 7:23), and in Nach only another three times (Yeshaya 30:4; Yirmiahu 5:7; Iyov 37:1--and "laZeh" appears in Shmuel Aleph 21:12 and 25:21) and, as you suspected, the contexts in each case shows it does not mean "for this" in the sense of "therefore." However, on the verse in question (Bereishis 2:23), Rabbeynu Saadia Gaon and the Ibn Ezra do explain it as "for this reason."

Unfortunately, neither RSG nor Ibn Ezra directly address the question of why the posuk says "yikarei" in the masculine rather than "tikarei." But once "Zos" is not read as a pronoun Adam used in reference to his new wife, one may suggest that the pronoun of "yikarei" refers to the masculine "etsem" and/or "bassar." So the posuk can read: "And the man said, 'This time! Bone of my bone! Flesh of my flesh! Therefore it [this flesh and bone, or this "tsella" (both words masculine or neuter) which comes from me, myself] shall [henceforth be referred to not in the masculine/neuter, but] shall be called Ishah [a female form of me] because from a man (ish) she is taken."

True, the narrative of the preceding posuk already referred to the part of Adam that became the ishah in the feminine form ("VaYikach /achas/ mi-tsalo/sav/," "vayisgor bassar tacteh-/ha/," and "Vayiven Hashem Elokim ess ha-tsella ahser lakach min-haAdam l'ishah va-y'vi-e/ha/ el haAdam"--Hashem Elokim built the tsella (masculine), that he tool from the man, into a woman, and He brought [what was now a feminine] /her/ to the man"). But our posuk is speaking from Adam's viewpoint, and as he saw it, what was previously masculine/neuter, he now declared to be a feminine being.

Zvi Lampel


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