משך חכמה — נעשה אדם / וירא…טוב מאד

Q — Why is "וירא אלקים כי טוב" never said of man specifically (when it is said for every other creation), and why is the global "וירא אלקים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד" needed after each creature already received its own "טוב"?

A — The tzelem Elokim is free will itself, and "כי טוב" denotes a fixed, unchanging state — which cannot apply to man whose moral identity depends on his choices; "טוב מאד" then describes the elevation that all of creation attains through man, when he chooses to do God's will and lifts every being beyond its natural "good."