GEN38 The great blessing, then, for the human species is fertility – not because more hands were needed to operate farms or to engage in defense. That the blessing of fertility included all animate beings (particularly those whose usefulness to man is less obvious) precludes its having a utilitarian purpose. The first chapter of Genesis does not conceive of the blessing of fertility as associated with labor, aggression, or defense. In this chapter, God has designated grass and fruit-trees to serve as food for both men and animals. The hard labor to which man was subjected and the need for many hands to assist him in his back-breaking work was not contemplated in the original plan of creation. Genesis pictures a pacific world in which there is no conflict between man and man or between man and other creatures. Neither does it envision internecine warfare within the animal kingdom.  Nahmanides to Genesis 1:29 and Nahmanides to Leviticus 26:4 The blessing of fertility would appear to have emanated from the great delight experienced by God in creating the world and its inhabitants. “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; let the Lord rejoice in His works.” Psalm 104:31 According to the Aggadah, these words constituted the song of the universe when creation was completed. Chullin 60a The joy of God in His work was reflected in the response of His creatures, who broke forth in a universal paean. “God saw all that He had made and behold it was very good.” Genesis 1:31 God loved the world, is living creatures, and man above all, so that He poured forth upon them with the greatest abundance the blessing of creativity that enables every species to reproduce life according to its kind. The blessing of fertility is associated with God’s vision of the world and life as good, as we read in [this and previous verse]. The vision of the goodness of life preceded the blessing and motivated it. The creation of man in God’s image likewise motivated the blessing of fertility for man. Genesis 1:26-28  ROSNER 61-2