What did Adam mean when he exclaimed, "Zos ha'Pa'am ... !"?
Rashi: When Hashem brought all the animals before Adam in order to name them, Adam was intimate 1 with each one to ascertain whether any of them was eligible to become his helpmate, but none of them were. That is why now, when Hashem brought him Chavah, he exclaimed "This time...!" 2
Rashbam, Seforno and Targum Yonasan: This time, a woman was taken from man, but never again (from now on, man will come from woman 3 - Rashbam).
Moshav Zekenim: Pa'am refers to form (like in Yeshayah 41:7); meaning, "this form is from my bones."
Gur Aryeh: Refer to 2:23:1.1:1 .
Riva: He did not have conjugal intimacy. Rather, he contemplated the nature of each one, and concluded that they were not proper for him. Moshav Zekenim says that he saw all the animals mating, and was not satisfied with any of them for a mate. See also Torah Temimah, note 50.
Oznayim la'Torah: Which was said either in the form of a prophecy or of a Tefilah. R. Tam asked, the same applies to all animals! Rabeinu Meir answered, the word "La'asos" (Bereishis 2:3) teaches so about the animals. The Torah did not yet mention woman's creation; therefore it must teach this here (Moshav Zekenim).
Why does the Torah need to tell us why a woman is called 'Ishah'?
Rashi: Because since Lashon ha'Kodesh is the only language where the word 'Ishah' is a direct derivative of 'Ish,' 1 it teaches us that the world was created with Lashon ha'Kodesh (that that is the language that Adam and Chavah spoke).
Seforno: The Torah is explaining to us that a woman is called 'Ishah' because Chavah was taken from Adam, 2 even though that is no longer what happens.
Gur Aryeh: In other [classical] languages, the names for "man" and "woman" are not similar.
Moshav Zekenim: Even if she was not taken from Ish, she should be called Ishah, like female animals have the suffix Hei - Par-Parah, Keves-Kivsah! Since 'Ish' has connotations of strength, a woman would not be called 'Ishah' if not for the fact that she was taken from 'Ish'.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "Adam came unto every animal and beast." What does this mean?
Gur Aryeh: Chazal certainly do not mean that he was physically intimate with them, for Adam had already been forbidden in illicit relations. 1 Gur Aryeh explains that conceptually, a male represents Tzurah (form that is purpose-specific; actualization), and the female represents Chomer (raw material; potential). 2 The connection of Tzurah with Chomer is called "coming unto" (Bi'ah). In a more general sense, mankind serves as Tzurah to the entire animal world. 3 Before Adam's proper mate was created, he was "connected" to the animals in the sense that he was their Tzurah and completion. However, once woman was created, man bonds fully only with her, for she too is an intelligent being. Adam therefore exclaimed, "This time, bone of my bones etc."
Sanhedrin 56b derives all of the Seven Mitzvos of Bnei Noach from Bereishis 2:16. (CS)
To illustrate these terms, the iron from which a knife is made is its Chomer, and the sharp edge is its Tzurah.
