Man as a ruler in/of nature

(כו) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Genesis 1:26

(26) And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.”

עברית

7. The Torah gives an obligation to save human life. The Jewish tradition mandates an obligation to save and preserve life (called in Jewish legal sources: pikuach nefesh) based on an interpretation of Leviticus 18:5, “You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which people shall live: I am the Lord (See Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 74a).” Jewish law forbids us from knowingly harming ourselves (Leviticus 19:28). There are also numerous sources mandating the proper disposal of waste and that noxious products from industrial production must be kept far from human habitation (see for example, Deuteronomy 23:13-15, Mishnah Baba Batra 2:9) In the Jewish tradition, the public good overrides individual desires. While there are many useful and even lifesaving technologies that come from modern chemicals and materials, we have an obligation to be cautious in their use. Pikuach nefesh demands that we consider the impact of our use of chemicals and other materials, not only in the short term but also in the long term. For the Jewish tradition, the Precautionary Principle can be seen as a modern form of the warning not to tamper too much with the boundaries of Creation.

עברית

קוהלת רבה ז׳:י״ג:א׳

(א) רְאֵה אֶת מַעֲשֵׂה הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי מִי יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן אֵת אֲשֶׁר עִוְּתוֹ, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, נְטָלוֹ וְהֶחֱזִירוֹ עַל כָּל אִילָנֵי גַּן עֵדֶן, וְאָמַר לוֹ, רְאֵה מַעֲשַׂי כַּמָּה נָאִים וּמְשֻׁבָּחִין הֵן, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָאתִי בִּשְׁבִילְךָ בָּרָאתִי, תֵּן דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁלֹא תְקַלְקֵל וְתַחֲרִיב אֶת עוֹלָמִי, שֶׁאִם קִלְקַלְתָּ אֵין מִי שֶׁיְתַקֵּן אַחֲרֶיךָ, וְלֹא עוֹד שֶׁאַתְּ גּוֹרֵם מִיתָה לְאוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק. מָשָׁל משֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה, לְאִשָּׁה עֻבָּרָה שֶׁהָיְתָה חֲבוּשָׁה בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִים, יָלְדָה שָׁם בֵּן, גִּדְלָה שָׁם וּמֵתָה שָׁם, לְיָמִים עָבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל פֶּתַח הָאֲסוּרִים, כְּשֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ עוֹבֵר הִתְחִיל אוֹתוֹ הַבֵּן צוֹוֵחַ וְאוֹמֵר אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ כָּאן נוֹלַדְתִּי, כָּאן גָּדַלְתִּי, בְּאֵיזֶה חֵטְא אֲנִי נָתוּן כָּאן אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ. אָמַר לוֹ, בַּחֵטְא שֶׁל אִמְּךָ. כָּךְ בְּמשֶׁה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (בראשית ג, כב): הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד, כְּתִיב (דברים לא, יד): הֵן קָרְבוּ יָמֶיךָ לָמוּת.

Kohelet Rabbah 7:13:1

(1) Look at God's work - for who can straighten what He has twisted? (Ecclesiastes 7:13). When the Blessed Holy One created the first human, He took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: “Look at My works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! And all that I have created, it was for you that I created it. Pay attention that you do not corrupt and destroy My world: if you corrupt it, there is no one to repair it after you. And not only that - you cause the death of that tzadik [Moses]. A simile - to what does Moses our teacher can be compared? To a pregnant woman who was incarcerated in a prison and there she gave birth to a son, she raised him there and died there. Some time later, when the king was passing by the entrance of the prison, the son shouted and said: 'My lord the king! I was born here! I was raised here! I don't know what is the sin that keeps me put in here. He answered him: Your mother's sin. It is the same with Moses, as it is written: Behold, the man has become one (Genesis 3:22) and it is written [also] Behold, your day of death is approaching (Deuteronomy 31:14)

תהילים קט״ו:ט״ז

(טז) הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם שָׁ֭מַיִם לַיהוָ֑ה וְ֝הָאָ֗רֶץ נָתַ֥ן לִבְנֵי־אָדָֽם׃

Psalms 115:16

(16) The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He gave over to man.

ספר החינוך תקכ״ט:ב׳

(ב) שרש המצוה ידוע, שהוא כדי ללמד נפשנו לאהב הטוב והתועלת ולהדבק בו, ומתוך כך תדבק בנו הטובה, ונרחיק מכל דבר רע ומכל דבר השחתה, וזהו דרך החסידים ואנשי מעשה אוהבים שלום ושמחים בטוב הבריות ומקרבים אותן לתורה, ולא יאבדו אפילו גרגיר של חרדל בעולם, ויצר עליהם בכל אבדון והשחתה שיראו, ואם יוכלו להציל יצילו כל דבר מהשחית בכל כחם, ולא כן הרשעים אחיהם של מזיקים שמחים בהשחתת עולם, והמה משחיתים את עצמם במדה שאדם מודד בה מודדין לו. כלומר, בה הוא נדבק לעולם, וכענין שכתוב (משלי יז, ה) שמח לאיד לא ינקה רע. והחפץ בטוב ושמח בו נפשו בטוב תלין לעולם זה ידוע ומפרסם.

Sefer HaChinukh 529:2

(2) The root of this commandment is well-known - it is in order to teach our souls to love good and benefit and to cling to it. And through this, good clings to us and we will distance [ourselves] from all bad and destructive things. And this is the way of the pious and people of [proper] action - they love peace and are happy for the good of the creatures and bring them close to Torah, and they do not destroy even a grain of mustard in the world. And they are distressed by all loss and destruction that they see; and if they can prevent it, they will prevent any destruction with all of their strength. But not so are the wicked - the brothers of the destructive spirits. They rejoice in the destruction of the world, and they destroy themselves - [since] in the way that a person measures, so is he measured; which is to say that he clings to it forever, as the matter that is written (Proverbs 17:5), "the one who rejoices in calamity, will not be cleared (of evil)." And the one who desires the good and rejoices in it, 'his soul will dwell in the good' forever. This is known and famous.

אבן עזרא על דברים כ׳:י״ט:א׳

(א) כי האדם עץ השדה. כבר ביארתי בספר היסוד כי יתכן בכל לשון לקצר לאחוז דרך קצרה כמו חמור לחם רק מלת לא לא יתכן להיותה נחסרת כי הטעם יהיה להפך ומדקדק גדול ספרדי אמר כי חסר ה״‎א וכן הוא הכי האדם עץ השדה וזה הטעם איננו נכון כעיני כי מה טעם לאמר לא תשחית עץ פרי כי איננו כבני אדם שיוכל לברוח מפניך ולפי דעתי שאין לנו צורך לכל זה וזה פירושו כי ממנו תאכל ואותו לא תכרות כי האדם עץ השדה והטעם כי חיי בן אדם הוא עץ השדה וכמוהו כי נפש הוא חובל כי חיי נפש הוא חובל ואותו לא תכרות דבק עם לבא מפניך במצור הנה לא תשחית עץ פרי שהוא חיים לבן אדם רק מותר שתאכל ממנו ואסור לך להשחיתו כדי שתבא העיר מפניך במצור והעד על זה הפירוש שהוא נכון שאמר וכרת ובנית מצור:

Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 20:19:1

(1) man is a tree of the field I have already explained, in Sefer Hayyǝsod , that in every language there is a tendency to omit words in order to be concise. Nevertheless, one never omits the word “not”, because then one’s meaning is reversed. A great Spanish grammarian asserted that the sentence is missing an interrogative heh , as if Scripture were asking rhetorically, “is a tree of the field a man?” — but in my view this interpretation is not correct, because it makes no sense to explain a prohibition against destroying a fruit tree, on the grounds that a tree is not a man (and is thus incapable of running away). In my opinion there is no need for any of this. The meaning, rather, is as follows: You may eat of them, but do not cut them down, for man is a tree of the field (i.e., the life of man depends on the trees of the field). A similar construction appears in “for it is taking a life in pawn” [24: 6], which clearly means “it is taking the means of a man’s livelihood in pawn”. The phrase but do not cut them down is conceptually tied to the phrase to come before you in the siege, to wit: You may not destroy fruit-bearing trees, which are a source of life to mankind, but you may eat of their fruit; you are forbidden to destroy them so that the besieged city will surrender before you. The subsequent phrase cut to build up siegeworks is proof that this is the correct interpretation.

אבות דרבי נתן ל״א

(א) רבי אחאי בן יאשיה אומר הלוקח תבואה מן השוק למה הוא דומה לתינוק שמתה אמו ומחזירין אותו על פתחי מיניקות אחרות ואינו שבע. הלוקח פת מן השוק למה הוא דומה כאילו חפור וקבור. האוכל משלו דומה לתינוק המתגדל על שדי אמו. הוא היה אומר בזמן שאדם אוכל משלו דעתו מיושבת עליו ואפילו אוכל אדם משל אביו ומשל אמו ומשל בניו אין דעתו מיושבת עליו ואין צריך לומר משל אחרים:

(ב) בעשרה מאמרות נברא העולם וכי מה צורך לבאי עולם בכך אלא ללמדך שכל העושה מצוה אחת וכל המשמר שבת אחד וכל המקיים נפש אחת [מעלה עליו הכתוב] כאילו קיים עולם מלא שנברא בעשרה מאמרות. וכל העובר עבירה אחת וכל המחלל שבת אחד וכל המאבד נפש אחת מעלין עליו כאילו איבד עולם מלא שנברא בעשרה מאמרות שכן מצינו בקין שהרג את הבל אחיו שנא׳ (בראשית ד׳:י׳) קול דמי אחיך דם אחד שפך דמים רבים נאמר אלא מלמד שדם בניו ובני בניו וכל תולדותיו עד סוף כל הדורות שעתידין לצאת ממנו כולם היו עומדין וצועקין לפני הקב״ה (הא למדת שאדם אחד שקול כנגד מעשה בראשית כולו):

(ג) רבי נחמיה אומר מנין שאדם אחד שקול כנגד כל מעשה בראשית שנא׳ (שם ה) זה ספר תולדות אדם ולהלן הוא אומר (שם ב) אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם מה להלן בריאה ועשיה אף כאן בריאה ועשיה מלמד שהראהו הקב״ה כל הדורות שעתידין לצאת ממנו כאילו הם עומדין (ומשחקין) לפניו. וי״א לא הראהו אלא צדיקים בלבד שנא׳ (ישעיהו ד׳:ג׳) כל הכתוב לחיים בירושלים. רבי יהושע בן קרחה אומר הרי הוא אומר (תהילים קל״ט:ט״ז) גלמי ראו עיניך ועל ספרך וגו׳ מלמד שהראהו הקב״ה לאדם הראשון דור דור ודורשיו דור דור ופרנסיו דור דור ומנהיגיו דור דור ונביאיו דור דור וגבוריו דור דור ופושעיו דור דור וחסידיו בדור פלוני עתיד להיות מלך פלוני בדור פלוני עתיד להיות חכם פלוני. ר״א בנו של רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר תשע מאות ושבעים וארבעה דורות קודם שנברא העולם היתה תורה כתובה ומונחת בחיקו של הקב״ה ואומרת שירה עם מלאכי השרת שנא׳ (משלי ח׳:ל׳) ואהיה אצלו אמון ואהיה שעשועים יום יום משחקת בתבל ארצו. משלו משל למה הדבר דומה לאחד שנטל את העץ ומבקש לצור צורות הרבה ואין לו מקום לצור ויש לו צער אבל מצייר בארץ והולך ומבדיל הרבה הרבה. אף כך הקב״ה יהא שמו הגדול מבורך לעולם ולעולמי עולמים בחכמתו ובתבונתו ברא את כל העולם כולו וברא את השמים ואת הארץ עליונים ותחתונים. ויצר באדם כל מה שברא בעולמו. ברא חורשים בעולם וברא חורשים באדם זה שערות של אדם. ברא חיה רעה בעולם ברא חיה רעה באדם זה (בני מעיו) של אדם. (ברא קורצין בעולם וברא קורצין באדם זה אזניו של אדם). ברא ריח בעולם ברא ריח באדם זה חוטמו של אדם. חמה בעולם חמה באדם זה אורו של אדם. מים סרוחים בעולם מים סרוחים באדם זהו מימי חוטמו של אדם. מים מלוחים בעולם מים מלוחים באדם זהו דמעות של עינים. נחלים בעולם נחלים באדם אלו דמעות חומות בעולם חומות באדם אלו שפתותיו של אדם. דלתות בעולם דלתות באדם זה שיניו של אדם. (רקיעים בעולם רקיעים באדם זה לשונו של אדם). מים מתוקים בעולם מים מתוקים באדם זהו רוקו של אדם. לסתות בעולם לסתות באדם זה לחייו של אדם. מגדלים בעולם מגדלים באדם זה צוארו של אדם. סתידראות בעולם סתידראות באדם זה זרועותיו של אדם.יתידות בעולם יתידות באדם זה אצבעותיו של אדם. מלך בעולם מלך באדם ראשו. (אשכולות בעולם אשכולות באדם דמו). יועצים בעולם יועצים באדם כליותיו. ריחים בעולם ריחים באדם זה קרקבנו של אדם. נימסים בעולם נימסים באדם זה טחולו של אדם. אשפתות בעולם אשפתות באדם זה כריסו של אדם. בורות בעולם בורות באדם זה טיבורו של אדם. מים חיים בעולם מים חיים באדם זה (מי רגליו של אדם חיים בעולם חיים באדם זה) דמו של אדם. עצים בעולם עצים באדם זה עצמותיו של אדם גבעות בעולם גבעות באדם זה עגבותיו של אדם. עלי ומכתשת בעולם עלי ומכתשת באדם זה ארכבותיו של אדם. סוסים בעולם סוסים באדם זה שוקיו של אדם. (מלאך המות בעולם מלאך המות באדם זה עקיביו של אדם). הרים ובקעות בעולם הרים ובקעות באדם עומד דומה להר נופל דומה לבקעה. הא למדת שכל מה שברא הקב״ה בעולמו ברא באדם:

Avot DeRabbi Natan 31

(1) Rabbi Ahai ben Yoshaya would say: To what can someone who buys produce from the marketplace be compared? [He can be compared] to an infant whose mother has died, and is taken to be nursed by other mothers, but is never fully satisfied. To what can someone who buys bread from the marketplace be compared? [He can be compared] to one who has had a grave dug for him and been buried. One who eats from his own farm is like an infant who is nurtured by his own mother’s breast.
He would also say: When a person eats from his own farm, his mind is calm. And even when a person eats food from his father’s or mother’s farm, or from his children’s farm, his mind is not calm – not to mention when he eats food from a stranger’s farm.

(2) The world was created with ten utterances. Why were all ten necessary? In order to teach you that anyone who performs one commandment, or keeps one Sabbath, or saves one life, [the Torah considers it] as if he had sustained the entire world, which was created with ten utterances. And anyone who commits one transgression, or breaks one Sabbath, or causes one life to be lost, the Torah considers it as if he had destroyed the entire world, which was created with ten utterances. For this is what we find with Cain, who killed his brother Abel, as it says (Genesis 4:10), “The voice of your brother’s bloods [cry out to Me from the ground].” It should say “blood,” but it says “bloods.” This teaches that it was also the blood of his children and his children’s children, and all his future generations, until the end of the human line, that would have one day descended from him. They all stood up and cried out before the Holy Blessed One. (So you learn from this that one person is considered as important as the entire work of Creation.)

(3) Rabbi Nehemiah would say: Where do we learn that one person is considered as important as the entire work of Creation? Because it says (Genesis 5:1), “This is the book of the generations of humanity,” and prior to that it said (Genesis 2:4), “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.” Just as previously there was creating and making, so too here there is creating and making. [This] teaches that the Holy Blessed One showed [Adam] all the generations that would come from him, as if they rose up (and played) before him. And some say that he was shown only his righteous descendants, as it says (Isaiah 4:1), “All who were inscribed for life in Jerusalem.”
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karha would say: See, it says (Psalms 139:16), “Your eyes see my unformed substance, they were [all recorded] in your book.” This teaches that the Holy Blessed One showed [Adam] the first person every generation and its preachers, community servants, leaders, prophets, warriors, sinners, and saints, and said to him, “In this generation this one will be a king. In that generation this one will be a scholar.”
Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yosei HaGalili would say: Nine hundred and seventy-four generations before the world was created, the Torah was written and placed on the bosom of the Holy Blessed One, and it sang a song with the angels who serve God, as it says (Proverbs 8:30), “I was raised with Him, a source of delight to Him every day…rejoicing before Him on the face of His earth.” They gave a parable: To what can this be compared? [It can be compared] to someone who took a piece of wood and wanted to carve lots of figures into it. But there was not enough room on the wood, and so he was sad. But then he began drawing pictures on the ground, and kept walking and drew many, many pictures. So, too, the Holy Blessed One – may His great name be blessed forever and ever – in His wisdom and insight, created the whole world, with the heavens and the earth, above and below. And He fashioned within the human being everything that He created in His world. He created forests in the world, and He created forests on human beings – that is, their hair. He created evil beasts in the world, and He created evil beasts in human beings – that is, (the intestines) of a person. (He created thorns in the world, and He created thorns on human beings – that is, their ears.) He created scent in the world, and He created scent in human beings – that is, in their noses. He created a sun in the world, and He created a sun in human beings – that is, a person’s light. Putrid waters in the world and putrid waters in human beings – that is the water that drips from their noses. Salty waters in the world and salty waters in human beings – that is, the tears in their eyes. Rivers in the world and rivers in human beings – that is, their tears. Walls in the world, and walls in human beings – that is, a person’s lips. Doors in the world, and doors in human beings – that is, a person’s teeth. (Skies in the world, and skies in human beings – that is, a person’s tongue.) Sweet waters in the world, and sweet waters in human beings – that is, a person’s spit. Chiseled stones in the world and chiseled stones in human beings – that is, a person’s jaws. Towers in the world, and towers in human beings – that is, a person’s neck. Sail-yards in the world, and sail-yards on human beings – that is, a person’s arms. Spikes in the world, and spikes on human beings – that is, a person’s fingers. A king in the world, and a king in the human being – that is, his head. (Clusters in the world, and clusters in human beings – that is, in their blood.) Advisers in the world, and advisers in human beings – that is, their kidneys. Millstones in the world, and millstones in human beings – that is, their stomachs. Grinding mills in the world, and grinding mills in human beings – that is, their spleens. Garbage heaps in the world, and garbage heaps in human beings – that is, a person’s bowels. Pits in the world, and pits in human beings – that is, a person’s navel. Running waters in the world, and running waters in human beings – that is, a person’s (urine. Life in the world, and life in human beings – that is, a person’s) blood. Trees in the world, and trees in human beings – that is, a person’s bones. Hills in the world, and hills on human beings – that is, a person’s buttocks. Mortars and pestles in the world, and mortars and pestles in human beings – that is, their knees and knee-sockets. Horses in the world, and horses in human beings – that is, a person’s thighs. (An angel of death in the world, and an angel of death in human beings – that is, a person’s heels.) Mountains and valleys in the world, and mountains and valleys in human beings – when they stand, they are like a mountain, and when they fall, they are like a valley. Now you have seen that everything the Holy Blessed One created in His world, He created also in human beings.

עברית

Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31b

Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai used to say: If you have a sapling in your hand and are planting it, and someone should say to you that the Messiah has come, stay and complete the planting, and only then go to greet the Messiah.

Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31b

Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31b
Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai used to say: If you have a sapling in your hand and are planting it, and someone should say to you that the Messiah has come, stay and complete the planting, and only then go to greet the Messiah.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh, Horeb, 397-398
In truth, there is no one nearer to idolatry than one who can disregard the fact that all things are the creatures and property of G-d, and who then presumes to have the right, because he has the might, to destroy them according to a presumptuous act of will.

תהילים קט״ו:ט״ז

(טז) הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם שָׁ֭מַיִם לַיהוָ֑ה וְ֝הָאָ֗רֶץ נָתַ֥ן לִבְנֵי־אָדָֽם׃

Psalms 115:16

(16) The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He gave over to man.

תהילים כ״ד:א׳

(א) לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר לַֽ֭יהוָה הָאָ֣רֶץ וּמְלוֹאָ֑הּ תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל וְיֹ֣שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ׃

Psalms 24:1

(1) Of David. A psalm. The earth is the LORD’s and all that it holds, the world and its inhabitants.

Leviticus 25

(1) And the LORD spoke unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying: (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. (3) Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the produce thereof. (4) But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto the LORD; thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. (5) That which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather; it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. (6) And the sabbath-produce of the land shall be for food for you: for thee, and for thy servant and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant and for the settler by thy side that sojourn with thee; (7) and for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food....(23) And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and settlers with Me.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Man in Search of God, 95
[From a Jewish perspective] The earth is [a person’s] sister rather than his mother. Man and earth are equally the creations of God...To think of God, man must hear the world. Man is not alone in celebrating God. To praise Him is to join all things in their song to Him.

Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed 3:13, 452
It should not be believed that all the beings exist for the sake of the existence of man. On the contrary, all the other beings too have been intended for their own sakes.

Rambam, Mishne Torah, Hilchot Shmita v’Yovel
7.1-2, 6
We may only partake of the produce of
the Sabbatical year as long as that species
is still found growing in the field. This
is derived from Leviticus 25:7: “For the
animal and the beast in your land will be
all the produce to eat.” This implies that
as long as a beast [chaya] can be eating
from this species in the field, one may
eat from what he has collected at home.
When there is no longer any of that
species for the beast to eat in the field,
one is obligated to remove that species
from his home [and make it available
to the public]. This is the obligation of
Biur which applies to the produce of the
Sabbatical year.
2
What is implied? If a person has dried
figs at home, he may partake of them as
long as there are figs on the trees in the
field. When there are no longer figs in the
field, it is forbidden for him to partake
of the figs he has at home and he must
instead remove them.
6
When a person pickles three types of
produce in one barrel, if one of these
types of produce is no longer available in
the field, that type of produce should be
removed from the barrel.

בראשית ב׳:ט״ו

(טו) וַיִּקַּ֛ח יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעָבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ׃

Genesis 2:15

(15) The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.

בראשית א׳:כ״ח

(כח) וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Genesis 1:28

(28) God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.”

קול דודי דופק, צדיק ורע לו ט׳

...

Kol Dodi Dofek, The Righteous Suffer 9

(9) In the second dimension of man’s existence, destiny, the question of suffering takes on new ‎form. ‎What is an Existence of Destiny? It is an active existence, when man confronts the ‎environment ‎into which he has been cast with an understanding of his uniqueness and value, ‎freedom and ‎capacity; without compromising his integrity and independence in his struggle with ‎the outside ‎world. The slogan of the “I” of destiny is: “Against your will you are born, and against ‎your will you ‎die” (M. Avot 4:22), but by your free will do you live. Man is born as an object, dies as ‎an object, but ‎it is within his capability to live as a “subject” — as a creator and innovator who ‎impresses his ‎individual imprimatur on his life and breaks out of a life of instinctive, automatic ‎behavior into one ‎of creative activity. According to Judaism, man’s mission in this world is to turn ‎fate into destiny — ‎an existence that is passive and influenced into an existence that is active and ‎influential; an ‎existence of compulsion, perplexity, and speechlessness into an existence full of ‎will, vision, and ‎initiative. The blessing of the Holy One to his creation fully defines man’s role: “Be ‎fruitful and ‎multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). Conquer the ‎environment and ‎subjugate it. If you do not rule over it, it will enslave you. Destiny bestows on ‎man a new status in ‎God’s world. It bestows upon man a royal crown, and thus he becomes God’s ‎partner in the work ‎of creation.‎

דברים כ׳:י״ט-כ׳

(יט) כִּֽי־תָצ֣וּר אֶל־עִיר֩ יָמִ֨ים רַבִּ֜ים לְֽהִלָּחֵ֧ם עָלֶ֣יהָ לְתָפְשָׂ֗הּ לֹֽא־תַשְׁחִ֤ית אֶת־עֵצָהּ֙ לִנְדֹּ֤חַ עָלָיו֙ גַּרְזֶ֔ן כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ תֹאכֵ֔ל וְאֹת֖וֹ לֹ֣א תִכְרֹ֑ת כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה לָבֹ֥א מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ בַּמָּצֽוֹר׃ (כ) רַ֞ק עֵ֣ץ אֲשֶׁר־תֵּדַ֗ע כִּֽי־לֹא־עֵ֤ץ מַאֲכָל֙ ה֔וּא אֹת֥וֹ תַשְׁחִ֖ית וְכָרָ֑תָּ וּבָנִ֣יתָ מָצ֗וֹר עַל־הָעִיר֙ אֲשֶׁר־הִ֨וא עֹשָׂ֧ה עִמְּךָ֛ מִלְחָמָ֖ה עַ֥ד רִדְתָּֽהּ׃ (פ)

Deuteronomy 20:19-20

(19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city? (20) Only trees that you know do not yield food may be destroyed; you may cut them down for constructing siegeworks against the city that is waging war on you, until it has been reduced.

משנה תורה, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ו׳:ח׳

(ח) אֵין קוֹצְצִין אִילָנֵי מַאֲכָל שֶׁחוּץ לַמְּדִינָה וְאֵין מוֹנְעִין מֵהֶם אַמַּת הַמַּיִם כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּיבְשׁוּ. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כ, יט) "לֹא תַשְׁחִית אֶת עֵצָהּ". וְכָל הַקּוֹצֵץ לוֹקֶה. וְלֹא בְּמָצוֹר בִּלְבַד אֶלָּא בְּכָל מָקוֹם כָּל הַקּוֹצֵץ אִילַן מַאֲכָל דֶּרֶךְ הַשְׁחָתָה לוֹקֶה. אֲבָל קוֹצְצִין אוֹתוֹ אִם הָיָה מַזִּיק אִילָנוֹת אֲחֵרִים. אוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמַּזִּיק בִּשְׂדֵה אֲחֵרִים. אוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁדָּמָיו יְקָרִים. לֹא אָסְרָה תּוֹרָה אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ הַשְׁחָתָה:

Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 6:8

(8) Fruit-bearing trees must not be cut down outside of the city⁴³Under siege in order to pain them. nor do we block their irrigation water causing the trees to dry up, as it says, “do not destroy her trees” (Deut. 20:19). Anyone who cuts down a tree receives lashes. This is not only at times of a siege, but anyone at anytime who chops down a fruit-bearing tree by for destructive purposes receives stripes. The tree may be cut down if it is damaging other trees or it is damaging another’s field, or because the tree is more valuable for its wood than its fruit. The Torah only forbids wanton destruction.

ישעיהו מ״ה:י״ח

(יח) כִּ֣י כֹ֣ה אָֽמַר־יְ֠הוָה בּוֹרֵ֨א הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם ה֣וּא הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים יֹצֵ֨ר הָאָ֤רֶץ וְעֹשָׂהּ֙ ה֣וּא כֽוֹנְנָ֔הּ לֹא־תֹ֥הוּ בְרָאָ֖הּ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת יְצָרָ֑הּ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה וְאֵ֥ין עֽוֹד׃

Isaiah 45:18

(18) For thus said the LORD, The Creator of heaven who alone is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who alone established it— He did not create it a waste, But formed it for habitation: I am the LORD, and there is none else.

Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, Shiur Komah 206b
(a.k.a. the RaMaK, 1522-1570 kabbalistic community of S'fat)
The essence of Divinity is found in every single thing—nothing but it exists. Since it causes every thing to be, no thing can live by anything else. It enlivens them; its existence exists in each existent. Do not attribute duality to God. Let God be solely God... If you suppose that Ein Sof emanates until a certain point, and that from that point on is outside of it, you have dualized. God forbid! Realize, rather, that Ein Sof exists in each existent. Do not say, “This is a stone and not God.” God forbid! Rather, all existence is God, and the stone is a thing pervaded by divinity.

Verbs from Text 1
Y.R.D. - have dominion - also: descend, decline, get off of, decrease
M.L.H. - fill - also: complete (like "you complete me"
CH.B.SH. - subdue - also: conquer, suppress, subjugate, vanquish, rape
Verbs from Text 2
A.V.D. - work - also: serve, worship, slave
SH.M.R. - guard - also: keep, observe (like sabbath observance), preserve, watch, take care of.

If you should regard the beings beneath you as objects without rights, not perceiving G‑d who created them, and therefore desire that they feel the might of your presumptuous mood, instead of using them only as the means of wise human activity—then G-d’s call proclaims to you, “Do not destroy anything!” Be a mensch! Only if you use the things around you for wise human purposes, sanctified by the word of My teaching, only then are you a mensch and have the right over them which I have given you as a human. However, if you destroy, if you ruin, at that moment you are not a human and have no right to the things around you. I lent them to you for wise use only; never forget that I lent them to you. As soon as you use them unwisely, be it the greatest or the smallest, you commit treachery against My world, you commit murder and robbery against My property, you sin against Me! In truth, there is no one nearer to idolatry than one who can disregard the fact that all things are the creatures and property of G-d, and who then presumes to have the right, because he has the might, to destroy them according to a presumptuous act of will. Yes, that one is already serving the most powerful idols—anger, pride, and above all ego, which in its passion regards itself as the master of things. (Horeb, sections 397, 398 - R. Shimshon Rephael HIrsch 1808-1888)

מגילה ט׳ א:י״ב

וכתבו לו אלהים ברא בראשית (בראשית א, א) אעשה אדם בצלם ובדמות (בראשית א, כו)

Megillah 9a:12

And they wrote for him: God created in the beginning [bereshit], reversing the order of the words in the first phrase in the Torah that could be misinterpreted as: “Bereshit created God” (Genesis 1:1). They did so to negate those who believe in the preexistence of the world and those who maintain that there are two powers in the world: One is Bereshit, who created the second, God. And they wrote: I shall make man in image and in likeness, rather than: “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), as from there too one could mistakenly conclude that there are multiple powers and that God has human form.

סנהדרין נ״ט ב:ט״ז

מיתיבי (בראשית א, כו) ורדו בדגת הים מאי לאו לאכילה לא למלאכה

Sanhedrin 59b:16

The Gemara raises an objection to the assertion that eating meat was prohibited to Adam, from the verse: “And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creeps upon the land” (Genesis 1:28). What, is it not stated with regard to consumption, i.e., doesn’t this verse mean that people may eat the meat of animals? The Gemara answers: No, the verse is referring to using animals for labor.

סנהדרין נ״ט ב:י״ח

ת"ש (בראשית א, כו) ובעוף השמים מאי לאו לאכילה לא למלאכה

Sanhedrin 59b:18

Come and hear a proof that it was permitted for Adam to eat meat, from the phrase in the aforementioned verse: “And have dominion…and over the fowl of the air.” What, is it not stated with regard to consumption? The Gemara answers: No, it is referring to labor.

Bamidbar Rabbah 19:3
“Let us make humankind (Adam) in Our image.” They said to him (in Ps. 8:5), “What is a human that You are mindful of him?” He said to them, “This Adam that I want to create Adam shall have wisdom greater than yours.” What did He do? He gathered all cattle, wild beasts, and fowl to pass before them. He said to them, “What are the names of these [beings]?” They, however, did not know. When He had created Adam, He made them pass before him. He said to him, “What are the names of these [beings]?” He said, “It is fitting to call this one an ox, this one a lion, this one a horse, [...]” and so on for all of them. It is so stated (in Gen. 2:20), “So Adam recited names”³¹The understanding of the midrash is that the creatures implicitly already possessed names. He said to him, “And you, what is your name?” Adam said to him, “Adam, because I was created out of the ground (adamah).” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “I, what is My name?” He said to him, “The Lord, because you are Lord over all creatures,” namely as written (in Is. 42:8), “I am the Lord, that is My name,” which the first Adam gave me. It is the one which I have agreed to [for use] between Me and Myself; it is the one which I have agreed to [for use] between Me and My creatures. (I Kings 5:11, cont.) [...]

“And he spoke with/concerning ('al)³⁶The point of the midrash in this and in the following chapter concerns whether to understand ‘al as “with” or “concerning.” the trees”: Is it possible that a person would speak with the trees? Solomon merely said, “For what reason is a leper cleansed through the tallest among the trees (the cedar) and through the lowest of the low (the hyssop); through (according to Lev. 14:4) cedar wood, [crimson stuff,] and hyssop?’ It is simply because he had exalted himself like the cedar, that he was stricken with leprosy. As soon as he humbled himself like the hyssop, he was therefore cured through hyssop”. (I Kings 5:13, cont.) “He also spoke with/concerning ('al) the cattle and the fowl”: Is it possible that [a person] would speak with cattle and with fowl? Rather [the passage is concerned with] why the cattle are permitted [as food] with [the cutting of] two organs³⁷Gk.: semeia (“signs,” “omens”). (the gullet and the windpipe); but the fowl, with [the cutting of] one organ (i.e., the gullet or the windpipe).³⁸See Hul. 2:1; Hul. 27b. Because cattle were created from the dry land. But in regard to fowl, one text says [they came] from the dry land, while another text says [they came] from the sea. [The text stating fowls came] from the dry land is what is written (in Gen. 2:19), “So from the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the heavens.” The other text says (in Gen. 1:20), “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures and the fowl fly above the earth.”³⁹This unusual translation of Gen. 1:20 is required by the midrash. Bar Qappara said, “They were created from the mud which is in the sea.” R. Abbin said the name of R. Jose the Galilean said, “Nevertheless, the feet of the cock resemble the scaly skin⁴⁰Reading HSPNYT’ with the parallel in Yalqut Shim‘oni, Kings, 178, for Buber’s HRTsPYTYH. of the fish.”⁴¹A fish of the genus anthias. (I Kings 5:13, cont.)

Rashi
AND SUBDUE IT — The word lacks a ו after the ש so that it may be read as meaning: and subdue her (i. e. the woman), thereby teaching you that the male controls the female in order that she may not become a gad-about; teaching you also that to the man, whose nature is to master, was given the Divine command to have issue, and not to the woman (Yevamot 65b).

Rambam
"And subdue it:" He gave them the power and rulership over the earth; to do whatever they wanted with the beasts and the swarming animals and all of those that slither on the ground; and to build and to uproot and plant and to quarry copper from its hills and [to do things] similar to this. And this is [all] included in its stating (above, verse 26), "and over all the earth." "
And have dominion over the fish of the sea;" He said that they should have dominion also over the fish of the seas that are covered by them and over the fowl of the sky that are not with man upon the ground and [even] also over all [dangerous] animals. And He sequenced them according to their creation: the fish and the fowl first and the animals afterwards; and so [too] does the verse state (Psalms 8:7-9), "You have made him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet: Sheep and oxen - all of them, and also the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, etc." And our Rabbis differentiated between subduing and having dominion.

ספורנו על בראשית א׳:כ״ח:א׳

(א) וכבשוה שתגינו בשכלכם ותמנעו את החיות שלא יכנסו בגבולכם ואתם תמשלו בם:

Sforno on Genesis 1:28:1

(1) וכבשה, this is not a directive to conquer earth with muscular power, but to subdue it by means of man’s superior intellect. It means that man is to use his intelligence to prevent predators from invading his habitats, demonstrating the fact that man is superior, can outwit the beasts.

ספורנו על בראשית א׳:כ״ט:א׳

(א) הנה נתתי לכם למאכל אדם:

Sforno on Genesis 1:29:1

(1) הנה נתתי לכם, as food to be consumed by man.

ספורנו על בראשית א׳:ל׳:א׳

(א) ולכל חית הארץ. אבל לכל חית הארץ ולבהמה ולעוף נתתי את כל ירק עשב לאכלה. מיני העשב שאינם זורעים זרע:

Sforno on Genesis 1:30:1

(1) ולכל חית הארץ, but to all the beasts on earth including the birds and the domesticated animals I have allocated את כל ירק עשב, different kinds of herbs which are not generating seed.

ספורנו על בראשית א׳:ל״א:א׳

(א) את כל אשר עשה והנה מוב מאד תכלית המציאות בכללו טוב מאד יותר מן התכליתיות הפרטיות המכוונות אליו:

Sforno on Genesis 1:31:1

(1) את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד, the accomplishment of a project containing many different parts is greater than the accomplishment of each part of such project successfully. Now that G’d had completed the entire project successfully, the Torah described this with the additional word מאד instead of merely טוב.

ספורנו על בראשית א׳:כ״ח:ב׳

(ב) ורדו במצודים וחרמים להכניסם לעבודתכם:

Sforno on Genesis 1:28:2

(2) ורדו, trapping the beasts, training them to bend to man’s will.

דעת זקנים על בראשית א׳:כ״ח:א׳

(א) ויברך אותם אלהים. וכן, ויברך אלהים את יום השביעי. הא למדת, שהקונה דבר חדש, מברך שהחיינו:

Da'at Zekenim on Genesis 1:28:1

(1) And conquer it: [Using the variant spelling that is] missing [the letter] vav, to teach you that it is the way of the man to 'conquer' the female; so that she not be unbridled, to cause a stumbling block for sexual impropriety, as did Leah, when she accustomed her daughter [to be unbridled] and created a stumbling block [for her]. And any [woman] who secludes herself in her home is fitting to marry the High Priest, as it is stated (Psalms 45:14), "All the honor of the king's daughter indoors, [is more than gold checkered clothing] etc," which means to say, that she will marry someone, about whom it is written (Exodus 28:39), "and you shall make checkered [...]." And she is fitting to have High Priests come from her, as it is stated (Psalms 128:3), "your sons will be like olive plantings;" meaning that they will be anointed with olive oil.

דעת זקנים על בראשית א׳:כ״ח:ג׳

(ג) וכבשה. חסר וי"ו, ללמדך, שדרך האיש לכבוש את הנקבה, שלא תהי' יצאנית, לגרום תקלה לערוה, כמו שעשתה לאה שהרגילה, וגרמה תקלה לבתה. וכל מי שמצנעת עצמה, בתוך הבית, ראויה להנשא לכהן גדול, שנא', כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה וגו', כלומר, שתנשא למי שכתוב בו ושבצת. וראויה להעמיד ממנה, כהנים גדולים, שנאמר, בניך כשתילי זיתים, שנמשחים בשמן זית:

Da'at Zekenim on Genesis 1:28:3

(3) וכבשה, “and subdue her;” the missing letter ו which would signify the plural mode in that word, is to teach us that it is normal for the male to dominate the female in marital relations, she is to reside inside her home and not venture out without a suitable escort, as we know from Leah, Dinah’s mother whose daughter was raped by Sh’chem because she had been allowed to roam unescorted. Dinah’s mother Leah, was also quoted elsewhere as having left her tent unescorted, (Genesis 30,16) [although she had apparently good reason on that occasion; Ed.] Psalms 45,14 teaches that a truly Royal princess finds her glory inside her home, not when on public display. [If Bat Sheva had not displayed her charms when bathing on the roof of her house where David saw this, many problems in Jewish history might have been prevented. Ed.] (Samuel II 11,3-4) According to tradition, any woman who strictly observes this rule of chastity is worthy of becoming the wife of a High priest. The sages derive this from the word: ושבצת, (Exodus 28,39) which is interpreted as the High Priest adorning himself with his tunic, the “tunic” being his chaste wife. [The High Priest’s tunic covered him from neck to toe. Ed.] Such a wife is apt to give birth to sons, who in turn will qualify as future High priests.(Midrash Tanchuma Tetzaveh, 6) Of her it is said (Psalms 128,3: ‘your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons like olive saplings around your table.”

Haamek Davar
And He blessed and He said: It is also a blessing and it is also commands of warning; that they should engage in being fruitful and multiplying, in order that the blessing be established. Which is not the case with fish: as they are not subject to command, it is only written, "and he blessed."

"And over all the beasts:" Which is not the case with the fish and the birds; there are many that man [is not able to] reach, as I have written, which [in turn] is not the case [with] beasts; all of them are in the category of [human] dominion.

nglish

Kitzur Baal Haturim
And have dominion (ouredu) upon the fish of the sea: There are two [places this appears] according to the tradition: here and the other is "and go down (ouredu) to Gat of the Philistines" (Amos 6:2). If you will have merit, you will have dominion even over the fish of the seas; but, if not, you will go down to Gat; meaning to say, you will be subjugated to the Philistines.

רבנו בחיי, בראשית א׳:כ״ח:ה׳

(ה) והנה בשני כתובים אלה מנה הקב"ה מזונות לכל בריותיו מאדם ועד בהמה ועד עוף השמים, ונגזר על כל בעלי חיים שיהיו מזונותיהם כל ירק עשב לא הפירות והזרעים, וגזר על האדם שיהיו מזונותיו הפירות והזרעים ולא בשר בעלי חיים כי לא רצה להתיר לו בשר נפש התנועה, ומה שלא התיר לו מאכל הבשר לפי שנפש התנועה יש לה קצת מעלה אשר בה מתדמה אל נפש המשכלת ויש לה בחירה בטובתה ומזונותיה ותברח מן הצער ומן המיתה, וכאשר חטאו בעלי נפש התנועה בדור המבול והשחיתו דרכם כענין שכתוב כי השחית כל בשר וגו', ונגזרה עליהם השחתה כענין שכתוב (בראשית ו יג) קץ כל בשר בא לפני ובלבד נח הצדיק הציל מהם לקיום המינין אז הותרו לו לשחוט ולאכול לפי שאין קיומן אלא בשבילו ואעפ"כ לא נתן להם רשות בנפש, ועל כן אסר להם אבר מן החי כי לא התיר את הנפש רק את הגוף ואסר ג"כ את הדם לפי שהוא קיום הנפש שנאמר (דברים יב כג) כי הדם הוא הנפש, וכתב הרמב"ן ז"ל כי זהו טעם השחיטה ומה שאמרו רז"ל צער בעלי חיים דאורייתא, ומזה אנו מברכין אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על השחיטה.

Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 1:28:5

(5) These two verses between them tell how G’d provided food for both man and the animal kingdom to sustain itself on earth. He decreed concerning all other living creatures that they feed only on the part of the vegetation that does not produce seed to perpetuate itself. They were not to feed on either fruit or grain or other forms of seeds. Man was not to eat meat, i.e. creatures which had once been alive, capable of moving on earth or in the air. The reason G’d did not permit man to eat meat (at that stage) was that any creatures which are equipped with the ability to move freely contain some element of a superior life-force which makes them similar to man who has an intelligent soul. Such animals possess enough intelligence to be discriminate in the choice of which foods are beneficial for them and which are harmful to them. They also possess sufficient intelligence (instinct) to avoid danger and to try and save their lives when danger threatens. When the generation of man had become corrupt in their ways and G’d had to bring on the deluge, the animals had copied man’s corrupt ways which eventually led to their meat becoming permitted to man as food. The Torah testified to the corruption of these animals in Genesis 6,13 קץ כל בשר בא לפני כי מלאה הארץ חמס, “the end of all flesh has come before Me for the earth is filled with violence.” At that time only Noach had remained righteous and he saved the nucleus of each species with him in the ark. In return for his keeping the animals alive they became his food henceforth. Even so, G’d never permitted man to consume the life-force of the animal, its נפש. This is why even Gentiles are not permitted to eat tissue from an animal while it is alive. For the Jewish people the eating of blood is also forbidden as it is essential to the preservation of the life-force, נפש. Proof that the animals too had become corrupt is found in Genesis 6,12 כי השחית כל בשר את דרכו, “all flesh has become corrupt.” Nachmanides claims that the reason ritual slaughter is required as the only method which makes the animal’s flesh permissible to the Jews is that it ensures that we will not consume the essence of the animal, its נפש. As far as the Biblical prohibition of צער בעל החיים, “not to cause pain to living creatures” is concerned, (Shabbat 128) the sages introduced the blessing which must be recited before slaughtering an animal which expressly states אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על השחיטה, “who has sanctified us with His commandments and given us the directive to perform the ritual of slaughtering.” [The author copied much of the latter half of this paragraph from Nachmanides’ commentary. Ed.]

רד"ק על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ד׳

וירדו בדגת הים, להודיע כי כל נבראי מטה לא נבראו אלא בעבור אדם ושיהיה הוא בשכלו מלך ומושל עליהם, שאם לא כן לא היה בעולם השפל מי שיכיר מי בראו; ואמר וירדו לשון רבים, כי אדם כולל זכר ונקבה כמו שאמר ויברך אותם אלהים ואמר גם כן וירדו כי הממשלה והשררה לאדם בברואים בשני חלקיו בכח השכל לחשוב מחשבות איך ירדה בהם, ובכח הגוף בתכונת ידו שנעשו בתכונת נפלאות לעשות בהם כל מלאכת מחשבת מה שאין כן בשאר הנבראים; ויאמר גם כן וירדו עליו ועל התולדות העתידות לצאת ממנו שיהיו יותר צריכים להם ושיאכלו את בשרם, כי עד המבול לא אכלו בשר ולא היו צריכים לבהמה ולחיה אלא למלאכה, והעוף לבצים ולנוצה, והצאן לחלב ולגיזה, והדגים לא היו צריכים להם אלא מהמבול ואילך, אם כן מה שאמר וירדו בדגת הים לא אמר אלא על הדורות מהמבול ואילך.

Radak on Genesis 1:26:4

וירדו בדגת הים, this line stresses that all the creatures on earth had only been created in order to be of use to man. Due to his superior intelligence, man is to exercise dominion over all of these creatures. Man is reminded who it was Who created all these living creatures other than himself. As to the plural mode of the word וירדו, [which seems out of place when אדם is understood as a reference to man the species, Ed.] this mode was chosen because the term אדם includes the male and the female of the species, as we know from the formula of G’d’s blessing in which He is reported as blessing אותם, “them,” although at the time only a single human body had been created. (verse 28) The very term וירדו -as opposed to such terms as וימשול or וימלוך which are far more common terms to express authority, reign or rule, - indicates that this “dominion” is more of a potential kind than an actual one, such as a king ruling over his subjects.
Besides, whereas rulers generally exercise control only over people who are their contemporaries, and cannot extend their authority automatically over subsequent generations of their subjects, the root רדה, implies superiority based on natural law by one species over another. Man is superior to the animals both by reason of his intelligence and by reason of the means at his disposal to establish physical superiority over them. Eventually, by having rescued the animals from extinction during the deluge, man even acquired the right to use the animals as food. Prior to the deluge the “dominion” mentioned here was evident primarily in man using the animals as beasts of burden, etc. The various kinds of birds were used by man to enjoy its eggs, its feathers, etc. At any rate, the right accorded to man to exercise control over the animal kingdom was not fully implemented until after the deluge.

רד"ק על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ה׳

בדגת הים ובעוף השמים, שאי אפשר למשול בהם אלא בתחבולה גדולה, כי הדגים אינם עמו ביבשה והעוף מעופף באויר, והוא אינו בטבעו לעוף באויר ומושל בהם בחכמתו ובערמתו ובכלי הציד שעושה בידיו, לפיכך זכרם ראשונה לומר כי גם באלה מושל כל שכן בבהמה ובחיה וברמש שהם עמו ביבשה, ובעוף השמים, בעוף שהוא מעופף בשמים שהוא האויר.

Radak on Genesis 1:26:5

ובדגת הים ובעוף השמים, actually, the species mentioned here are the most elusive for man to demonstrate his control over. It requires extreme intelligence and skill for man to effectively control either the fish in the sea or the birds in the air. Both of these categories of creatures do not share the same habitat on earth with man. This is the reason why the Torah mentions these unlikely candidates for man’s control before the domesticated beasts, control over which is something we have no real problems with. The Torah, so to speak, tells us that if man can bring his authority to bear on the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea, he can obviously exert his control over those species that share the same habitat as he, i.e. the dry land.

רד"ק על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ו׳

ובבהמה, היא שגדלה עמו כמו שפירשנו.

Radak on Genesis 1:26:6

ובבהמה, the species of animals that grow up in man’s vicinity.

רד"ק על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ז׳

ובכל הארץ, ר"ל בהמת הארץ והיא החיה שאינה בישוב כמו שקראה חית הארץ, ובהמה שזכר עומד במקום שנים, כי החיה בכלל בהמה ובהמה בכלל חיה.

Radak on Genesis 1:26:7

ובכל הארץ, meaning the beasts on earth, anywhere, including the free-roaming beasts, חיה. Sometimes the word בהמה includes only domesticated animals, other times the expression חית הארץ includes all mammals on earth. It all depends on the context in which the Torah uses these terms.

רד"ק על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ח׳

ובכל הרמש, רמש ג"כ פירשנוהו והם קטני החיות אבל רובם מדבריות. וחז"ל דרשו (ב"ר פ"ח) וירדו בשתי לשונות לשון רדייה ולשון ירידה, כי לכך אמר וירדו ולא אמר וימשול לרמז בו זה הדבר שאמרו כל שהוא בצלמינו כדמותינו ירדו בהם, ואת שאינו בצלמינו כדמותינו ירדו. ואמרו עוד (ברכות י') בצלמינו כדמותינו מה הוא טהור אף היא טהורה, מה הוא קדוש אף היא קדושה מה הוא רואה ואינו נראה אף היא רואה ואינו נראת, מה הוא סובל את כל העולם אף היא סובלת את כל הגוף. ועוד אמרו (ב"ר פ"ח) אמר הקב"ה אם אני בורא אותו מן העליונים הוא חי ואינו מת ואם אני בורא אותו מן התחתונים הוא מת ואינו חי, אלא הריני בורא אותו מן העליונים ומן התחתונים אם יחיה ימות ואם ימות יחיה, כלומר אם יחיה את עצמו בתענוגי הזמן תמות נפשו עם גופו, ואם ממית עצמו מהתאות ההדמות יחיה במות גופו חיי עד:

Radak on Genesis 1:26:8

ורמש, we explained the term previously (verse 25). It is a reference to small or tiny creatures, predominantly living in desolate areas, or even in regions that are not desolate. Our sages (Bereshit Rabbah 8,12) explain the expression וירדו as a combination of two words, the words רדיה and ירידה, “dominion” and “ decline, descent.” They see in the term a veiled warning to man. As long as man qualifies for the description בצלמנו בדמותנו, i.e. that the spiritual part of him predominates, he enjoys this control over the inferior creatures on earth. Should he forfeit the right to be described as בצלמנו בדמותנו he suffers a ירידה, a decline, not only in the spiritual sense but also in the manner in which the animals relate to him by accepting his authority. In commenting on the meaning of these expressions בצלמנו בדמותנו, the sages say that just as man’s soul is pure, so his body (man) is meant to be pure; just as his soul is holy, so his body is supposed to be holy; just as his soul is able to see without being seen, so his body is to be able to see without being seen. Just as his soul puts up with the problems of the whole word, so his body has to endure all the problems involving his physicality.
Furthermore, in order to explain the dual nature of man, our sages explained that G’d had said to Himself: “if I make him out of matter found only in the “upper” regions of the universe he will live forever, if, on the other hand I make him out of materials extant only in the regions of the “lower” universe, he will never attain an enduring afterlife;” therefore G’d decided to make man out of a mixture of matter found in the heavens and of matter found on earth. Now, if man sins he will die, if he will resist sin, he will live. (Bereshit Rabbah 8,11)

רשב"ם על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ד׳

וירדו -מן רדה, כמו ויעשו מן עשה, בכה ויבכו, שבה וישבו.

Rashbam on Genesis 1:26:4

“and they shall rule” – urdu, from radah like vaya’asu (“they shall do”) is from asah; bakhah - vayivkhu,; shavah, - vayishbu

שד"ל על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ב׳

אדם: שם המין, כמו צאן ובקר, ולפיכך אמר וירדו ל' רבים. שם אדם נראה שנגזר מן אדום, לא מן אדמה, כי גם הבהמות נוצרו מן האדמה, אבל האדם נבדל בגופו מן הבהמות במה שאיננו מלא שער, ועורו (באקלימים הממוצעים) נוטה לאדמימות.

Shadal on Genesis 1:26:2

"Man:" [This is] the name of the species, as in sheep or cattle, and therefore, He said, "and let them have dominion," in the plural. It appears that the name adam (man) is derived from adom (red), not from adama (ground), since the animals were also formed from the ground. But man is differentiated in his body from animals in that his body is not full of hair and his skin (in moderate climates) is reddish.

שד"ל על בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ו׳

וירדו בדגת הים ובעוף השמים ובבהמה ובכל הארץ ובכל הרמש הרומש על הארץ: הרמב"ן פירש ובכול הארץ על הארץ עצמה, לעקור ולנתוץ ולחפור נחושת וברזל, ולכאורה יקשה איך ידבר על הארץ עצמה ואח"כ יחזור וידבר על הרמש הרומש עליה, ואחד מתלמידי היה מתרץ, שהוא כלל שאחר הפרטים, כאילו אמר וירדו בדגת הים ובעוף השמים ובבהמה ודרך כלל ירדו בכל הארץ ובכל מה שרומש עליה, ויהיה הרמש הרומש כולל בעלי חיים כולם, וכמו שאמר בפסוק שאחר זה ורדו בדגת הים ובעוף השמים ובכול חיה הרומשת על הארץ. ואני אומר, כי שאר בעלי חיים נקראים בשר הרומש על הארץ, חיה הרומשת על הארץ, אבל מליצת הרמש הרומש על הארץ לא נמצאת בשום מקום על בעלי חיים כולם, אלא על הרמשים בלבד. והנה בפסוק שאחר זה כתוב וכבשוה, על הארץ עצמה, לפיכך נראין דברי הרמב"ן, שגם כאן באמרו ובכול הארץ היתה הכוונה על כבישת הארץ עצמה, לחפור ולנטוע ולבנות בתים ולעשות בה כרצוננו, ואח"כ הזכיר הרמשים להיותם (כדברי תלמידי יוסף ירא) קרובים לקרקע, וגם דרים בתוך האדמה, ונראים כנולדים מן האדמה, לפיכך אחר שאמר שירדו בכול הארץ, הוסיף שירדו גם ברמשים הנראין כדבקים בה וכחלק ממנה, והכוונה שהאדם בעבדו את האדמה הוא מגרש ומכרית הרמשים אשר בתוכה.

Shadal on Genesis 1:26:6

"And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens and over the beast and over all of the earth and over all of the crawling animals that crawl upon the earth:" Nachmanides (Ramban) explained, "'and over all the earth,' [to mean] that they should rule over the earth itself: to uproot and to smash and to dig copper and iron." And ostensibly, this is difficult: how can it speak about the earth itself and then afterwards, go back and speak about the crawling animals that crawl upon it? And one of my students answered, that [the crawling animals] are a general category [that can come] after the [listing of] individual parts; as if it said, "And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens and over the beast and more generally, have dominion over all of the earth and over all that crawls upon it." And "the crawling animals that crawl upon the earth" will include all of the animals, and [it is] like it says in the verse that is after this, "and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heavens and over all of the animals that crawl over the earth." And I say that other animals are called "flesh that crawls on the earth," [and] "animals that crawl upon the earth; but the phrase, "the crawling animals that crawl upon the earth" is never found in any place to refer to all animals, but rather only to the crawling animals. And behold, in the verse after this, it is written "and subdue it" about the earth itself - therefore, the words of Ramban are plausible, that here also, when it states, "and over all the earth," the intention was about the subduing of the earth itself: to dig, to plant and to build homes and to to do with it according to our will. And afterwards it mentions the crawling animals, because of their being (as per the words of my student, Yosef Yira) close to the ground. Hence, after He said that they should have dominion over the whole earth, He added that they should have dominion also over the crawling animals, which appear as if they are clinging to it and a part of it. And the intention is that in man's working of the earth, he expels and destroys the crawling animals that are in it.

שפתי חכמים, בראשית א׳:כ״ו:ז׳

יש בלשון הזה ל' רידוי כו'. ר"ל אי קרינן בחיריק הוא לשון רידוי ואי קרינן בצירי הוא לשון ירידה: ונ"ל דכאן כתיב וירדו שהוא לשון ירידה ובסמוך (פסוק כח) כתיב ורדו שהוא לשון רדיה אלא שכשדבר עם המלאכים הקטין אותו לומר שהוא ירוד אפילו מדגת הים ולא הוצרך להזכיר חית הארץ דכ"ש הוא. אלא כשדבר עם האדם הגיס דעתו שאם יזכה ויהיה צדיק יהיה רודה בחיות ובהמות. [נח"י]:

Siftei Chakhamim, Genesis 1:26:7

This expression וְיִרְדוּ has [the meaning of] ruling... Meaning, if we read וְיִרְדוּ it means ruling, and if we read it וְיֵרְדוּ it means descending. [Alternatively,] here it is written וירדו [with a yud], meaning descending, but later (v. 28) it is written ורְדו [without a yud], meaning domination. Here, where Hashem spoke to the angels, He minimized man, saying he is lower even than the fish, not to mention the beasts of the earth. But when Hashem spoke to man (v. 28), He boosted his pride, saying that if he will be righteous he will dominate the beasts and cattle. (Nachalas Yaakov)