Chasidut к Берешит 2:4
אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃
Вот история сотворения небес и земли, в день создания Господом Богом земли и небес.
Kedushat Levi
Exodus 38,21. “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle of the Testimony that were rendered according to the commandment of Moses, etc.;” we have already written previously that the construction of the Tabernacle required holy spirit and the knowledge of how G’d used the aleph bet, i.e. the letters of the Torah and their respective combinations that G’d used when He created heaven and earth. (based on Yevamot 47). The subject has been elaborated on further in Bereshit Rabbah section 12,14 which quotes the school of Shammai saying that the idea to create the universe crystallized in G’d’s mind at night whereas the execution occurred by day, and that the letter ה written in smaller script in Genesis 2,4 in the word בהבראם is an allusion to the attribute א-ד-נ-י, one of G’d’s names, whereas afterwards in the same verse when the Torah writes ביום עשות ה' אלוקים ארץ ושמים, “on the day that <ihashem< i=""> made earth and heaven,” the apparent repetition is an allusion to the fact that G’d is unique and the exclusive Creator. [Our author must have had a different version of the Bereshit rabbah, as the second comment concerning the attribute א-ד-נ-י is not found in my updated version of that Midrash. Ed.]
The uniqueness of both Moses and Betzalel paralleled the description of unique attributes possessed by the Creator. Initially, the instructions given by Moses to Betzalel were similar to G’d’s formulating the thought of creating a universe, whereas the execution paralleled the words ביום עשות ה' אלוקים, G’d in His capacity as Hashem carrying out His plan to create the universe. The numerical value of the first letters of the opening words in our portion, אלה פקודי המשכן i.e. א'פ'ה' have a combined value of 86, equivalent to the letters in the name of G’d when it is spelled א-ל-ה-י-ם, i.e. His attribute of א-ד-נ-י, the word signifying the attribute of Justice. The respective last letters in the same sequence of words are ה'י'נ equaling 65, or the numerical value of the attribute א-ד-נ-י. When we examine the respective first and final letters in the second half of the introductory verse of our portion, i.e. משכן העדות, we find that the letters מ'ה correspond to the holy name of G’d consisting of 45 letters, whereas the final letters in these words, i.e. ת'נ or 450 i.e. ten times the value of the opening letters. This suggests that whereas Betzalel was indeed granted great insights, it was Moses, אשר פקד על פי משה who had the highest level of understanding how to manipulate all the letters in the names of G’d.
The uniqueness of both Moses and Betzalel paralleled the description of unique attributes possessed by the Creator. Initially, the instructions given by Moses to Betzalel were similar to G’d’s formulating the thought of creating a universe, whereas the execution paralleled the words ביום עשות ה' אלוקים, G’d in His capacity as Hashem carrying out His plan to create the universe. The numerical value of the first letters of the opening words in our portion, אלה פקודי המשכן i.e. א'פ'ה' have a combined value of 86, equivalent to the letters in the name of G’d when it is spelled א-ל-ה-י-ם, i.e. His attribute of א-ד-נ-י, the word signifying the attribute of Justice. The respective last letters in the same sequence of words are ה'י'נ equaling 65, or the numerical value of the attribute א-ד-נ-י. When we examine the respective first and final letters in the second half of the introductory verse of our portion, i.e. משכן העדות, we find that the letters מ'ה correspond to the holy name of G’d consisting of 45 letters, whereas the final letters in these words, i.e. ת'נ or 450 i.e. ten times the value of the opening letters. This suggests that whereas Betzalel was indeed granted great insights, it was Moses, אשר פקד על פי משה who had the highest level of understanding how to manipulate all the letters in the names of G’d.
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Kedushat Levi
Deuteronomy 1,3. “Moses spoke to the Children of Israel in accordance with all that Hashem had commanded him concerning them.”
This verse will be better understood when we look at the Zohar III 149.where the Baraitha of Rabbi Yishmael at the beginning of Torat Kohanim, states כל דבר שהיה בכלל ויצא מן הכלל וגו', “anything that was included in a general statement, but was then singled out to teach something, was not singled out to teach only about itself., but to apply its teaching to the entire generality;” When applied to the Holy Torah, we have to distinguish between matters treated by the Torah as “more profound than immediately visible after a superficial reading of the text, i.e. פנימיוות וסוד, “something mystical, buried deep inside,” and between matters that every reader can understand at once, such as references to places, dates, such as when the Torah relates details of the lives of Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov. When the Torah reports about their respective dealings with Lavan, or stories told about the matriarchs, Bileam and his ass, these are not to be understood only at face value, but they contain deeply hidden aspects, such as that we are to learn from the excerpts of Avraham’s life how do practice loving kindness with our fellow man. From the details revealed about Yaakov’s life, we are to learn about the righteousness of Yaakov; similarly there are many human attributes practiced by our matriarchs which we are to learn to emulate by immersing ourselves more deeply in the stories of the Torah than one does by reading a novel. Proper reading of these “stories” helps us understand that we are till this day benefiting by the merits accumulated by our forefathers, some of which, we, as their descendants, are being rewarded for. Rachel’s foregoing marriage to her betrothed, Yaakov, in order not to publicly shame her sister Leah, is one of the outstanding examples of selflessness from which we are to learn, according to our sages, when they comment on Jeremiah 31,14 קול ברמה נשמע נהי בכי תמרורים רחל מבכה על בניה מאנה להנחם על בניה כי איננו, “a voice is heard in Ramah- wailing, bitter weeping- Rachel weeping for her children she refuses to be comforted for her children who are gone.” In its introduction to megillat eychah, Lamentations, the author, quoting above verse from Jeremiah interprets it as G’d’s promise to bring redemption to Rachel’s descendants on account of her merits.
If the Torah took the trouble to relate fragments from the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs to teach us to emulate their virtues, it wrote of Bileam’s conduct in order to teach us not to emulate the abuse Bileam had made of his freedom of choice. Anyone reading of how boastful Bileam had made a fool of himself and left Balak after having become totally discredited, will surely learn a lesson from this. Avot 5,9 points to the difference between the disciples of Avraham and the disciples of Bileam. Avraham’s virtues are worth emulating, whereas Bileam’s great intellectual gifts, due to their being abused by their owner, must be shunned. In other words, although we are able to derive much value from just reading the text superficially, what is hidden behind such superficial reading of the text is even more illuminating. Similarly, with the parts of the Torah that on the surface purport to teach G’d’s commandments; although we must, of course use the text in order to know which commandments to perform and when and where, the text contains many hidden nuances that are discovered only when we apply ourselves with the intention to discover them.
This is what the author of the Baraitha of Rabbi Yishmael that we quoted earlier meant when it stated that “any matter that was part of a general statement, etc,” the general statement is the Torah as a whole, whereas “the statements singled out,” are the specific details about critical moments in our patriarchs’ and matriarchs’ lives, as well as critical details in the lives of other personalities the Torah has singled out from the millions it could have chosen. The words in the Baraitha “but was then singled out from a general statement to teach something only about itself,” refer to specific attributes possessed by the persons mentioned, which are meant either to be emulated or to be shunned. The words: “was not singled out to teach only about itself,” teaches that the attribute emphasized in that example is not to be treated as an exception but is to be applied generally.
That Baraitha also hints by its wording that we must not only look for something beyond the bare text in the stories the Torah tells about outstanding personalities, but search for deeper meaning in the text teaching the commandments. There is a lesson to be learned not only regarding how to perform the commandments, but also regarding moral/ethical lessons to be derived from each commandment.
This latter idea is somewhat elaborated on in the Zohar. It is interesting to note that the fifth Book of the Torah is known also as משנה תורה, [loosely translated as “review of the Torah,” although it is much more than that, containing commandments that did not appear previously at all. Ed.] In this Book, the emphasis is not so much on the attributes of outstanding human beings, but on the attributes of the Creator, and His relationship to His chosen people under various circumstances.
Knowing the manner in which G’d relates to His people is the key to all the warnings issued by Moses to the people concerning their deviating from the right path and the consequences which this would bring in its wake sooner or later, whenever G’d’s patience in waiting for the people to repent would come to an end. Since the Book of Deuteronomy was addressed (at the time) to the generation of Israelites who had not been adults at the time of the Exodus, or who had not even been born yet at that time, they did not need to have everything spelled out for them by means of the stories in the Torah, i.e. parables, as according to Moses’ own testimony in Deut. 29,3 they had become a generation that could use their eyes and ears (not only physically). This was a generation that was not tainted by the ritual pollution it had taken out with them from Egypt.
This is how we must understand Bereshit Rabbah 12,3 that wherever the Torah commences a paragraph with the words: אלה וגו', “these,” etc., it signifies that conditions that had existed prior to this point had become completely irrelevant. In the line in Genesis 2,4 where we find the word אלה for the first time, this signals that anything that the Torah had written about the state of the universe before the creation of light, i.e. the state of תהו ובהו, utter chaos, had by now become totally irrelevant. When we apply this Midrash to the Book of Deuteronomy, it means that rules that had been relevant to the people who had left Egypt as adults no longer had any relevance. The present generation was on a spiritually so much higher level that Moses could speak to them without having to use parables. This is also what Rashi had in mind when in his commentary on the words: אחרי הכותו את סיחן וגו', “after He had smitten Sichon, etc.” (1,4) he says that Moses waited with his words of rebuke for the people until G’d had begun the fulfillment of His promise to give the land of the Canaanites to Israel by giving them vast territory on the east bank of the Jordan. That important victory had concluded the 40 years of wandering in the desert without meaningful progress. At that point Moses became able to speak to the people in the manner G’d had commanded him to do (end of verse 3).
This verse will be better understood when we look at the Zohar III 149.where the Baraitha of Rabbi Yishmael at the beginning of Torat Kohanim, states כל דבר שהיה בכלל ויצא מן הכלל וגו', “anything that was included in a general statement, but was then singled out to teach something, was not singled out to teach only about itself., but to apply its teaching to the entire generality;” When applied to the Holy Torah, we have to distinguish between matters treated by the Torah as “more profound than immediately visible after a superficial reading of the text, i.e. פנימיוות וסוד, “something mystical, buried deep inside,” and between matters that every reader can understand at once, such as references to places, dates, such as when the Torah relates details of the lives of Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov. When the Torah reports about their respective dealings with Lavan, or stories told about the matriarchs, Bileam and his ass, these are not to be understood only at face value, but they contain deeply hidden aspects, such as that we are to learn from the excerpts of Avraham’s life how do practice loving kindness with our fellow man. From the details revealed about Yaakov’s life, we are to learn about the righteousness of Yaakov; similarly there are many human attributes practiced by our matriarchs which we are to learn to emulate by immersing ourselves more deeply in the stories of the Torah than one does by reading a novel. Proper reading of these “stories” helps us understand that we are till this day benefiting by the merits accumulated by our forefathers, some of which, we, as their descendants, are being rewarded for. Rachel’s foregoing marriage to her betrothed, Yaakov, in order not to publicly shame her sister Leah, is one of the outstanding examples of selflessness from which we are to learn, according to our sages, when they comment on Jeremiah 31,14 קול ברמה נשמע נהי בכי תמרורים רחל מבכה על בניה מאנה להנחם על בניה כי איננו, “a voice is heard in Ramah- wailing, bitter weeping- Rachel weeping for her children she refuses to be comforted for her children who are gone.” In its introduction to megillat eychah, Lamentations, the author, quoting above verse from Jeremiah interprets it as G’d’s promise to bring redemption to Rachel’s descendants on account of her merits.
If the Torah took the trouble to relate fragments from the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs to teach us to emulate their virtues, it wrote of Bileam’s conduct in order to teach us not to emulate the abuse Bileam had made of his freedom of choice. Anyone reading of how boastful Bileam had made a fool of himself and left Balak after having become totally discredited, will surely learn a lesson from this. Avot 5,9 points to the difference between the disciples of Avraham and the disciples of Bileam. Avraham’s virtues are worth emulating, whereas Bileam’s great intellectual gifts, due to their being abused by their owner, must be shunned. In other words, although we are able to derive much value from just reading the text superficially, what is hidden behind such superficial reading of the text is even more illuminating. Similarly, with the parts of the Torah that on the surface purport to teach G’d’s commandments; although we must, of course use the text in order to know which commandments to perform and when and where, the text contains many hidden nuances that are discovered only when we apply ourselves with the intention to discover them.
This is what the author of the Baraitha of Rabbi Yishmael that we quoted earlier meant when it stated that “any matter that was part of a general statement, etc,” the general statement is the Torah as a whole, whereas “the statements singled out,” are the specific details about critical moments in our patriarchs’ and matriarchs’ lives, as well as critical details in the lives of other personalities the Torah has singled out from the millions it could have chosen. The words in the Baraitha “but was then singled out from a general statement to teach something only about itself,” refer to specific attributes possessed by the persons mentioned, which are meant either to be emulated or to be shunned. The words: “was not singled out to teach only about itself,” teaches that the attribute emphasized in that example is not to be treated as an exception but is to be applied generally.
That Baraitha also hints by its wording that we must not only look for something beyond the bare text in the stories the Torah tells about outstanding personalities, but search for deeper meaning in the text teaching the commandments. There is a lesson to be learned not only regarding how to perform the commandments, but also regarding moral/ethical lessons to be derived from each commandment.
This latter idea is somewhat elaborated on in the Zohar. It is interesting to note that the fifth Book of the Torah is known also as משנה תורה, [loosely translated as “review of the Torah,” although it is much more than that, containing commandments that did not appear previously at all. Ed.] In this Book, the emphasis is not so much on the attributes of outstanding human beings, but on the attributes of the Creator, and His relationship to His chosen people under various circumstances.
Knowing the manner in which G’d relates to His people is the key to all the warnings issued by Moses to the people concerning their deviating from the right path and the consequences which this would bring in its wake sooner or later, whenever G’d’s patience in waiting for the people to repent would come to an end. Since the Book of Deuteronomy was addressed (at the time) to the generation of Israelites who had not been adults at the time of the Exodus, or who had not even been born yet at that time, they did not need to have everything spelled out for them by means of the stories in the Torah, i.e. parables, as according to Moses’ own testimony in Deut. 29,3 they had become a generation that could use their eyes and ears (not only physically). This was a generation that was not tainted by the ritual pollution it had taken out with them from Egypt.
This is how we must understand Bereshit Rabbah 12,3 that wherever the Torah commences a paragraph with the words: אלה וגו', “these,” etc., it signifies that conditions that had existed prior to this point had become completely irrelevant. In the line in Genesis 2,4 where we find the word אלה for the first time, this signals that anything that the Torah had written about the state of the universe before the creation of light, i.e. the state of תהו ובהו, utter chaos, had by now become totally irrelevant. When we apply this Midrash to the Book of Deuteronomy, it means that rules that had been relevant to the people who had left Egypt as adults no longer had any relevance. The present generation was on a spiritually so much higher level that Moses could speak to them without having to use parables. This is also what Rashi had in mind when in his commentary on the words: אחרי הכותו את סיחן וגו', “after He had smitten Sichon, etc.” (1,4) he says that Moses waited with his words of rebuke for the people until G’d had begun the fulfillment of His promise to give the land of the Canaanites to Israel by giving them vast territory on the east bank of the Jordan. That important victory had concluded the 40 years of wandering in the desert without meaningful progress. At that point Moses became able to speak to the people in the manner G’d had commanded him to do (end of verse 3).
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Me'or Einayim
But it is known that everything depends on Arousal from Below, which is the aspect of Feminine Water like the Desire of the Feminine for the Masculine. And we, the Nation of the Children of Israel, have the aspect of Feminine with respect to the Holy Blessed One; and when we arouse ourselves to attach to our Blessed Creator from Below to Above, we arouse (as if it were possible) Desire in our Blessed Creator to channel us all Good, selah! And the flow descends from Above to Below with abundance and blessing and compassion and life and peace. So we, the Assembly of Israel, along with the Holy Blessed One are a single complete entity, when we are attached to Blessed God. And one without the other (as if it were possible) is not called “complete,” as in the statement “The Name is not complete nor is the Throne complete” (Tanhuma, Ki Tetze 11). For we are called the Blessed Creator’s Throne, since (as if it were possible) without us the Blessed Creator is not called “complete” and obviously without Blessed God we [are not called “complete”]. Only when we first arouse the Feminine Waters, meaning our Desire from Below to Above to attach to Blessed God, through this we arouse Blessed God’s Desire from Above to Below. And then, when the two Desires come together then it is one complete entity. And this is the meaning of the verse You shall be complete with Adonai your God (Deut. 18:13), which is to say you with Blessed God are called a complete entity. And so the essence of Creation was on this condition, that we would walk to Blessed God by way of Arousal from Below initially. And if not, God forbid, meaning when we do not arouse ourselves through Arousal from Below and need Blessed God to arouse us from Above, then we have done nothing. And so regarding Noah there was no Arousal from Below, [and Noah was saved] only because Blessed God wanted the preservation of the world, which would be preserved through Noah. Therefore Blessed Good needed to arouse him from Above, and needed to channel onto Noah the Desire to attach to Blessed God. And this is [what Rashi meant by] “Noah needed assistance to support him.” But Abraham our Ancestor, peace be upon him, “strengthened himself with his righteousness and walked independently” through Arousal from Below. And now it makes sense that [Noah] was called completely righteous, since he was attached to Blessed God but not through Arousal from Below; and therefore it is written, These are the records of the skies and the earth in their creation [be-hibar’am] (Gen. 2:4), the letters of “Abraham” – meaning, as we have explained, that the Essence of Creation is through this: that the way of walking is like the walk of Abraham our Ancestor, peace be upon him, through Arousal from Below as we have explained.
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Likutei Halakhot
This is the aspect of "And he divided himself against them" (Genesis 14:15) which is said about Abraham at the time he chased after the kings. For Abraham revealed G-d's blessed providence in the world. Therefore, the essence of the fulfillment of the generations of the heavens and earth is through Abraham, as it is written (Genesis 2:4) "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, בְּהִבָּרְאָם - meaning, through Abraham בְּאַבְרָהָם (Genesis Rabbah 2:4). Abraham revealed His blessed providence to the world; for the essence of the existence of the world is through this. Therefore, Abraham had the power to divide the night, in other words to break the night, which is the aspect of nullification of nature, the aspect of rising at midnight, as explained above. Then {Abraham} overpowered the four kings, which are the aspect of the four Malchuyot, as brought. The essence of their subjugation is through the nullification of nature, as explained above. Therefore, because he erred {by saying} what was written there (Genesis 15:8) "how will I know that I will inherit it?", the exile was decreed because of this, for it was a blemish in knowledge, which is the aspect of divine providence. The essence of knowledge is the aspect of divine providence. And divine providence, this is the aspect of the Land of Israel, the aspect of (Deuteronomy 11:12) "the eyes of Lord your God are always upon it", as Rebbe Nachman wrote in another place. Therefore, because he blemished the da'at/knowledge and blemished the Land of Israel, which is the aspect of divine providence, (Genesis 15:12) "a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, a fright, a great darkness was falling upon him". Because he saw the strength of the exile, which is the aspect of 'a deep sleep', the aspect of darkness, the essence of their subjugation through the natural sciences, through the blemishing of divine providence, as explained above.
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Kedushat Levi
Yet another interpretation of the opening verse in our portion. We need to consider this verse in conjunction with Exodus 40,18 ויקם משה את המשכן וגו', “Moses, (personally) erected the Tabernacle, etc.;”
We have a rule expressed in the Zohar that the Tabernacle represented this lower world, as well as the world beyond earth as well as the Torah, in miniature. [Possibly a reference to Zohar Pekudey, 220 where the author of the Zohar uses the word אלה here and in Genesis 2,4 אלה תולדות השמים והארץ, as a basis for this comparison. Ed.]
Nachmanides quotes Genesis 18,19 כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו....ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט, where he explains the expression דרך ה' to mean the “attributes that G’d has revealed of Himself.” The Torah credits Avraham in that verse as emulating G’d’s attributes of שלום וחסד, “peace and loving kindness, etc.” These attributes are also reflected in the legislation we read in the Torah, as we find commandments that clearly reflect the need for us to be kind even to the undeserving, such as helping one’s enemy to load or unload his donkey, whereas some of the commandments clearly reflect the attribute of Justice, such as to ensure that people convicted of deliberate wrongdoing be punished in accordance with the law. Similarly, other attributes that reflect G’d’s attributes are represented in different parts of Torah legislation. The requirement to wear phylacteries is understood as reflecting the fact that G’d represents תפארת, “glory,” and that is why we recite a benediction when putting on phylacteries which describes G’d as having distinguished us with glory, i.e. עוטר ישראל בתפארה.
We have a rule expressed in the Zohar that the Tabernacle represented this lower world, as well as the world beyond earth as well as the Torah, in miniature. [Possibly a reference to Zohar Pekudey, 220 where the author of the Zohar uses the word אלה here and in Genesis 2,4 אלה תולדות השמים והארץ, as a basis for this comparison. Ed.]
Nachmanides quotes Genesis 18,19 כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו....ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט, where he explains the expression דרך ה' to mean the “attributes that G’d has revealed of Himself.” The Torah credits Avraham in that verse as emulating G’d’s attributes of שלום וחסד, “peace and loving kindness, etc.” These attributes are also reflected in the legislation we read in the Torah, as we find commandments that clearly reflect the need for us to be kind even to the undeserving, such as helping one’s enemy to load or unload his donkey, whereas some of the commandments clearly reflect the attribute of Justice, such as to ensure that people convicted of deliberate wrongdoing be punished in accordance with the law. Similarly, other attributes that reflect G’d’s attributes are represented in different parts of Torah legislation. The requirement to wear phylacteries is understood as reflecting the fact that G’d represents תפארת, “glory,” and that is why we recite a benediction when putting on phylacteries which describes G’d as having distinguished us with glory, i.e. עוטר ישראל בתפארה.
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Sha'ar HaEmunah VeYesod HaChasidut
This is as it is said in the Zohar (Pinchas, 216b), “Before the giving of the Torah to Israel, the entire creation was dependant upon the specific constellation that ruled over it. This was true even concerning children, life, and sustenance.88It is written in the Gemara (Moed Katan, 28b), “One’s portion in receiving children, life, and sustenance depends not on merit, but on fate (mazal).” But after the Torah was given to Israel, they were no longer subject to the influence of the stars … For this reason, whosoever is involved in the study of Torah is free of the influence of the stars.” Before the giving of the Torah, all the effluence of God’s Divine conduct came into the world through an organized system of cause and effect. Each level would receive from the level above it, and effuse to the level below. The final recipient of this concatenation of effluence was man. Thus man received God’s effluence by way of the stars and constellations. Whether man received good or the opposite was subject to the nature and governance of his star. This was the way in which the entire creation received its effluence. However, when Israel received the Torah, they were raised above the stars and constellations. This was because they were now in possession of the Torah, and the world was created through the Torah.89The Rashba notes (Teshuvot, 19) that one who observes the Torah is free from the dominance of the stars, yet one who does not observe the Torah is subject to the dominance of the stars. This is hinted at in the Zohar (ibid): “We learn this from Avraham, since his children would later receive the letter Hei90Hei - ה - is the number five. in Avraham’s name, which represents the Five Books of Moses. This was hinted at even in the creation of the world, when it was said, ‘these are the generations of the heavens and the earth as they were created (BeHibaram)91(Bereshit, 2:4) In the word, as they were created – בהבראם – the letter Hei is traditionally written smaller than the normal size. The sages took this as hinting at many things, among them that God put a condition of the creation of the world that the Children of Israel would accept the Five Books of Moses. , which is the same letters as the phrase, ‘He created them with the letter Hei (beHei - baram). God said to Avraham, since this Hei was added to your name92See Bereshit, 17:5. so will the heavens be placed below you. All of the stars and constellations are illuminated by the Hei.” As it is explained in the Midrash Rabbah (Lech, 44), “and He brought him outside and said, ‘look heavenward ‘. (Bereshit, 15:5) This means the God raised Avraham above the dome of the firmament so that all the goodness he receives will come directly from God.”
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Kedushat Levi
"These are the developments of heaven and earth once they had been created;” the author understands the word תולדות to mean “objective, purpose;” when the Torah continues with the words; ביום עשות ה' אלוקים ארץ ושמים, “from the day the Lord G’d had completed earth and heaven,” the message is that from now on the Torah is concerned primarily with what happens on earth, as opposed to when what happens on earth, had been the secondary concern up until the human species had been created. The practical significance of this statement is that whereas prior to this point earth had been the “recipient” of celestial input, from this point on it is the task of earth and what occurs on its surface to “kick back” beneficial vibrations to the celestial regions, i.e. the result of man fulfilling his duty on earth. The author bases himself on psalms 148,13 הודו על ארץ ושמים, which he translates as “His majesty is above earth and heaven,” earth being mentioned first. This implies that the heavens receive useful input from earth.
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Kedushat Levi
Everything that has been handed down to us about Avram suggests that he was unwavering in his faith in G’d from his very youth, and certainly did not have any theological relapses. Nachmanides stated with absolute certainty, basing himself on Genesis 25,8 that Avram had always considered anything that happened to him as being G’d’s desire and meant for his own good. Nachmanides understood this as being the meaning of the words: זקן ושבע ימים, “of old age, satisfied and satisfied in years.” Contrary to most people, who are described in Kohelet Rabbah, 5,9 as leaving behind many unfulfilled aspirations when they die, Avraham died fully fulfilled. In Baba Batra 117, as well as in Sanhedrin 91 the meaning of the word מורשה is discussed, there being different opinions of how the distribution of the ancestral plots in the Land of Israel was determined by lottery; if the lottery only applied to the tribal allocations, or to families. The discussion also concerns whether only Jews who partook in the Exodus or their offspring were allocated land, or whether the allocation included Jews who had lived before that period, including Avram, Yitzchok, etc. Avram’s question of במה אדע כי אירשנה, meant: “how will I know that I personally will be included in the distribution of the land at that time? He knew that he would not inherit a plot of land in Israel as part of his father Terach’s merit, as he had been the first convert to Judaism, something that was confirmed in Sukkah 49. Since he did not endure slavery in Egypt as did the generation of the Exodus, he was not sure that he would qualify at the time of the distribution.
Avram’s question had been triggered by G’d saying to him:, לתת לך את הארץ הזאת לרשתה, “to give to you this land in order to inherit it.” (15,7) Avram wanted to know if he would live long enough to take part in the distribution of the land in Joshua’s time, or how he was to understand the words: לתת לך, “to give to you.” The Talmud in Sukkah 49 quotes psalms 47,10 where we encounter the expression עם אלוקי אברהם, “the nation that worships the G’d of Avraham”; a sage raised question whether G’d perhaps is not also the G’d of the people of Yitzchok and the G’d of the people of Yaakov.” The answer given is that Avraham was the first convert from which the Jewish people developed, so that he enjoys a special status. As a reward, G’d gave the land of Israel especially to him. Avraham wanted to know if, since the land of Israel becomes a מורשה, his share would be due to his father bequeathing it to him. The term ירש, “to inherit,” always implies that one inherits from a father. If Avram’s question had been במה אדע כי תתן לי, “how will I know that You give it to me,” it would have been inappropriate, of course. G’d had spoken about “giving;” Avram asked only about the hereditary aspect, אירשנה.
We will deal with the expression במה אדע, somewhat later in this paragraph. When G’d introduced His reply to Avram’s question with the words: ידוע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך, “you must truly realize that your descendants will be strangers, etc.,” this can best be understood when referring to a commentary by the Zohar I 87 on the verse: (Genesis 2,4)אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם . The letter ה in smaller script in the middle of this word alerts the reader not to read the word as a single word, but as באברהם ברא, i.e. G’d created the universe on account of, or with the eventual assistance of Avraham.” Had G’d not foreseen that someone like Avram will be born, He would not have considered it worth His while to create the human race. The fact that Avraham, on his own, without prompting, would proclaim the name of the Creator, made it worth G’d’s while to put up with all the sins man would commit. Avraham would be the one to acquaint his peers with the concept that G’d is One, is unique, is in charge of the universe and yet had granted the creatures he made in His image freedom of choice to choose their own path in life. The fact that this Avraham would sire a Yitzchok, and Yitzchok in turn would sire a Yaakov who raised 12 sons who would form the nucleus of the Jewish nation, a nation of priests, made it all worthwhile for G’d. When the Jewish people collectively accepted G’d’s Torah, without critically examining what was written therein first, this was a crowning moment not only for the Jewish people, but it enabled G’d to converse with a mortal human being, Moses, as if he were on His own level, i.e. פנים אל פנים, face to face.
When G’d introduced His reply to Avram’s question with the words: ידוע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך, “you must truly realize that your descendants will be strangers, etc.,” this can best be understood when referring to a commentary by the Zohar I 87 on the verse: (Genesis 2,4)אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם . The letter ה in smaller script in the middle of this word alerts the reader not to read the word as a single word, but as באברהם ברא, i.e. G’d created the universe on account of, or with the eventual assistance of Avraham.” Had G’d not foreseen that someone like Avram will be born, He would not have considered it worth His while to create the human race. The fact that Avraham, on his own, without prompting, would proclaim the name of the Creator, made it worth G’d’s while to put up with all the sins man would commit. Avraham would be the one to acquaint his peers with the concept that G’d is One, is unique, is in charge of the universe and yet had granted the creatures he made in His image freedom of choice to choose their own path in life. The fact that this Avraham would sire a Yitzchok, and Yitzchok in turn would sire a Yaakov who raised 12 sons who would form the nucleus of the Jewish nation, a nation of priests, made it all worthwhile for G’d. When the Jewish people collectively accepted G’d’s Torah, without critically examining what was written therein first, this was a crowning moment not only for the Jewish people, but it enabled G’d to converse with a mortal human being, Moses, as if he were on His own level, i.e. פנים אל פנים, face to face.
Moses reminded the people in Deut. 5,4 how 40 years earlier, when most of them had not yet been alive, G’d had addressed the whole nation on the פנים אל פנים “face to face level,” [until the people asked Moses to be their interpreter instead. Ed.] At that time all creatures on earth were in awe of their Creator. When the people had consecrated the Tabernacle in the desert as a “home” for Hashem in the lower parts of the universe, G’d took delight in the world He had created, as we know from Taanit 26 where the Talmud understands Song of Songs 3,11 ביום חתונתו וביום שמחת לבו, “on His wedding day, the day when His heart rejoices,” as referring to G’d’s feelings on the day of the revelation at Mount Sinai, and the day when the Tabernacle was consecrated, respectively. This is the kind of נחת רוח, “pleasure, satisfaction,” that man in the lower part of the universe can contribute to G’d in the loftier spheres, in heaven. On both of these occasions the joy was reciprocal, G’d showing that He can associate with earthlings and take pleasure from this. The Israelites’ enthusiastic response after the splitting of the sea and their miraculous and escape from Pharaoh’s pursuing armies, was another occasion when the reciprocal nature of the relationship between G’d and His “chosen” people was demonstrated publicly. Nowadays, almost 4000 years later, we recall these events and praise the Lord every week when we pronounce the blessings over wine. Not a day goes by without our giving thanks to the Lord for the Exodus from Egypt.
At the time when Avram lived, the world, i.e. the planet earth and man on it, was still in a state of semi-collapse, its continued existence far from assured, until Yitzchok and Yaakov continued the work that Avram had started when he kept proclaiming the power and goodness of the Creator. This assurance of the earth’s continued existence was only confirmed with the creation of the Jewish people, and this people’s leaving Egypt as G’d’s people, after having slaughtered the Passover, and proven that they considered the Creator as their highest authority.
The Tur, commenting on why we mention the Exodus of Egypt in the weekly Kiddush, as opposed to the Kiddush on the festivals whose link to the Exodus is self-evident, explains that the Sabbath harbours within it the כח המוליד, the power that enables creatures to regenerate themselves by producing offspring. This “power” is conditional on the observance of the Sabbath (in some form). Terach, Avram’s father, while able to produce physical offspring, was unable to produce offspring equipped with the kind of soul that would be active in spreading the message that G’d is the one and only Creator. [I have not been able to find where the Tur writes this, although he writes about man as well as most other living creatures becoming endowed with the ability to procreate bodies in his Torah commentary. (Genesis 2,3)
Avram’s question had been triggered by G’d saying to him:, לתת לך את הארץ הזאת לרשתה, “to give to you this land in order to inherit it.” (15,7) Avram wanted to know if he would live long enough to take part in the distribution of the land in Joshua’s time, or how he was to understand the words: לתת לך, “to give to you.” The Talmud in Sukkah 49 quotes psalms 47,10 where we encounter the expression עם אלוקי אברהם, “the nation that worships the G’d of Avraham”; a sage raised question whether G’d perhaps is not also the G’d of the people of Yitzchok and the G’d of the people of Yaakov.” The answer given is that Avraham was the first convert from which the Jewish people developed, so that he enjoys a special status. As a reward, G’d gave the land of Israel especially to him. Avraham wanted to know if, since the land of Israel becomes a מורשה, his share would be due to his father bequeathing it to him. The term ירש, “to inherit,” always implies that one inherits from a father. If Avram’s question had been במה אדע כי תתן לי, “how will I know that You give it to me,” it would have been inappropriate, of course. G’d had spoken about “giving;” Avram asked only about the hereditary aspect, אירשנה.
We will deal with the expression במה אדע, somewhat later in this paragraph. When G’d introduced His reply to Avram’s question with the words: ידוע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך, “you must truly realize that your descendants will be strangers, etc.,” this can best be understood when referring to a commentary by the Zohar I 87 on the verse: (Genesis 2,4)אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם . The letter ה in smaller script in the middle of this word alerts the reader not to read the word as a single word, but as באברהם ברא, i.e. G’d created the universe on account of, or with the eventual assistance of Avraham.” Had G’d not foreseen that someone like Avram will be born, He would not have considered it worth His while to create the human race. The fact that Avraham, on his own, without prompting, would proclaim the name of the Creator, made it worth G’d’s while to put up with all the sins man would commit. Avraham would be the one to acquaint his peers with the concept that G’d is One, is unique, is in charge of the universe and yet had granted the creatures he made in His image freedom of choice to choose their own path in life. The fact that this Avraham would sire a Yitzchok, and Yitzchok in turn would sire a Yaakov who raised 12 sons who would form the nucleus of the Jewish nation, a nation of priests, made it all worthwhile for G’d. When the Jewish people collectively accepted G’d’s Torah, without critically examining what was written therein first, this was a crowning moment not only for the Jewish people, but it enabled G’d to converse with a mortal human being, Moses, as if he were on His own level, i.e. פנים אל פנים, face to face.
When G’d introduced His reply to Avram’s question with the words: ידוע תדע כי גר יהיה זרעך, “you must truly realize that your descendants will be strangers, etc.,” this can best be understood when referring to a commentary by the Zohar I 87 on the verse: (Genesis 2,4)אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם . The letter ה in smaller script in the middle of this word alerts the reader not to read the word as a single word, but as באברהם ברא, i.e. G’d created the universe on account of, or with the eventual assistance of Avraham.” Had G’d not foreseen that someone like Avram will be born, He would not have considered it worth His while to create the human race. The fact that Avraham, on his own, without prompting, would proclaim the name of the Creator, made it worth G’d’s while to put up with all the sins man would commit. Avraham would be the one to acquaint his peers with the concept that G’d is One, is unique, is in charge of the universe and yet had granted the creatures he made in His image freedom of choice to choose their own path in life. The fact that this Avraham would sire a Yitzchok, and Yitzchok in turn would sire a Yaakov who raised 12 sons who would form the nucleus of the Jewish nation, a nation of priests, made it all worthwhile for G’d. When the Jewish people collectively accepted G’d’s Torah, without critically examining what was written therein first, this was a crowning moment not only for the Jewish people, but it enabled G’d to converse with a mortal human being, Moses, as if he were on His own level, i.e. פנים אל פנים, face to face.
Moses reminded the people in Deut. 5,4 how 40 years earlier, when most of them had not yet been alive, G’d had addressed the whole nation on the פנים אל פנים “face to face level,” [until the people asked Moses to be their interpreter instead. Ed.] At that time all creatures on earth were in awe of their Creator. When the people had consecrated the Tabernacle in the desert as a “home” for Hashem in the lower parts of the universe, G’d took delight in the world He had created, as we know from Taanit 26 where the Talmud understands Song of Songs 3,11 ביום חתונתו וביום שמחת לבו, “on His wedding day, the day when His heart rejoices,” as referring to G’d’s feelings on the day of the revelation at Mount Sinai, and the day when the Tabernacle was consecrated, respectively. This is the kind of נחת רוח, “pleasure, satisfaction,” that man in the lower part of the universe can contribute to G’d in the loftier spheres, in heaven. On both of these occasions the joy was reciprocal, G’d showing that He can associate with earthlings and take pleasure from this. The Israelites’ enthusiastic response after the splitting of the sea and their miraculous and escape from Pharaoh’s pursuing armies, was another occasion when the reciprocal nature of the relationship between G’d and His “chosen” people was demonstrated publicly. Nowadays, almost 4000 years later, we recall these events and praise the Lord every week when we pronounce the blessings over wine. Not a day goes by without our giving thanks to the Lord for the Exodus from Egypt.
At the time when Avram lived, the world, i.e. the planet earth and man on it, was still in a state of semi-collapse, its continued existence far from assured, until Yitzchok and Yaakov continued the work that Avram had started when he kept proclaiming the power and goodness of the Creator. This assurance of the earth’s continued existence was only confirmed with the creation of the Jewish people, and this people’s leaving Egypt as G’d’s people, after having slaughtered the Passover, and proven that they considered the Creator as their highest authority.
The Tur, commenting on why we mention the Exodus of Egypt in the weekly Kiddush, as opposed to the Kiddush on the festivals whose link to the Exodus is self-evident, explains that the Sabbath harbours within it the כח המוליד, the power that enables creatures to regenerate themselves by producing offspring. This “power” is conditional on the observance of the Sabbath (in some form). Terach, Avram’s father, while able to produce physical offspring, was unable to produce offspring equipped with the kind of soul that would be active in spreading the message that G’d is the one and only Creator. [I have not been able to find where the Tur writes this, although he writes about man as well as most other living creatures becoming endowed with the ability to procreate bodies in his Torah commentary. (Genesis 2,3)
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Baal Shem Tov
Contemplate this: in speech, it is the World of Speech that speaks through you; an enormous world by which all worlds were created. This is the meaning of the word (Genesis 2:4) בְּהִבָּרְאָם , "In their creation", which can be read 'created with ה' - referring to the five openings of the mouth. Contemplate further on the greatness of the Blessed One, in that all the life-force of all the worlds is contained in speech. This is the world of Awe, in which it is as if the Shechinah constricts itself and dwells within your words and in your mouth, as it says (Sefer Yetzirah 2:3) "God fixed the letters in the mouth." If speech is so, what is with the World of Thought? Even more brilliant lights, with no end and no way of grasping. When you contemplate such things and say in your heart: this is the contraction of the World of Thought in my mind, in my wisdom and understanding. Before such an enormous world, I should feel in awe.
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