In the story of R. Chiya's sons at Rebbi's meal, how did R. Chiya's words about wine appease Rebbi - was it not still troubling that they were carrying within themselves such disturbing thoughts about the destruction of the two Houses?

Maharsha: R. Chiya's sons compared the Houses of Rebbi and the Reish Galusa, which descended from the House of King David, to the cycle of the moon. Just as the moon begins to wane after the 15th of the month until it disappears completely from view, so too the House of David diminishes until it seems to vanish entirely. In the same way that the moon then waxes and becomes full again, so too the glory of the House of David will be restored in its fullness. Although Rebbi was initially distressed to hear of the destruction of his house, he was consoled when Rabbi Chiya explained that they were revealing to him a sod - a secret - referring to the Sod ha'Ibur, the mystery of the moon's cycle.

Yalkut Yehoshua: Parshas Ki Savo lists numerous curses that will befall Am Yisrael if we turn away from Hash-m's Torah and Mitzvos. Among them is one particularly troubling Pasuk. In Devarim 28:61, it states: "גם כל־חלי וכל־מכה אשר לא כתוב בספר התורה הזאת יעלם ה' עליך עד השמדך" - "Also, every illness and plague not written in this Torah scroll, Hash-m will bring upon you until you are destroyed." This Pasuk is especially disturbing because it does not specify any particular punishment. The Zohar haChadash (Ki Savo, 73b) teaches that all the curses in this Parsha contain hidden blessings. However, since this verse is vague and undefined, it could not initially be interpreted that way. However, the sons of R. Chiya revealed that this Pasuk alludes to the destruction of the Houses of the Nasi and the Reish Galusa-the two great leadership dynasties of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael and Bavel. With this revelation, R. Chiya was able to console Rebbi, explaining that now this Pasuk, too, could be understood as ultimately containing a hidden blessing, just like the rest of the curses in the Parsha.

Avodas Dovid: Rebbi initially thought that R. Chiya's sons were speaking inappropriately. But R. Chiya explained that their words were actually secrets of the Torah, revealed to them from Heaven. Although they would not normally disclose such matters, the wine had its effect - it loosened their tongues and brought their hidden wisdom to light.

How does the creation of a unique, single Man prevent the families of his children from fighting?

Rav Hai Gaon (cited in Otzar haGeonim): The Toras Kohanim (Kedoshim 4:12) cites R. Akiva on the Pasuk (Vayikra 19:18), "Love your neighbor as yourself" - this is a great rule in the Torah. Ben Azzai responds (Bereishis 5:1), "This is the book of the generations of man" - this is an even greater rule. The explanation is that "Love your neighbor" applies only to one's friend, whereas "the generations of man" includes all people. Recognizing that Adam was created alone and that all humanity is one body leads to love and brotherhood among all. This explains the Gemara's statement that man was created alone "because of the families, so that families should not provoke one another."

If all women would have looked the same, why would someone desire another person's wife?

Margaliyos Ha'Yam, Binyan Shlomo: The man might be attracted to her wealth.

Ben Yehoyada, Ya'avetz: The Gemara was only referring to her facial features, but not to her body.

Sanhedri Ketana: The Gemara was only referring to her facial features, but not to the color of her skin.

Ben Yehoyada, Ya'avetz: Their personalities could be different.

Ben Yehoyada: The Gemara meant that they would have been very similar, but not identical.

R. Meir said that a person differs from his fellow in intellect because of thieves and extortionists. How does his different intellect save him from them?

Rashi, Yad Ramah: If they would not differ, a thief would be able to understand his victim's mind and predict where he keeps his money.

Yafeh Mareh: Each person is different to another in terms of his desires and interests - one person might want a particular field and another might want a certain house. If everyone would be the same, the would all want exactly the same things and it would lead to theft etc.

How can the phrase 'so that he would enter immediately into the meal' be understood?

Iyun Ya'akov: Adam was created in the fifth hour and the time of a Talmid Chacham's meal is the sixth hour. Furthermore, on Erev Shabbos, one should not eat a meal late, so that he will desire his Shabbos Seudah. So when Adam was created, it was immediately time to eat a meal, before it would become too close to Shabbos.

Yad David (Rav Dovid Oppenheim 17th-18th Century Prague - Bereishis 4:3-5): The Gemara gave two reasons why man was created last: to prevent arrogance, or so he would enter immediately into a prepared meal.These two explanations reflect the differing views of Kayin and Hevel. The Yalkut Shimoni (Bereishis 1:35) says that Kayin brought flax seeds for his Mincha, using their oil instead of olive oil, as he was concerned for Orlah since the trees were only a few days old. Hevel, however, reasoned that each day of Creation was like a full year, so the trees were no longer Orlah. Kayin therefore could not accept that man was created last "to enter into the meal," since meat was not yet permitted and fruits were, in his view, Orlah. He thus followed the other reason-that man was created last to prevent arrogance. Hevel, who was not concerned for Orlah, could explain that man was created last so that he would enter into a prepared meal.This fits the Midrash Ne'elam (Bereishis, Ma'amar Kayin veHevel veShes), which says that R. Yehuda taught: "Kayin came with haughtiness, and Hevel came with humility." Rabbi Yehuda clarifies that Kayin's offering was not from true concern for Orlah, for that would show humility. Rather, his supposed piety masked arrogance, and therefore Hash-m rejected his inferior offering of flaxseed oil instead of olive oil.

What was the Mitzvah that Adam would immediately enter into?

Yad Ramah, Maharsha: The Mitzvah of Shabbos.

Ben Yehoyada: The Mitzvah of Peru u'Revu - procreation, as Friday night is the primary time to fulfill this Mitzvah.

Why did the dust of Adam Ha'Rishon need to be gathered from the entire world?

Iyun Ya'akov: The Yalkut Shimoni (Tehillim 888) quotes from the Pirkei D'R. Eliezer that it was so that wherever a person would die, the earth would absorb him.

Netziv (He'emek Davar Bereishis 2:7): Unlike animals, which are limited to specific climates and habitats, man can live and adjust to almost any place in the world. This ability is because his dust was gathered from all regions of the earth. He adds that each species of animal has a fixed nature shaped by its environment - some are strong, others timid, and so on. Humanity, however, includes every type of nature and temperament - some people are strong or weak, kind or harsh, humble or proud. This variety in human character reflects the fact that Hash-m formed Adam from the dust of every part of the earth.

Who were the four that descended from the bed?

Tosfos: Adam, Chava, Kayin and his female twin. (Hevel and his twin/s came afterwards.)

Tur (haAruch): Adam, Chava, Kayin and Hevel (but their female twins are not mentioned, as they are not mentioned explicitly in the Pasuk. This could fit with R. Yehoshua ben Karcha's opinion in Midrash Rabah 22:2, that 'seven descended', as he includes one female twin with Kayin and two with Hevel. It could also fit with the opinion of R. Yehuda ben Beseira in Avos D'R. Nasan Chapter 1, that 'six descended' as he also includes the female twins, but holds that Hevel only had one female twin.)

Why did HaKadosh Baruch Hu incinerate the earlier groups?

Etz Yosef: They brazenly responded to Him, 'what is a human that You mention him and the son of man that You consider him', which implied that His proposal was worthy of ridicule.

Why did the angels not want man to be created?

Maharsha: There is a Midrash Rabah (8:5) that describes that when Hash-m came to create the world, the ministering angels formed different groups. The group of Chesed encouraged it as man would perform acts of Chesed. The group of Emes discouraged it as man is full of lies. The group of Tzedek encouraged it as man would bring justice. The group of Shalom discouraged it as man is full of quarrels. Connecting this to this Gemara, the first two groups of angels were those of Emes and Shalom (as can be seen from their claims). After this, the trait of Chesed destroyed those groups, allowing the world to exist.

Why did Adam speak Aramaic?

Ya'aros Devash (Chelek 2 - beg. Drush 13): Lashon Ha'Kodesh (the Holy Tongue i.e.Hebrew) is the language through which the world was created. It was given to those who serve Hash-m to use it in His service. When Adam sinned by transgressing Hash-m's command not to eat from the forbidden tree, he fell from his original spiritual level and consequently forgot Lashon Ha'Kodesh.

How are these sins of Adam to be understood?

Rabbeinu Chananel: Rav, R. Yitzchak and Rav Nachman's were actually quoting the claims of the Minim (heretics) about Adam Ha'Rishon, who brought 'proofs' from Pesukim. Anyone who understands that Chazal themselves said that Adam did these things will be judged for it.

Yad Ramah: The words of the Gemara do not indicate that it was the claims of the heretics. (He then explains that each of these sins are not to be taken literally. Each of them had another meaning that is a significantly more minor infraction. For example, he explains that the phrase "drawing his foreskin" means that although Adam was originally created circumcised, through his sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge he brought upon himself a spiritual covering or blockage, which distanced him from his Creator. This spiritual defect was so profound that it became imprinted in human nature, so that all his descendants were born uncircumcised.)

Ben Yehoyada: The three sins mentioned by these Chachamim were not the actual sins that Adam committed. When a person who is a great Tzadik sins even in a minor way, the damage it causes in the Heavens is so significant that it is comparable to a major sin. Although the sins that Adam committed were minor, the damage they caused in the Heavens was so great that it is as if he had transgressed idolatry, immoral relations, and murder.

Toras Chaim: Although the Gemara in Eiruvin (18b) cites R. Meir that Adam was very pious, that refers to the time after he had engaged in 130 years of teshuvah, once he had heard that death would be his punishment for the sin. The Gemara here, however, is addressing Adam's improper intentions at the actual moment of eating from the Etz HaDa'as (Tree of Knowledge).

If every heretical claim can be countered by a nearby clarifying phrase, what obligates the heretic to accept that clarifying phrase as more authoritative than the original phrase that seems to support his position?

Divrei Shaul (Rav Yosef Shaul Natanzon - 19th Century Lemberg): By citing the two phrases, the Gemara shows that Hash-m anticipated the heretic's question and provided the answer within the text itself.

The Midrash states (Bereishis 1), Hash-m saw that the world could not exist according to the trait of Din (Divine justice) so he combined it with the trait of Mercy. If He combined them, how could R. Akiva expound that there were still two thrones? (Iyun Ya'akov)

Iyun Ya'akov: The Toras Chaim explains that the trait of Din is still used for the great Tzadikim. And even for the regular people, Hash-m 'gets up' from his throne of Din and 'sits' on his throne of Mercy. Therefore, there are still two thrones.

Did R. Meir actually spend one third of the shiur giving parables?

Chazon Yechezkel (quoted in Vavei haAmudim v'Chashukehem 49 p.14): R. Meir would first explain the Halachos of a Mitzvah; then explain the reasoning behind it and finally he would give real life applications of it.