Faith
Interpretation of Doomin over the fish of the sea
Question
Genesis, chapter 1, verse 28: And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. I read that having dominion over the fish of the sea, etc., is for man himself, meaning, control over creation for his needs (and among other things for settling the land by him, but the emphasis is on his needs for his life in the world). What is the rabbi's view and the view of the commentators he knows regarding this?
Answer
Greetings and blessings,
The commentators explained that have dominion means that our rule will be over them.
This verse comes to teach us that the preservation of the world and all the creatures in it has been placed in our hands, and that we are able to determine which species will survive in nature and which will not (for example, sadly today whales are being exterminated, and this proves that control is in human hands even over the species of the sea). In this, Hashem warned us to protect the species and not destroy them, for in doing so we harm the world and thereby also ourselves.
See also Midrash Kohelet Rabbah (section 7):
When Hashem created the first man, He took him and led him around all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: See My works, how fine and excellent they are, and everything that I created, I created for you. Pay attention not to corrupt and destroy My world, for if you corrupt it, there is no one after you to repair it.
The message of this verse is to teach us to use creation wisely for our needs, because dominion over all the species on the globe has been placed in our hands, including the fish of the sea.
With blessings,
Daniel Balas
