Musar zu Bereschit 1:1

וידבר אלהים אל משה ויאמר אליו אני השם. I have expounded at length in my treatise on Passover, as well as in my commentary on the Haggadah shel Pessach on the opening lines in our portion, commencing with Exodus 6,2 until the words לא נודעתי להם in verse 3. All the miracles performed by G–d in Egypt which defied all known laws of nature, were invoked by the Ineffable Four- lettered Name י-ה-ו-ה which symbolises G–d as היה, הוה, יהיה the One who created the world ex nihilo and who is eternal.

In this portion the Torah discusses matters that help perfect one's body. The body viewed as the sheath of the soul, has also been created in the image of G–d (Genesis 1,27). This is why if someone kills another creature created in G–d's image he himself will be killed as an appropriate act of retribution. By his deed he has separated a soul from its body, (sheath), hence his own soul will be separated from its sheath. The act of murder is viewed as if the murderer had also severed the life of the soul in the Celestial Regions from its "body" in those regions. Although such separation would have occurred sooner or later anyways [by the natural death of the victim. Ed.], the murderer is punished for having brought this about prematurely. Hence his own soul will not find its resting place until the murder has been avenged. This principle explains the strange story related in Kings I chapter 21 of the judicial murder of Navot through Jezebel and king Achav. We are told in Kings I 22,21, that the "spirit" of the slain Navot volunteered to seduce king Achav into sinning by listening to his false prophets and that the Heavenly Tribunal concurred in this act of deviousness by the "spirit" of Navot. As a result, Achav was killed in a battle with Aram which served the ostensibly patriotic purpose of recapturing the city of Yavesh Gilead (which the Aramites had wrested from the Jewish state some considerable period earlier). Clearly, the soul, i.e. רוח, of Navot had not been able to come to rest due to the premature death of its body, and this may be why the רוח was permitted to act in its own personal interest. Avenging the murdered person is the only means to restore the harmony that existed between body and soul prior to the murder. We can now understand why, even if the family of the victim or the court were to agree to it, payment of a ransom would not restore the equilibrium which had been upset previously.. As long as the victim of the murder has not been appeased, there can be no question of the deed having been atoned for. When the death of the victim is due to an unintentional act however, the Torah does not consider him guilty of bloodshed. Clearly, the death of the victim was an act of G–d, i.e. the attribute of Justice chose as its instrument someone who had committed some other undetected offense. The killer had unconsciously carried out G–d's design in all those cases where he had not planned to kill the victim with a lethal instrument. The killer has to flee to the city of refuge, one of the cities of the Levites. Those cities are regarded as sites of judgment. The Levites themselves represent the emanation גבורה in the pattern חסד-גבורה-תפארת, a pattern that corresponds to the respective levels of כהן-לוי-ישראל. This unintentional killer must remain in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest (35,25). This is because when the body of the victim was slain, also his soul was taken from him and had to remain in exile until a time when G–d is in a favorable frame of mind. At the time the High Priest dies, when his soul ascends to the Celestial Regions, the soul of the murder victim is then also allowed to proceed to those regions.

All our sages agree that the Tabernacle was a microcosm of the macrocosm, that it reflected to the extent possible, structures and concepts and their development prevalent in the Celestial Regions, though those "structures" and concepts are, of course, abstract. Midrash Rabbah Terumah 33,4 commenting on Chronicles I 29,11: "Yours, O Lord are greatness, might, splendour, triumph, and majesty-- yes all that is in Heaven and earth," quotes Rabbi Berechyah; he sees this as proof that G–d transferred His residence to the Tabernacle. There is also a Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Pekudey which quotes Psalms 26,8: "O Lord, I love Your temple abode, the dwelling-place of Your glory," as proof that the residence of G–d on earth corresponds to the one He has in the Celestial Regions. Its construction was also a repetition of the process of creation. This is derived from the text of the Bible in Genesis 1,1: "At the beginning G–d created the heaven and the earth," whereas we read in Psalms 104,2: "You spread the heavens like a tent cloth." The Tabernacle was also covered by tent cloth as per Exodus 26,1: "You shall make the Tabernacle from ten strips of tent cloth." When describing what happened on the second day of creation, the Torah speaks about a firmament which is to separate the "upper" waters from the "lower" waters (Genesis 1,6), whereas when giving the instructions for building the Tabernacle the Torah directs that the "curtain shall divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies" (Exodus 26,33). The Torah, relating the work G–d performed on the third day of creation, mentions that the waters are to be gathered into one area (Genesis 1,9), whereas during the construction of the Tabernacle the Torah commands the construction of a copper basin into which all the water is to be poured (Exodus 30,18). On the fourth day of creation the Torah reports the construction of the great luminaries (Genesis 1,14), whereas the Torah commands the construction of a lampstand as part of the furnishings of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25,31). On the fifth day of creation G–d created the birds, etc. (Genesis 1,20), whereas in the Tabernacle the Torah commands that the cherubs on the lid of the Holy Ark be equipped with wings, bird-like (Exodus 25,20). Sacrifices of birds are also prescribed to be offered up in the Tabernacle. On the sixth day of creation G–d created man in His own image to reflect the glory of his Creator (Genesis 1,27), whereas in the Tabernacle a human being, the High Priest, was to be anointed and consecrated to parallel in this microcosm the function of man in the macrocosm in this microcosm. On the seventh day of creation, the universe is described as having been completed (Genesis 2,1); we find a similar expression when the Torah describes the construction of the Tabernacle as having been completed (Exodus 39,32). When the universe was completed G–d blessed it (Genesis 1,28-2,3), whereas when the Tabernacle was completed Moses blessed it (Exodus 39,43). When the universe was completed the Torah uses the term ויכל to describe the completion (Genesis 2,2); when the Tabernacle was completed the Torah uses the same expression (Exodus 40,33 and Numbers 7,1). When the universe was completed G–d sanctified it (Genesis 2,3); when the construction of the Tabernacle was completed the Torah also relates that Moses anointed and sanctified it (Numbers 7,1).

Prior to the creation of the universe there existed only G–d and His name in total and absolute secrecy, a concept which I have explained elsewhere at length. Once it had become His will to bring into existence a universe, the Torah firsts speaks about בראשית ברא אלוקים (Genesis 1,1), and afterwards the Torah refers to: ביום עשות ה' אלוקים (Genesis 2,4). This shows that the four-lettered name of G–d remained secret and only the name אל-הים which has the same numerical value as the word for nature, i.e. הטבע (86), was revealed. I have already mentioned that the creation of the universe proved that G–d existed before the universe. G–d's existence is manifest only through His activities. The essence of G–d, by definition, remains hidden. Anything revealed must by definition have previously been concealed. The very name of G–d, which alludes to היה, הוה ויהיה, "something that was, is, and will forever be," is the cause of any existence and enables all that exists to continue doing so. This is why the verse quoted from Genesis 2,4 does not merely describe G–d as having created the universe in the past, עשה, but also as an ongoing process, עשות.

To come back to the words: ראה נתתיך in 7,1, which we questioned on page 413. We must compare it to Deut. 2,24: ראה נתתי בידך את סיחון מלך חשבון האמורי, "See I have given into your hand Sichon the king of Cheshbon the Emorite." G–d humbled the spiritual שר of that king before the feet of Moses. The adversaries of the Jewish people are first defeated in the Celestial Regions, before the Israelites on earth execute a similar judgment on their proteges on earth. The words: ראה נתתיך, refer to what had transpired already in the Celestial Regions. The Zohar (Sullam edition Shemot page 26), commenting on Exodus 1,8: ויקם מלךם חדש על מצרים, "A new king ascended the throne in Egypt," explains that Egypt's predominance in the world only began after the Jewish people had been exiled there. In fact, the stability of any kingdom on earth is only due to Israel. This is why Moses ascended to G–d in order to humble that nation. Simultaneously, the people of Israel ascended to a loftier position to become the "armies" of G–d and to receive the Torah. Bereshit Rabbah 1,1 explains that the universe was only created for the sake of Israel and the Torah, and that the Torah is called ראשית דרכו, based on Proverbs 8,22: השם קנני ראשית דרכו, "The Lord created me at the beginning of His way." Israel is called ראשית תבואה, "first harvest," based on Proverbs 8,19. The Midrash there also mentions that Moses is called ראשית, based on Deut. 33,21.

This should awaken a person to watch over his children carefully and to teach them Torah and guide them in awe of Hashem because a son can bring his father merit. By the same token, one whose father or mother has passed away must be scrupulous in reciting the Kaddish and responding, Amein, yehei shemeih raba, with all his might. For through this he elevates his father’s soul to the upper Gan Eden. Let him not emulate those who take the Kaddish lightly, treating it as a kind of joke and actually making sport of its recital. They do not realize that Heaven and earth depend on the Kaddish. The response, Amein, yehei shemeih raba, contains twenty-eight letters, corresponding to the twenty-eight letters in the first verse of the Torah, “In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth” (Bereishis 1:1). This is an allusion to what is stated in Tehillim, “The power of His deeds He has declared to His people” (111:6). For the numerical value of the word “power” — koach — is twenty-eight. The first verse of the Ten Commandments also contains twenty-eight letters: “And God spoke all these things, saying” (Shemos 20:1). Therefore our teacher Rabbi Yehudah Chassid used to instruct the congregation to recite the first verse of Bereishis, followed by the one from the Ten Commandments and afterwards, Amein, yehei shemeih raba. The esoteric meaning of this custom is explained in Megaleh Amukos (Ofen 212).

At the outset of creation the Holy One Blessed is He saw that the world could not survive on the basis of strict judgment. So what did the Holy One Blessed is He do? He appended the name of mercy [יהו"ה] and created the world (Bereishis Rabbah 12:15; Pesikta Rabbasi, 41). Thus it states, “In the beginning God [Elokim] created” (Bereishis 1:1) — that is, with strict judgment because the name Elokim indicates the attribute of judgment. But afterwards it states, “On the day that Hashem God [יֱהֹוִ"ה Elokim] made earth and Heaven” (Bereishis 2:4).

Let us turn our attention to the statement of Rabbi Yitzchak quoted by Rashi in his first commentary on the first verse. Rabbi Yitzchak says that the Torah did not really have to commence prior to the twelfth chapter of Exodus when the commandment to sanctify the New Moon is given to the people of Israel. He goes on: "ומה טעם פתח בבראשית, משום כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו, לתת להם נחלת גוים, "what is the reason that G–d commenced the written Torah with the story of Bereshit?, It is to tell us that G–d revealed to His people His powerful works, in giving them the heritage of nations." (Psalms 111,6) The commentator elaborates that if the nations of the world would challenge Israel's right to the land of Israel accusing Israel as having illegally dispossessed its seven Canaanite nations, Israel could reply that since the earth belongs to G–d seeing He has created it, He is free to give any part of it to anyone He chooses. Since Israel found favor in His eyes, G–d gave that land to Israel. This premise raises a major question, as do the repeated words "when He wanted to, He gave it to them, and when He wanted to, He gave it to us." What kind of justice is it to give someone a gift only to revoke the gift at a later stage, especially when such gift has become a נחלה, an inheritance, i.e. something inviolable?