Torah, Mussar, Chassidus, Stories, and More!

בּ"ה

Parshas Bereishis

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‘In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.’ (Bereishis 1:1)

At the beginning -- first and foremost of everything, says Rebbe Moshe Leib of Sassov zt”l, a Jew must know that ‘G-d created the heavens and the earth’.

(Cited in Maayanah Shel Torah)

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‘In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.’ (Bereishis 1:1)

HaRav Shimshon Dovid Pincus zt”l gives us a beautiful insight into beginning the Torah again. How sweet it is, says Rav Pincus, to begin anew! It’s like the incredible feeling you get when you go out early in the morning, around sunrise, and everything is glowing pleasantly with the morning light; a cool breeze blows in a delightful manner, and the birds are chirping in a singsong way.

But aside from the wonderful feeling, we must also do something in action, says Rav Pincus! And he gives us two wonderful suggestions:

1) The Gemara in Berachos (8a) tells us that we should always try to read through the text of the weekly Parsha twice, and also read the Targum Onkelos on it once. This, in fact, can even help to lengthen our days, the Gemara tells us. There is no better time than Parshas Bereishis, the start of the Torah, to strengthen ourselves and accept upon ourselves to try to fulfill this important thing each and every week.

2) When we do read the Parsha, we should try to not just read it, but maybe we could stop for a moment, and contemplate the meaning of the words. And perhaps an aid to this is to imagine to ourselves that we have never seen these holy words before, and this is our very first time reading them: בּראשית בּרא אלקים -- amazing! In space, there are millions and millions of stars, and there are different planets, etc. etc. Who created all this? Hashem! And similarly with the stories of Adam HaRishon, Noach, Avraham Avinu, and throughout the entire Torah. If we look at the words of the Torah as if on that very day they were given to us -- as Chazal indeed comment that we should -- how wonderful and sweet they will be in our mouths!

(Tiferes Shimshon)

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‘In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.’ (Bereishis 1:1)

HaRav Dov Weinberger shlit”a suggests that the phrase בּראשית בּרא אלקים may be understood also in a slightly different way than usual: בּראשית -- with the power of being able to begin anew, בּרא אלקים -- Hashem created the world. When He created the universe, Hashem gave the ability to begin afresh, almost like the creation of the very world itself. And now, as we exit from the wonderful Festivals in the month of Tishrei, and we begin the Torah anew, we should start it off with new strength, fire and enthusiasm, and almost like this is the very first time -- again.

(Shemen HaTov)

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Similarly, we say in the blessings of the Shema, ‘Who renews the work of creation every day’, and we are told that Hashem really does create the world -- and ourselves -- anew everyday. (See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 2:1). So each and every morning, when Hashem allows us to wake up, we must realize that even though we unfortunately might have made some mistakes yesterday, it is a brand new day, almost like a brand new world, we are a new person, and we also have a new opportunity at life. And today we are going to be better!

(Tal U’Matar)

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‘In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.’ (Bereishis 1:1)

This verse -- בּראשית בּרא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ -- contains seven words and twenty-eight letters. This is the exact same amount, in both words and letters, as the verse that introduces the Ten Commandments (Shemos 20:1), וידבּר אלקים את כּל הדברים האלה לאמר!

(Baal HaTurim zt”l)

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‘In the beginning G-d created -- בּראשית בּרא אלקים’ (Bereishis 1:1)

The last letters (if rearranged a bit) of these words spell אמת, truth.

The Torah starts off with Hashem’s signature, as it were: Truth. (See Gemara Shabbos 55a). But why does it do so in the last letters, rather than the first letters, of each word?

The Chofetz Chaim {HaRav Yisroel Meir HaKohen Kagan zt”l} explains: Hashem wanted to teach us a very important lesson. There are a lot of “events” that Hashem brings into our lives. Those that are pleasant we enjoy, but about those that are unpleasant we often complain. Of course, if we would know and believe that in truth even the “unpleasant” events are for the best, we would accept them happily. Usually, we only see the truth -- that everything that happens to us is for the good -- after some time has elapsed, with the duration depending on the case. Only then do we get to know retroactively how all was truly for our benefit. This is why Hashem taught this lesson especially through the last letters of the first words, right at the beginning of Creation.

(At Home With Torah)

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‘In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.’ (Bereishis 1:1)

In a play on the word בּראשית, the Midrash tells us that for the sake of the Torah, which is called ראשית, Hashem created the world.

Says the Chofetz Chaim zt”l: There are two aspects of an action; the act itself, and the purpose of it. And very often, the purpose is greater than the deed itself.

Now, if HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the King of all kings, does or makes something, certainly that thing must be very important and great! And “that thing” that He made is the Heavens and the earth -- the entire world. And if He, in His incredible exaltedness, tells us that He created this all for a certain purpose, and further, were it not for this purpose, He would not have created the world in the first place, like it says (Yirmiyahu 33:25), ‘If it were not for My Covenant day and night, the decrees of the Heavens and earth I would not have placed’, then it is self-evident that that purpose is so extremely great, beyond all understanding!

From here we see how very foolish it is for anyone to claim that for them or their children, it won’t be “worth it” to study Torah. The Torah is the purpose of the very world, in it is true goodness, and through it, one can acquire everlasting life and the extraordinary privilege of dwelling in delights up in Heaven near Hashem Himself forever! Would we want to exchange any time studying it for anything?

(Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah)

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‘And G-d said, “Let us make man”’ (Bereishis 1:26)

Chazal take note of the fact that HaKadosh Baruch Hu employs the plural when speaking of making man -- ‘let us’, and not ‘I will make’, and they make a beautiful drosha in explanation (see Rashi zt”l here).

But we see another tremendous lesson from the plural language employed: Hashem says to us -- I am not going to make you into a mentch on My own -- you have to help, as it were! You must put in the effort to become a proper person!

Similarly, we bless Hashem in our morning berachos ‘shelo asani goy’, ‘shelo asani avved’, (and by men) ‘shelo asani isha’; -- for having not made us a gentile, slave, or woman [as she has less Mitzvos upon her]. Couldn't we have just blessed Him for making us a Jew, for making us a free person, and for making us a man? But we must understand that even though it is an extremely incredible blessing from Hashem that He made us not a goy, we must make ourselves a true Yid by keeping His Torah and Mitzvos. And HaKadosh Baruch Hu made us not a slave -- amazing! But it is our choice whether we want to truly be a free person, as we are taught in Pirkei Avos ch. 6, the freest person out there is someone who is engaged in Torah study! Also He made us not a woman, and thus be obligated in more Mitzvos -- but again, it is for us to take the opportunity of having more Mitzvos and fulfill them properly.

(Tal U’Matar)1

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1 With regard to women, however, Hashem said ’I will make’ -- and the beracha is she’asani kir’tzono, that He made her according to His will -- not she’lo anything. From this we may see an allusion to the fact that Hashem creates women on a higher level naturally.

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‘And G-d created man in His Image’ (Bereishis 1:27)

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Says the Alter of Slabodka {HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l}: Adam HaRishon was formed by the “Hands” of G-d in His Image and endowed with great spiritual powers. After Adam sinned, the lofty attributes of man began to degenerate, and as generation after generation continued to sin, man continued to degrade himself spiritually and physically. Nevertheless, man is still born in the Image of G-d and with the ability to regain his former heights.

(Sparks of Mussar)

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As we begin the Torah anew, this is such an important message for us to take to heart: That if we really try to, we can yet again reach in some way the lofty spiritual levels walked by the Gedolim of old, and even of the Avos (forefathers)! Is it hard to do this? Well, improving isn’t always easy. . . But we can -- and must -- try, and put in a little extra effort. And you know what; if we really strive to serve Hashem better and to a higher level, He will surely help us. May He do so.

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‘And G-d said, “Behold I have given to you every type of herb that yields seed. . . and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit; to you it shall be for food’ (Bereishis 1:29)

Says HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l: It is with these words HaKadosh Baruch Hu introduced to Mankind, for the first time in history, the subject of eating food.

Now, there is something that seems to us out of place in this passuk: Why is Hashem mentioning that the vegetables and fruits have seeds in them? A few pesukim earlier when Hashem gave the command that the earth should produce these plants, ‘The earth should produce trees with seeds in it’ (Bereishis 1:11). So we understand that it was necessary to say it then; those words were the command of Creation.

But here when man is being given permission to eat, why was it necessary for Hashem to mention that there are seeds in the fruit? What do we need this information for? That an apple has seeds? That a cantaloupe and tomato is also filled with seeds? What’s important about that right now when I’m biting into the apple, or when I’m chewing on a piece of cantaloupe?

The answer is that in this passuk Hashem is not only giving Mankind permission to eat from His world, but He’s teaching Mankind how to eat from His world. You know, a cow doesn’t have to learn how to eat -- she just heads out to the pasture and eats. But what Hashem is telling us in this passuk is that He wants much more from us than He wants from cows.

And so when Hashem, for the first time, gives Mankind permission to eat from His world, He teaches us the primary purpose of eating. And what is that purpose? Not to gain weight, but to gain wisdom!

You have to realize that not only the pulp and the juice is beneficial to you, but your mind is going to gain a great benefit from looking at the seeds. Let’s say you’re eating a tomato. HaKadosh Baruch Hu wants you to eat not just a fruit; He wants you to eat a pri eitz zorei’a zera -- a fruit that produces seeds. He wants you to utilize the opportunity to notice the seeds in the tomato. There are seeds there and each one is a miracle of miracles. Every seed has instructions for how to create a tomato plant. There are billions of instructions in one seed! One apple seed is such a miracle it should be in a museum. A museum for just one apple seed! An apple seed has in it, on its DNA molecule, at least two billion bits of information encoded on the little helix -- you can’t see it, it’s microscopic -- that tells the little seed how to make a tree when it’s planted in the ground.

And not only are these billions of bits of information coded there, but the apparatus to carry it out is also in that little seed. You understand that in order to carry out these complicated instructions a lot of machinery is necessary; laboratories and factories. And yet all of that is contained in the tiny seed.

I’ll tell you a good idea. Let’s say you’re eating a tomato or an apple; spit out the seeds and put them in your pocket. Carry it around with you from time to time. I do it. I keep apple seeds in my pocket, and when I’m walking down the street I take them out sometimes to look at them. I marvel at them: “Ahh! Look at the miracle! This is why Hashem said those extra words in our passuk!”

(Toras Avigdor al HaParsha)

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‘And Hashem G-d commanded upon the man, saying: “From every tree of the Garden you may surely eat. And from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat from it. . .’ (Bereishis 2:16-17)

This narrative is well-known to so many. HaKadosh Baruch Hu created Adam and Chava, and they were living in Gan Eden. They were allowed to even eat from every single tree there, except for just one. And that one was the Eitz HaDaas Tov VaRaa (Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil). So many trees they were permitted to partake from -- but only one they were bidden not to. However, along came the Nachash (Serpent), and he tricked/talked Chava into eating from its fruit, and she also gave of it to Adam, and he, too, ate. From this sin, this direct disobeyal of Hashem’s Command, many curses and punishments came into the world, including death itself.

If we look a bit more closely at this famous account, it may not seem all too unfamiliar: Hashem has put us into this world, and bestowed us with many, many gifts. So many nice and pleasant things we have been granted; the precious, Torah and Mitzvos, which are sweeter than honey (see Tehillim 19:11), and also many physical things are permitted to us, such as eating and drinking, sleeping, etc.2 -- in the words of HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l (Toras Avigdor), “It’s a pleasure to put your head down on the pillow and drift off into a sweet sleep. A pleasure!” And furthermore, many things that you wouldn’t even think of perhaps, such as taking a deep breath of lovely fresh air. Your next breath of fresh air -- that is an incredible gift, and delight, as well! But, He has commanded us to stay away from certain things. Directly commanded us, as the Torah is directed at every single one of us. For our benefit, too!

What happens? Our personal Nachash -- the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) -- comes and tries to entice us to transgress Hashem’s Word. To go against our kind and benevolent Father.

The question that now lingers for all of us is, will we repeat the tragic mistake that was committed so long ago, which we have probably read about many times, or will we strengthen ourselves, with the aid of Hashem, and endeavor to overcome the “Nachash” within ourselves?

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2 All to be used and done properly and for the correct reasons, of course.

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‘And Hashem G-d said; “It is not good that man be alone; I will make for him a helper against him.”’ (Bereishis 2:18)

What is the language of a ‘helper against him’? It seems almost contradictory/paradoxical!

Perhaps we may explain this based upon the words of the Kozhnitzer Maggid {Rebbe Yisroel Haupstein zt”l} on Parshas Chukas (see Avodas Yisroel to Bamidbar 19:14 for his beautiful words!): A person -- man especially -- oftentimes grows up being somewhat self-centered. We usually worry about what exclusively we want, etc. But that has to change. And when a man gets married, they now have to take into consideration their wife’s wishes and thoughts, too. And therefore, she ends up being a helper against him -- meaning, against the man’s ego and self-centeredness. Indeed, a wife is really a helper against us!

(Tal U’Matar)

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‘And Hashem G-d caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his sides, and He closed the flesh in its place. And Hashem G-d built the side that He took from the man into a woman. . .’ (Bereishis 2:21-22)

HaRav Yosef Patzanovski zt”l explains a wonderful lesson from this: There are, Rachmana Litzlan, unfortunately often arguments and the like between husband and wife stemming from gaavah regarding their yichus (genealogy) and families, and who has the better ones of the two.

But Hashem actually provided a solution to this problem in creation: He made woman from man himself! This shows that each spouse must forget about how important or high-falutin their family or lineage is compared to the other one’s; they really are both from the same creation. And even though after the first creation, everybody does come from a different family, the Torah alludes to this principle in this regard as well: ‘Therefore, a man leaves his father and mother’ -- meaning, again, that a person must forget about the comparisons of yichus, and then truly a person will ‘cling to his wife’, and they will live together in peace and love.

(Pardes Yosef)

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|~Maaseh~| There is a story about the Baal HaTanya {the first Lubavitcher Rebbe -- Rebbe Shneur Zalman of Liadi zt”l} during the time when he was imprisoned in Russia: One day, an influential Russian minister who was well-versed in Scriptures came into his cell and asked if he could present a question on the Torah that had been bothering him for a while. The Torah relates that after sinning by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (see Bereishis 2:16-17, 3:1-21), Adam and Chava hid out of shame, and Hashem called out to Adam and said to him: ‘Ayekka -- Where are you?’ (Bereishis 3:9) “How could it be that Hashem, Who created the entire world and knows exactly what goes on everywhere, had to ask Adam where he was?” the minister asked. “Didn’t He know?”

Rav Shneur Zalman replied: “Before answering your question, please tell me if you believe with all your heart that the holy Torah is not a storybook or history book; each and every word in the Torah has an eternal message that is applicable to each person in every generation.”

“I believe,” said the minister, “that the Torah is eternal and applies to everyone at all times.”

The Baal HaTanya said: “Now you’ll be able to understand this verse. Hashem created each person with a purpose. Every person has a mission to fulfill, and as the years go by, Hashem calls to him and asks: ‘Ayekka -- where are you? What have you accomplished? What have you done to fulfill your mission?’” He continued: “You are so many years old, with so many months and so many days. G-d is asking you, ‘Ayekka -- where are you? What have you done with your life?’”

The minister was very moved by the tzaddik’s explanation, and even more so when he heard the tzaddik tell him his exact age to the day. The penetrating question of “Ayekka -- where are you?” shook him to the core. He promised the tzaddik to do everything possible to free him from prison.

(Nikolsburg.org)3

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3 See also Avnei Azel and Maadanei Asher vol. 1 to 3:9.

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Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!

Torah, Mussar, Chassidus, Stories, and More! - בּ"ה

Friday, October 25, 2019

Parshas Bereishis Messages 5780

Friday, October 25, 2019

Parshas Bereishis Messages 5780

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