parshaמפרשי הפרשה

כלי יקר — ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים

If 'נשמת חיים' describes the divine soul Hashem breathed into man, why is the resulting state described with the same lowly term — 'נפש חיה' — used for animals, and why does the Torah never call man 'טוב'?

אף על פי שנפח ה' באדם נשמת חיים המשכלת, מכל מקום ויהי האדם בתחילת הויתו לסתם 'נפש חיה' כשאר בעלי חיים, כי אדם עיר פרא יולד, ועיקר שלימותו תלוי בחריצות השתדלותו וטוב בחירתו... ומטעם זה לא נאמר ביצירת האדם 'וירא אלהים כי טוב' לפי שביצירתו עדיין לא ניכר מה טובו ומה יופיו.

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כלי יקר

כלי יקר על בראשית ב׳:ז׳

Kli Yakar on Genesis 2:7

Bereshit

Q — If 'נשמת חיים' describes the divine soul Hashem breathed into man, why is the resulting state described with the same lowly term — 'נפש חיה' — used for animals, and why does the Torah never call man 'טוב'?

A — Kli Yakar inverts Rashi. 'נפש חיה' is precisely the animal-level starting point — אדם עיר פרא יולד — with the נשמה present only בכח. Whether man actualizes the divine soul Hashem breathed into him is left to 'חריצות השתדלותו וטוב בחירתו.' That is why the Torah doesn't say 'כי טוב' of man at his creation: 'עדיין לא ניכר מה טובו ומה יופיו' — his goodness depends on the effort he hasn't yet made.

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