Bereishis תרל”ו e
תרל”ו
ב”ה משבת בראשית
במדרש ויכלו הגו סיגים מכסף ויצא לצורף כלי כו’.
The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 10:2) on the pasuk:
הָג֣וֹ סִיגִ֣ים מִכָּ֑סֶף וַיֵּצֵ֖א לַצֹּרֵ֣ף כֶּֽלִי׃
The dross having been separated from the silver, A vessel emerged for the smith. (Mishlei 25:4),
describes creation like two beautiful vessels that were in a bath. When it was filled with water the craftsmanship could not be seen, but when it was emptied the true beauty could be seen. So too as long as there was תוהו ובהו confusion, the creation of the world could not be seen.
דקשה מש”כ ויכל ביום הש’ הא כתיב כי בו שבת.
For there is a difficulty with the verse: “And He completed his work on the seventh day”, (how can it be that HaShem did ‘work’ on the seventh day) it says that (on the Shabbos day) “He rested”
ופירש”י ז”ל מה הי’ העולם חסר מנוחה כו’ ע”ש.
Rashi (Bereishis 2:2) answers that the world was (complete in its creation) but it was still lacking rest, therefore the actual completion of creation was when there was rest – Shabbos.
וביאור הענין כי באמת בשבת לא הי’ שום בריאה רק שביתה. ושביתה זו היא קיום כל הברואים
The (deeper) explanation is that there was no actual creation on Shabbos; it was (the opposite) the stopping of all work. And it is this stopping that gives existence to the entire creation.
דכ’ והחיות רצוא ושוב פי’ שכל מקבל צריך להיות בטל אל הנותן וכפי דביקות שיש לו להמשפיע כמו כן קבלתו מתקיימת
(to explain this idea we see by the angels it says in Yechezkel 1:15) “The creatures were dashing to and forth”. (The idea of going to and forth is a principle that is applicable to all growth process) that every being that receives, needs to also be nullified to the being that gives to it. In as much as it is able to properly connect to the giver, then, what it has received is more lasting (and it will subsequently be able to receive more).
ולכן בשבת שנתעלו כל הנבראים לשורשם שע”י המנוחה נתברר שיש עליהם אדון מושל שברצותו מרחיב וברצותו מקצר זה עצמו הוא גמר הבריאה ותיקונו
Therefore on Shabbos when everything becomes elevated (and connected) to its’ source, by ‘resting’ everything testifies to its’ master which (sustains it) and which through His will widens or narrows it, this (testimony) is the completion of creation and its tikun (*)
כמשל הטבעת שהי’ חסר חותם וכו’.
Just as the parable (Bereishis Rabba 10:9) of a ring that was missing the signet (so too before the Shabbos, the world was missing its ‘signet’. Shabbos is like the signet, the symbol of the world’s purpose).
והמד’ מבאר יותר כי יש בכל דבר פסולת. אך כפי התקרבות הנברא להבורא הוסר הפסולת כהמס דונג מפני האש.
The Midrash above further explains this idea. Everything has waste (dross), yet when each creation gets closer to its creator, then the waste falls away, just as wax melts from fire.
ולכן בכל יום נאמר ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר. ובש”ק שכל הבריאה מתקרבת לשורשו ע”ז נאמר הגו סיגים מכסף ע”י התשוקה לבטל ולהיכלל בחי החיים.
Therefore (the description of Shabbos is different to the days of the week, whereas) each day of the week it says there was night and day (the night referring to the confusion and afterwards the day the clarity [of HaShem]). Yet on Shabbos where the entire creation becomes elevated to (HaShem) its’ source (it only mentions the day).This is therefore the meaning of: “the dross having separated from silver”, for it is through the desire (כסף see above TLV 1), (to be a part of something greater), that it actually becomes a part of the living life force.
ונמצא בטולו של דבר זה קיומו כנ”ל.
Therefore it is actually the nullification (the stopping of labor on Shabbos, not the actual effort) that is what sustains it. as above.
וז”ש בזוה”ק פי’ בראשית ירא שבת.
This is the meaning of the Zohar (Tikunim 5b) that the word בראשית, spells ירא שבת fear Shabbos.
כי צריך להיות מוטל היראה על כל מעשה. מצד מה שסוף הכל התשובה לשורשו.
This is because the fear needs to be on every part of creation, because it’s end place is to return to its source. (The implanted fear is what guarantees its return)
ובחי’ שבת היא גמר כל המעשים היינו החזרת דבר לבעליו.
The idea of Shabbos therefore is the completion of everything, returning it to its master
וז”ש תכלית שמים וארץ על השבת
This is why Shabbos is the “Purpose of creation” (for it is what returns everything to its master)
וזה פי’ החותם שכל דבר הולך אחר החיתום שהוא תכלית הדבר ואחריתו והבן כל זה היטב:
This is the meaning of the signet חותם (connected to the word חיתום the seal or the end), because everything goes after the end, which is its true purpose, and its final place. And understand all these matters well.
ברש”י מ”ט פתח בבראשית כו’. והרמב”ן ז”ל הקשה כי יש בו צורך להאמונה.
Rashi explains why the Torah begins with Bereishis (is לתת להם נחלת גוים to give Bnei Yisrael the heritage of the nations of the world). However the Ramban queries Rashi’s reasoning, and asks that the reason why the Torah begins with Bereishis is to teach us an important lesson in emuna (That HaShem created everything, and He is the purpose of everything)?
אך לבאר הענין נראה כי בתורה יש כמה מדריגות שכל התורה שמותיו של הקב”ה. ובדרך זה מתפרשת למעלה.
To explain the idea, in the Torah there are many many levels and stages, for the entire Torah is made up of the names of HaShem. And (through the names) this is how the Torah is explained in the worlds above.
ולנו מתפרשת כפי הדינים והמשפטים אשר לפנינו בתורה.
And for us (in this world) the Torah is explained and known to us in the form of ‘mitzvos’ and laws that we have in the Torah.
גם כל הדברים שנעשו בעולם וכל הבריאה הכל מהתורה. כמש”כ ז”ל הביט בתורה וברא העולם.
Also everything that occurs in the world, and the creation of the world, is all from the Torah, as it says “He looked in the Torah and created the world”
וכי לא הי’ יכול ח”ו לברא הכל בלי אמצעות התורה. רק כ”ז הי’ בשביל ישראל שכל הבריאה יתמשך אחריהם.
(Why did HaShem need to look in the Torah before He created the world, surely) could He not have created the world without first looking in the Torah? Rather the reason for first looking in the Torah was for our sake, that the entire creation will be drawn after us (the ones who have the Torah)
ואיתא כי החזיר הקב”ה התורה לבני עשו וישמעאל וכו’ ובוודאי לא הי’ שייך למסור להם התורה כמו שניתנה לבנ”י. רק כנ”ל שהתורה אין לה סוף וכמו שיש עומק רום כן עומק תחת.
(To prove this idea that the Torah is applicable to this entire world, we can learn from the giving of the Torah *). It says that HaShem offered the Torah to the nations of the world first and they rejected it. Now surely the other nations of the world could not have received the Torah in the same form that it was given to Bnei Yisrael? Rather it is as above, that the Torah is infinite, and just as it is infinite above in holiness, so too it is infinite in its depth and applicable (albeit on a lower level) to the nations of the world.
וז”ש ה’ מסיני בא כו’ משעיר כו’ מהר פארן כו’ מרבבות קודש כו’ אש דת למו.
this is what is being referred to in the pasuk (Devarim 33:2) “HaShem came from Sinai, and shone from Seir, He appeared from Paran among a chariot of myriads, from His right hand a fiery law for them.”
שניתנה לישראל בכל המדרגות אשר בה וכמו שהיא אש דת כך ניתנה לישראל
(All of these places referring to HaShem offering the Torah to the nations of the world), The Torah was given as a fiery Torah (Just as a fire has any colours so too the Torah has many levels. Very high levels and very deep levels), so too it was given to Bnei Yisrael on all these levels.
ומצידנו לא היתה צריכה להתלבש בכל אלה המעשים רק כדי לתת להם נחלת גוים.
(This is therefore the answer that Rashi is telling us, the reason why the Torah started with Bereishis was to give an answer to the nations of the world because) for the sake of Bnei Yisrael all these levels were not necessary. the Torah did not need to be clothed in all these actions (for us), rather it was in order to “give them the inheritance of nations of the world.” (see Rashi Bereishis 1:1)
כמ”ש בזוה”ק אמור שנקראת עץ חיים. כמו אילן שיש בו פירות ועלין וקליפות ושרשים וגוף האילן. כך התורה. ולכל דבר יש אחיזה בתורה. זה בקליפה זה בעלה כו’. ובנ”י דבוקים בגוף האילן ע”ש.
As it says in the Zohar Emor (3:97a) the Torah is called a tree of life. Just as a tree has fruits, leaves, shells, roots and the trunk, so too the Torah (has many parts), and everything has its connection to the Torah, some things are attached to the shells (the low part of the tree that is discarded), of the leaves etc. Now Bnei Yisrael are attached to the actual trunk of the tree
ואע”פ שעתה גם לפשוטי בנ”י אינה מתפרשת רק בהתלבשות. כ”ז נעשה כדי שיוכלו בנ”י לקרב כל הברואים והמעשים להקב”ה ע”י התורה.
And even though nowadays, to the simple Jews they only can connect only to the (external) clothing (of the Torah), nevertheless (they are still attached to the trunk of the tree, and the reason why it seems they are only attached to the other layers) is so that they can draw all of creation and all actions to HaShem through the Torah.
לכן זה באמת קצת נחות דרגא לבנ”י. אבל הוא ירידה שצורך עלי’.
This is actually a level down for Bnei Yisrael (why do we need to go through this lowness for the sake of the Nations of the world?) However it is a level down for the sake of getting to new heights
כי עומק רום תלוי בעומק תחת כמש”כ במקום אחר. וכמו שגוף התורה נמשכת מראש עד סוף. כמו כן בנ”י צריכין לירד עד תהום ולעלות עד איגרא רמא.
For the highest levels are dependent on the lowest levels, as explained elsewhere (Yisro TRLH). Just as in the body the lowest places are connected all the way to the highest part, similarly Bnei Yisrael needs to go down to the lowest places in order to get to the highest level.
(Just as in Mitzrayim, we went from the 49th level of impurity to the 49th level of holiness. And conversely just as a stone that fall from the top of the wall sinks deeper than a stone from the middle of the wall)
ובדרך זה נתיישב קושית הרמב”ן כי וודאי עתה נצרך אמונה. אבל עצם בנ”י לא הי’ צריכין לאמונה. כי הם דבקים בגוף התורה שהוא בחי’ אמת רק עתה צריכין לבוא לאמת ע”י האמונה.
With this we can now answer the question of the Ramban (above, we need to start with Bereshis to teach us emuna?) Yes it is true that we need to begin with emuna, however that is only nowadays (that the Torah is applicable also to the nations of the world), however the actual essence of Bnei Yisrael (which is attached to the trunk of the tree) does not need to begin with emuna, for they are a part of the actual body of the Torah the actual truth (clarity where emuna is redundant). It is only now (once we understand that the Torah is applicable to the nations of the world too) then we can only get to the stage of truth via emuna
וכ”ז כדי לתת להם נחלת גוים כנ”ל והדברים ברורים למבין:
All this is necessary in order to give the Jews the inheritance of the nations of the world. as above. the words are clear for one that understands.
Yesod: The Torah contains not only mitzos but also the secrets of creation from our lowest world to the very highest worlds. HaShem could have given us the Torah in its pure form of just the Mitzvos, however the entire Torah was given to us.
As Rashi explains: The Torah begins with Bereishis to give Bnei Yisrael the inheritance of the nation of the world. This means that even the things that are seemingly below us are also given to us, so that we can elevate every single part of creation.
