‫אשית‬
ִׁ ‫ְּב ֵר‬
‫אשית‬
ִׁ ‫ְּב ֵר‬
The Beginning had a Plan
Torah is the Plan of Creation
Ceaser
Sources
•
•
•
•
Chumash
Talmud
Zohar
Genesis Rabba
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rav Shimon bar Yochai author of the
Zohar
Rabbi Baruch Shalom Halevi Ashlag, and Rabbi
Michael Burg Translation of the Zohar to
English
Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
Rashi
Arizal
Rav Ovadia Soforno
Ibn Ezra
Nachmanides
2
Our sages tell us that you have to dig in the
Torah and you will find truth. As an example,
the final letters of the first three words of the
Torah are the mixed up letters of the word Emet
(True). Dig a little deeper, and the truth will be
clearer: The final letters of the second through
fourth words spells Emet in order.
(1:1-2:3) The world is created in six days. The first
Shabbat.
Overview
(2:4-25) The creation and, in particular, the creation of
humanity. Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of
Eden “to till it and to tend it.”
(3:1-7) The snake tempts the woman to eat of the
forbidden fruit. She persuades the man also to eat it.
They become aware of their nakedness, and they make
clothing for themselves from fig leaves.
(3:8-24) God’s first question of human beings: “Where
are you?” God punishes the snake by making it crawl on
its belly, and by the enmity of human beings; the woman
by the pains of childbirth; the man by alienation from
the earth. Expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
(4:1-15) Cain’s murder of Abel and God’s response.
(4:17-26) The descendants of Cain. The taunting song of
Lamech. The birth of Seth, and his son Enosh.
(5:1-6:8) The ten generations from Adam to Noah
The Torah begins with the narrative of creation, how G-d brought the
world into being from absolute nothingness. That is an awesome
lesson.
Whenever an entity is made - brought into being although it did not
exist before - a question is immediately raised: Why was it made?
Even a mortal acts with purpose, doing things with a goal in mind.
Surely, this applies with regard to G-d. He brought our world into
existence, because He had a goal and a purpose.
What was that purpose? On the verse, "And the spirit of G-d was
hovering over the waters," our Sages comment: "This refers to the
spirit of Mashiach." And in other sources, they state: "The world was
created solely for Mashiach."
To explain: Our Sages tell us G-d created the world because He wanted
a dwelling, a home. A person lets loose and functions without
inhibitions in his own home. So too, G-d wanted a place where He
could reveal Himself without constraints, where who He is can come
into expression.
3
That's why He created our world. (Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson)
‫אשית‬
ִׁ ‫ְּב ֵר‬
• ,‫ֹלהים‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ בָּ ָּרא א‬,‫אשית‬
ִׁ ‫ְּב ֵר‬
‫ וְּאֵ ת הָּ אָּ ֶרץ‬,‫• אֵ ת הַ ָּש ַמיִׁם‬
•It is forbidden to inquire what
existed before creation, as Moses
distinctly tells us (Deut. iv. 32):
"Ask now of the days that are
past which were before thee,
since the day God created man
upon earth." Thus the scope of
inquiry is limited to the time
since the Creation. (Midrash Rabba
Beresheet)
"In the beginning" refers to the beginning
of time --the first, indivisible moment,
before which time did not exist.
(Soforno)
In the beginning God
created the heaven
and the earth.
HaShem Creates
1.
The Spiritual World Heaven
2.
The Material World Earth
G-d looked into the Torah and created the world.
Man looks into Torah and sustains the world. (Zohar
Beresheet A)
The Hebrew verb bara ("created") employed by this
verse specifically means the creation of something
from nothing. (Ibn Ezra)
4
‫ וְּאֵ ת הָּ אָּ ֶרץ‬,‫ אֵ ת הַ ָּש ַמיִׁם‬,‫ֹלהים‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ בָּ ָּרא א‬,‫אשית‬
ִׁ ‫ְּב ֵר‬
• The unity of God is at once
set before us in the history
of creation, where we are
told He, not they, created.
•
•
•
(Midrash Rabba Beresheet)
•
•
What was Created first?
•
•
Talmud - Mas. Tamid 32a
The heavens were created first, as it
says. In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth. He said to them:
Was light created first, or darkness?
They replied: This question cannot be
solved. Why did they not reply that
darkness was created first, since it is
written, Now the earth was unformed
and void and darkness, and after that,
And God said, Let there be light, and
there was light?
•
•
•
•
Talmud - Mas. Chagigah 12a
Our Rabbis taught: Beth Shammai say: Heaven was
created first and afterwards the earth was created, for it is
said: In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth.
Beth Hillel say: Earth was created first and afterwards
heaven, for it is said: In the day that the Lord God made
earth and heaven.
Beth Hillel said to Beth Shammai: According to your
view, a man builds the upper storey [first] and afterwards
builds the house! For it is said: It is he that buildeth His
upper chambers in the heaven, and hath founded His
vault upon the earth.
Said Beth Shammai to Beth Hillel: According to your
view, a man makes the footstool [first], and afterwards
he makes the throne! For it is said: Thus saith the Lord,
The Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
But the Sages say: Both were created at the same
time. (63) For it is said: Yea, Mine hand hath laid the
foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath
spread out the heavens:
When I call unto them they stand up together. And
the others? What is the meaning of ‘together’? — [It
means] that they cannot be loosened from one
another
(63) C. Taylor in ‘Sayings of the Jewish Fathers’, p.
107. n. 40, points out that ‘the three views’ (of the
Schools of Shammai and Hillel, and of the Sages) may
be taken as texts for three philosophies, viz., idealism,
evolutionism and dualism (quoted by Streane).
5
‫א‬
‫ וְּאֵ ת‬,‫ אֵ ת ַה ָּש ַמיִׁם‬,‫ֹלהים‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ בָּ ָּרא א‬,‫אשית‬
ִׁ ‫ְּב ֵר‬
‫ָּהאָּ ֶרץ‬
•
•
•
1. With the beginning of the manifestation of the
King's will, THAT IS, WHEN THE KING DESIRED
TO CREATE THE WORLD, a hard spark made an
engraving upon the supernal light. THIS HARD
SPARK, WHICH emanated from the most concealed
of all concealed things--from the secret of ein-sof
(endlessness)-and took a shapeless form. THE
SPARK was then inserted into THE CENTER OF
a circle that was neither white nor black nor red nor
green, nor any color at all. When He began its
measurements, He created bright colors that shone
into THE EMPTY SPACE AND THE ENGRAVING.
From within the spark - THIS HARD SPARK - a
fountain spouted, from which the shades down below
received their colors.
2. From the most concealed of all concealed things,
the secret of ein-sof (endlessness), EMANATED
TWO FACES: ONE cleaved and THE OTHER
DID not cleave. Its atmosphere was unknown until
forceful blows split ATIK, and a concealed supernal
point shone. Beyond this point, nothing is knowable
and, because of this, He is called by the name
Beginning, WHICH MEANS the First of the
Sayings. (Zohar Beresheet A)
•
1 In the beginning God created the heaven
and the earth.
•
•
Zohar Beresheet A
The Zohar discusses the primordial phase that ignited
the process of creation. This phase produced a
vacated space, a void into which our physical
universe would eventually be born. By this act of
creation, the infinite gave birth to the finite. Just as a
seed contains all the stages that will produce a full
grown tree, including the final fruit, the seed of our
cosmos contains all the souls of mankind, including
our complete and final fulfillment. Recognizing this
motivates us to complete our own spiritual work. It
accelerates our spiritual transformation by revealing
our connection with the seed, which is the cause of
all causes. (Rav Ashlag 1936-1978 Translation of the
Zohar and Commentary with Rabbi Michael Burg) 6
Plans
•
The Torah was to God, when he created
the world, what the plan is to an architect
when he erects a building. (THE BERESHITH
OR GENESIS RABBA)
•
•
The Shaloh explains that the two luminaries within
Torah refer to the Written Torah (the sun) and the
Oral Torah (the moon). The Oral Torah is called
"the moon" because it obtains its illumination
from the Written Torah, just as the moon obtains
its luminosity from the sun. Thus the Talmud
often employs the expression "From whence do
we know? For the verse states...." In other words,
the Oral Torah is based on the Written Torah.
(Likkutei Sichos, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
The first word of the Torah is Bereishis, usually
translated as "In the Beginning." The word better
translates as "Two firsts", (Beis = two, reishis =
first). We learn that the world was created by
HaShem for two firsts, the Torah and Am Yisrael.
(Likkutei Sichos, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
•
•
Talmud - Mas. Chagigah 12a
Rab Judah further said that Rab said: Ten
things were created the first day, and they are
as follows: heaven and earth, Tohu [chaos],
Bohu [desolation],light and darkness, wind
and water, the measure of day and the
measure of night.
•
R. Zulra b. Tobiah said that Rab said: by ten
things was the world created: By wisdom
and by understanding, and by reason, and
by strength, and by rebuke, and by might,
by righteousness and by judgment, by
lovingkindness and by compassion. By
wisdom and understanding,
7
‫ ְּפנֵי ַה ָּמיִׁם‬-‫ ְּמ ַר ֶחפֶ ת עַ ל‬,‫ֹלהים‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ְּרּוח א‬
ַ ‫ ְּפנֵי ְּתהֹום; ו‬-‫ עַ ל‬,‫ וְּחֹ ֶשְך‬,‫ ָּה ְּי ָּתה תֹהּו ָּובֹהּו‬,‫ְּהאָּ ֶרץ‬
ָּ ‫ו‬.
2 Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the
face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the
waters.
2. Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face
of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
water. (Chabad Interpretation)
Talmud - Mas. Chagigah 12b
"And the earth was without form and void." There seems
to be some reason for the earth's despondency, as
though she was aware of her lot beforehand. (Midrash
Rabba)
2. astonishingly empty. Heb. ‫תֹ הּו וָבֹ הּו‬. ‫ תֹ הּו‬is an expression
of astonishment and desolation, that a person wonders
and is astonished at the emptiness therein. astordison in
Old French; [tourdissement in modern French],
astonishment. ‫ בֹ הּו‬an expression of emptiness and
desolation. (Rashi)
‘And the earth was unformed and void’. Consider:
[Scripture] began at first with heaven, why then does it
proceed to relate [first] the work of the earth? — The
School of R. Ishmael taught: It is like a human king who
said to his servants: Come early to my door. He rose
early and found women and men. Whom does he praise?
The ones who are not accustomed to rise early but yet
did rise early.
Talmud - Mas. Shabbath 77b
Rab Judah said in Rab's name: Of all that the Holy One,
blessed be He, created in His world, He did not create a
single thing without purpose.
8
;‫ ְּפנֵי ְּתהֹום‬-‫ עַ ל‬,‫ וְּחֹ ֶשְך‬,‫ְּתה תֹהּו ָּובֹהּו‬
ָּ ‫ ָּהי‬,‫ב ו ְָּּהאָּ ֶרץ‬
‫ ְּפנֵי ַה ָּמיִׁם‬-‫ ְּמ ַרחֶ פֶ ת עַ ל‬,‫ֹלהים‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ְּרּוח א‬
ַ ‫ו‬.
2 Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the
face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the
waters.
•
•
•
4. "And the earth was without form"
The Creation process, the Zohar
explains, began in a state of utter
chaos. Out of this chaos emerged the
concept of order. The Zohar reveals
the process by which order emerges
form chaos. The more furious and
frenzied the initial chaos, the greater
the order and the perfection that will
eventually emerge.
We can attain the ability to remove
chaos from our lives. We can begin to
grasp the hidden spiritual truth that
chaos is really opportunity for
bringing order and fulfillment. (Rav
Ashlag 1936-1978 Translation of the Zohar and
Commentary with Rabbi Michael Burg)
17. "And the earth was without form and void..." (Beresheet 1:2) THE
TERM "was" is exact IN THAT IT IMPLIES the earth's previous state,
during which snow was mixed inside water. The act of the snow forming
inside the water resulted in a foul substance. And AFTERWARD, a
mighty fire beat upon it and refuse was formed inside it. It then
conceived and became without form. The place where at first there was
only filth, has become now a nest of refuse that is described as Tohu
(without form). IT WENT THROUGH FOUR STAGES UNTIL IT
BECAME TOHU: (1) LIGHT TURNED INTO WATER; (2) WATER
TURNED INTO SNOW; (3) SNOW TURNED INTO REFUSE WITH
THE INFLICTION OF THE FIRE; AND (4) THE REFUSE, OVER
TIME, BECAME SUFFICIENTLY DISTINGUISHABLE TO BE
CALLED TOHU. THE WORDS "and void" REFER TO the refined
matter that emerged from the refuse and was set there. Darkness is the
secret of the powerful fire and this darkness hovers above the Tohu,
over that refuse, and is based upon it. IN OTHER WORDS,
DARKNESS DOES NOT MEAN ONLY THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT-THAT IS, EMPTINESS-- BUT RATHER THE ASPECT THAT
PRODUCES EMPTINESS, LIKE A STRONG FIRE THAT BURNS
AND CONSUMES EVERYTHING IT TOUCHES AND LEAVES
EMPTINESS IN ITS PLACE. THE REASON
WHY IT IS CALLED DARKNESS AND NOT FIRE IS THAT THE
BURNING FORCE IS NOT FROM THE FIRE ITSELF, BUT FROM
THE REFUSE OVER WHICH IT HOVERS. THEREFORE, THIS
9
DARKNESS IS BASED UPON THE TOHU, FROM WHICH IT
RECEIVES. (Zohar Beresheet A)
Day One
Light and Darkness
-‫ י ְִּׁהי אֹור; ַוי ְִּׁהי‬,‫ֹלהים‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ֹאמר א‬
ֶ ‫ג וַי‬
. ‫אֹור‬
;‫טֹוב‬-‫ כִׁ י‬,‫ ָּהאֹור‬-‫ֹלהים אֶ ת‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ד ַוי ְַּרא א‬
‫ בֵ ין ָּהאֹור ּובֵ ין‬,‫ֹלהים‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ַוי ְַּב ֵדל א‬
.‫ַהחֹ ֶשְך‬
‫ וְּלַ חֹ ֶשְך‬,‫ֹלהים לָּ אֹור יֹום‬
ִׁ ֱ‫ה וַיִׁ ְּק ָּרא א‬
,‫ב ֶֹקר‬-‫עֶ ֶרב ַוי ְִּׁהי‬-‫ָּק ָּרא לָּ יְּלָּ ה; ַוי ְִּׁהי‬
.‫יֹום אֶ ָּחד‬
For The Sake Of His Light
It is written, “All the works of God are
for His sake” (Mishlei 16:4), for all that
has been created is for His own glory.
However, this does not mean for His
own end or good, God forbid, but
rather the deeper explanation is in
order to reveal His light and Glory to
those who are worthy. [Arizal]
3 And God said: 'Let there be light.'
And there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was
good; and God divided the light from
the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and
the darkness He called Night. And
there was evening and there was
morning, one day.
10
•
Zohar
31. "Let there be (Heb. Yehi) light," means
that everything that comes forth AND
EMANATES IN THE WORLD proceeds
according to the secret OF THE WORDS:
"LET THERE BE LIGHT." Yehi
ALLUDES TO the secret of Aba and Ima,
which are Yud-Hei OF YEHI (YUDHEIYUD). THE LETTER YUD
ALLUDES TO ABA AND THE HEI TO
IMA. Afterward, THE LETTERS YUDHEI return to the first point BY ADDING
ANOTHER POINT, NAMELY YUD,
JUST LIKE THE FIRST ONE--AS IT IS
WRITTEN: YEHI (YUD-HEI-YUD)--to
institute a beginning for an expansion of
something else. (Zohar Beresheet)
Light is mentioned five times in the opening chapter of
the Bible. This points to the five books of Moses. "God
said, let there be light," refers to the book of Genesis,
which enlightens us as to how creation was carried out.
The words, "And there was light," bear reference to the
book of Exodus, which contains the history of the
transition of Israel from darkness to light. "And God saw
the light that it was good": this alludes to the book of
Leviticus, which contains numerous statutes. "And God
divided between the light and between the darkness": this
refers to the book of Numbers, divided as that book is
between the history of those who came out of Egypt and
that of those who were on their way to possess the
promised land. "And God called the light day": this bears
reference to the book of Deuteronomy, which is not only a
rehearsal of the four earlier books, but contains Moses's
eloquent dying charge to Israel and many laws not
mentioned in the preceding books. (Midrash Rabba
Beresheet)
11
3 Columns
Light of HaShem
•
37. "And Elohim called..." (Beresheet 1:5). HE
ASKED: What is THE MEANING OF "AND
ELOHIM called THE LIGHT DAY"? HE
REPLIED, THIS MEANS THAT He called and
invited it to bring forth from within that perfect
light that stands in the middle, REFERRING TO
TIFERET, one light. AND THIS LIGHT is the
foundation of the world, upon which all worlds
are erected AND FROM WHERE ALL THE
SOULS ARE BORN. From this perfected "light"
emerges the Central Column, the foundation of
the life of the worlds, this being the day from the
right side. THE WORDS: "And the darkness he
called Night" MEAN THAT He called and invited
it, bringing forth one female from within the left
side, the secret of darkness. THIS FEMININE
PRINCIPLE IS THE SECRET OF the moon that
governs the night. FOR THIS REASON, it is
called night. AND THIS IS the secret of THE
NAME 'Adonai' and THE 'NAME Master of all
Earth.‘ (Zohar Beresheet A)
•
Light the Male Principal
Giving Principal
•
Darkness The Female Principal
Receiving Principal
The Central Column of Souls and of
Free Will
Three distinct spiritual energy forces permeate all existence. Using
the language of metaphor, the Zohar identities these three forces as
Right, Left and Central Columns. Right correlates to the positive [+]
force, which manifests physically as the proton. Left signifies the
negative charge [-], manifesting as the electron. Central is expressed
through the neutron, the force that bridges the positive and negative
poles. (Rav Ashlag 1936-1978 Translation of the Zohar and Commentary
with Rabbi Michael Burg)
12
Light of Torah
•
•
•
•
181. ….. It was right to create him thus WITH LIGHT AND DARKNESS, because the
Torah was created for the sake OF MAN, for it contains punishments for the sinful and
rewards for righteous. Thus, there can be no reward for the righteous or punishment
for the sinful without the man of Briyah,
WHO CONSISTS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS. IT IS WRITTEN: "He did not create
it a wasteland (lit. 'formless'), he created it to be inhabited" (Yeshayah 45:18). THE
WORLD WAS NOT CREATED TO BE FORMLESS, TO BE IN DARKNESS
BECAUSE OF THE SINFUL, BUT "TO BE INHABITED", WHICH MEANS FOR
THE SAKE OF REWARDING THE RIGHTEOUS.
THIS REWARD IS THE CONCEPTION OF THE TORAH, AS IT IS WRITTEN:
"FOR THE EARTH SHALL BE FULL OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF HASHEM"
(YESHAYAH 11:9), FOR THE TORAH AND THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE,
ARE ONE AND THE SAME. HAD MAN NOT BEEN CREATED BY LIGHT AND
DARKNESS, WHICH ENABLE HIM TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
AND REWARD AND PUNISHMENT, THEN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO
WAY TO REVEAL THIS REWARD FOR THE RIGHTEOUS. THIS REWARD
REFERS TO WHAT IS ATTAINED FROM THE TORAH THAT WAS CREATED
FOR HIS SAKE.
THE FRIENDS said, Indeed, we have certainly now heard what we had never heard
before. It is now clear that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not create anything that He
did not require. (Zohar Beresheet A)
13
Serving
•
The above dialogue between the "nations of the world" and the "people of Israel" also takes place in the
"miniature universe" within the heart of man.
•
The Jew serves G-d in two ways: 1) by fulfilling the Divine commandments (mitzvot) of the Torah; 2) by living
his or her ordinary life--eating, sleeping, doing business, etc.--as an exercise in experiencing the Divine and
serving G-d's purpose in creation (as expressed by the ideals "All your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven"
(Ethics of the Fathers 2:12) and "Know Him in all your ways" (Proverbs 3:6)).
•
It is regarding the second area that the Jew's internal "nations of the world" (--worldly outlook) argues: You
are thieves, for having conquered the lands of the seven nations! What business have you commandeering the
"secular" areas of life? Must you turn everything into a religious issue? Serve G-d in the ways He has explicitly
told us to serve Him, and leave the rest to their rightful, worldly owners!
•
To answer this argument, the Torah begins not with its first mitzvah, but with the statement, "In the beginning
G-d created the heavens and the earth." "The entire world is G-ds, He created it"--the Torah is saying--not just
the matzah eaten on Passover or the percentage of the ones income given to charity.
•
With its opening statement, the Torah is establishing that it is not merely a rulebook, a list of things to do or not
to do. It is G-ds blueprint for creation, our guide for realizing the purpose for which everything in heaven and
earth was made. Every creature, object and element, every force, phenomenon and potential, every moment of
time, was created by G-d toward a purpose. Our mission in life is to conquer the lands of the seven nations and
transform them into a Holy Land--a world permeated with the goodness and perfection of its Creator. (Rabbi
Menachem M. Schneerson)
14
Duality
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Plan of Creation Written and
Oral Torah
Material And Spiritual Worlds
(Heaven and Earth)
By Wisdom and by
Understanding,
By Reason, and by Strength,
By Rebuke, and by Might,
By Righteousness and by
Judgment,
By Lovingkindness and by
Compassion.
Punishments for the Sinful and
Rewards for Righteous
TWO FACES: ONE cleaved and
THE OTHER DID not cleave.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
HaShem’s Temple in Heaven and
His Temple in Jerusalem
Two Columns
Two Arks
Two Cherubim
Two Sets of Two Tablets
Teffillin Head and Arm
Two Goats on Yom Kippur
Two Temples before the
Mashiach
One Temple after Two Mashiachs
One God to Create Two People
Two People to Create one World
The Lists are Endless
15
Creation
The first day of creation, which saw the creation of light, corresponds to the first millennium
of history--the millennium of Adam, the light of the world, when the world was still saturated
with knowledge of its Creator and was sustained by the indiscriminate benevolence of G-d.
The second day, on which the Creator distinguished between the spiritual and the physical
elements of His creation, yielded a second millennium of judgment and discrimination--as
reflected in the Flood which wiped out a corrupt humanity and spared only the righteous
Noah and his family. The third day, on which the land emerged from the sea and sprouted
forth greenery and fruit-bearing trees, encapsulates the third millennium, in which Abraham
began teaching the truth of the One G-d and the Torah was given on Mount Sinai. The fourth
day, on which G-d created the sun and the moon, the two great luminaries: the greater
luminary... and the lesser luminary, corresponds to the fourth millennium, during which the
First Temple and the Second Temple in Jerusalem served as the Divine abode from which light
emanated to the entire world. The fifth day, the day of fish, birds and reptiles, represents the
lawless and predatory Dark Ages of the fifth millennium. The sixth day, whose early hours saw
the creation of the beasts of the land, followed by the creation of man, is our millennium--a
millennium marked by strong, forceful empires, whose beastly rule will be followed by the
emergence of Moshiach, the perfect man who brings to realization the divine purpose in
creation and ushers in the seventh millennium--the World to Come--a time of perfect peace
and tranquility.
(Nachmanides)
All of what we are, we see, we did and will do, is the Work of HaShem that which we
celebrate fifty-two Times a Year on Shabbat.
“May it be Your Will, HaShem, the the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days and
grant us our share in Your Torah….”
Shabbat Shalom
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