"and He took one of his sides"

42. Rabbi Aba opened with, "And Hashem Elohim said, It is not good that the man should be alone..." (Beresheet 2:18). HE ASKS, Why did the verse speak this way, AND ANSWERS, We learned that for this reason it is not written, "that it was good" about the second day, because man will be divided, THAT IS, A SIDE WILL BE DIVIDED FROM HIM TO BUILD THE WOMAN. It is also written, "it is not good that the man should be alone." FOR THAT REASON "THAT IT WAS GOOD" WAS NOT SAID IN RELATION TO THE SECOND DAY.

43. HE ASKS, Was he alone? Yet it is written, "male and female He created them" (Beresheet 5:2). We learned that the first man was created double faced, THAT IS, A MALE AND A FEMALE FACES FASTENED AT THEIR BACKS. Yet you say, "it is not good that the man should be alone." HE ANSWERS, But he did not gain favor with his wife, and she was not a help to match him, but they were FASTENED together back to back. Then man was alone.

44. "I will make him a help to match him" (Beresheet 2:18). What is "to match him?" HE ANSWERS THAT IT MEANS facing him, so they will unite face to face. The Holy One, blessed be He, sawed him and took the female from him, as it is written, "and He took one of his sides" (Ibid. 21). What does 'one' refer to? It resembles the words, "My dove, my undefiled is but one" (Shir Hashirim 6:9). "...and brought her to the man" (Beresheet 2:22) MEANS He fixed her as a bride and brought her so she will face him and their faces would shine at each other's. As long as the woman was adjoined to his side, the man was alone. Afterwards two came out AND MATED, and seven emerged, NAMELY, CAIN WITH HIS TWIN SISTER, ABEL WITH HIS TWO TWIN SISTERS, WHICH MAKES FIVE. TOGETHER WITH ADAM AND EVE THEY ARE SEVEN.

45. Come and see, when EVE was made ready for Adam, the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed them. This is the meaning of, "And Elohim blessed them" (Beresheet 1:28), just as the cantor gives the bride seven blessings. From this we learned that once a bride and a groom are blessed with seven blessings, they are united as the likeness of above WHERE MALCHUT IS BLESSED WITH SEVEN BLESSINGS BY CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN.

46. Therefore, whoever mates with another man's wife blemishes the union, because the Congregation of Yisrael unites with the Holy One, blessed be He, alone BOTH at the time when He is of Mercy AND when He is of Judgment. Come and see, whoever mates with another's wife, it is as if he is false to the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Yisrael. For this reason the Holy One, blessed be He, does not forgive him through repentance, and repentance impends until he dies. This is the meaning of, "shall not be forgiven you till you die" (Yeshayah 22:14). When IS HE FORGIVEN? When he repents coming into that world, WHERE he needs to receive punishment. THEN HE IS FORGIVEN.

47. Rabbi Elazar said, Whoever is false to the Congregation of Yisrael BY MATING WITH ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE, HIS repentance is not accepted until he is punished in Gehenom. This is more true for whoever is false to the Congregation of Yisrael and the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the more so if he troubles the Holy One, blessed be He, to make the form of a bastard in another's wife, and is false to the King in public, openly.