What are the connotations of, "Al-Kein Ya'azov Ish es Aviv ve'es Imo ... "?
Rashi: The Torah is coming to forbid incest on the B'nei Noach.
Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan: It means simply that a man leaves the sleeping-quarters of his parents' home, in order to go and live with his wife
Sanhedrin 58a: See answer #1. "Es Aviv" refers to his father's wife, and "Es Imo", to his mother. 1
Oznayim la'Torah #1: The Torah is teaching us that it is not healthy for a married couple to live in their parents' home, as it is bound to interfere with their private lives.
Oznayim la'Torah #2: The Torah is teaching us that a man should not leave his parents and family to live on his own, until he finds a wife.
Oznayim la'Torah #3: The Torah is teaching us that, when a man builds his future, he should leave his past behind, because the future is more important than the past. 2
What is the significance of "v'Davak be'Ishto, v'Hayu l'Basar Echad"?
Rashi, Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan: The Torah is saying that a baby 1 is formed by its father and mother, and it is through him that they become one. 2
Ramban: The Torah is teaching us that, due to the formation of Chavah from Adam, people are different than animals, inasmuch as, whereas a male animal will be intimate with any female it chooses, a man designates one wife, with whom he lives permanently.
Moshav Zekenim: It is in order to extrapolate that he cleaves to her when she is "Ishto" - his wife, but not when they are merely betrothed - in which case intimacy is prohibited. 3
Sanhedrin 58a: Bearing in mind that "v'Davak" is confined to normal intimacy, it teaches us that a Ben-Noach who is intimate with his friend's wife is Chayav Misah - "v'Davak be'Ishto", 'v'Lo b'Eishes Chavero' - but not if he is intimate she'Lo ke'Darkah (from the back). 4
Yerushalmi Kidushin 1:1: See answer #2. It incorporates Ha'ara'ah - intimacy without full penetration - in the prohibition of B'nei-Noach against incest, homosexuality and bestiality. 5
Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan do not mention the baby, but simply that they cleave to each other and become one.
Ramban asks - this can be said even of animals? Gur Aryeh answers - Only man has the concept of lineage; people refer to a child as "son of so-and-so". Animals' offspring do not relate back to the parents. Thus, only human parents become "one flesh" through their children.
Moshav Zekenim: As the Birkas Eirusin states, "she'Asar lanu es ha'Arusos".
As opposed to the same prohibition upon Yisrael, which includes this. See Torah Temimah, note 53.
See Torah Temimah, note 55.
What are the connotations of "v'Hayu l'Basar Echad"?
Rashi, Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonasan: Refer to 2:24:1:1 and note 1.
Sanhedrin 57b: After mentioning "Ish" at the beginning of the Pasuk, the Torah concludes "v'Hayu l'Basar Echad" to include the woman in the Isur of incest. 1
Sanhedrin 58a: It comes to forbid homosexuality and bestiality to B'nei-Noach, since a man and a man, or a man and and an animal, do not become one. 2
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "'Therefore a man shall take leave...' - Hashem is saying this, to forbid Bnei Noach regarding incest." Why does Rashi veer from the simple meaning, i.e. that Adam is speaking about the nature of marriage?
Gur Aryeh: Why must a man take leave of his parents due to his wife? Also, was Adam entitled to command Mitzvos for his future offspring? Therefore, Rashi explains that Hashem is speaking in our verse, and it comes to forbid illicit relations.
