6050 —תפקיד אדם בקריאת שמות לפי הזוהר ופירושים

B"H, 13 Shevat, 5718. Brooklyn.

Havavach iy"a nu"n etc. Harav Natan David Rozenblum

Shalom u'Vrachah!

I acknowledge receipt of your letter from Sunday. At an auspicious time I will mention you and your wife for blessing at the holy resting place of the Baal HaHilulah, my revered father-in-law the Rebbe, of blessed memory, as we have just returned from his yahrzeit, as per your request.

Regarding what you noted in Tikunei Zohar Tikkun 69 near its beginning (99b): "And Adam knew..." etc., and it continues: "And she said 'I have acquired a man,'" raising the question that in the Torah it is Chava who says this. The Vilna Gaon emends it to read: "She said 'I have acquired a man,'" but this emendation is problematic since all the continuation in Tikunei Zohar there speaks about Adam—as it says: "And Adam knew," he knew his obligation, he knew impurity, he saw reincarnation, etc.—all of which are in masculine language. It is thus difficult to change all this to feminine language.

In my opinion there is another way to resolve this: Although at first it says (Chava) said "I have acquired a man," nevertheless the name was established only with Adam's agreement—certainly a name cannot be established without Adam HaRishon's consent since he is primary. Therefore Tikunei Zohar explains why he agreed to this. Note also the commentary of Daas Zekeinim Baalei Tosafos on Bereishis 38:5: From my teacher I heard that their custom was that he would name his first son and she would name her second son (though Ramban disagrees).

Summary

The Rebbe clarifies that while Chava may have initially named their child, Adam’s agreement was necessary for establishing the name—highlighting how both partners’ roles are considered in Torah tradition and how classical sources address apparent textual discrepancies.