Da'as and the renewal of creation

איתא כל מעשה בראשית לדעתן נבראו כו'.

It is brought down that all the works of creation were brought into being in their full-grown state, with their consent (literally, "according to their da'as").

Chazal teach that everything in creation came into existence with an inner awareness and readiness. The Sefas Emes reads this to mean that creation is bound up with da'as (knowing awareness) — the world depends on the consciousness that receives it.

לכן כפי הכנת האדם ובחירת רצונו בימים אלו כך ניתן לו התחדשות החיות שבכל ר"ה מתחדש מעשה בראשית.

Therefore, according to a person's preparation and the choice of his will in these days, so is he given the renewal of life-force; for every Rosh Hashanah the work of creation is renewed.

On Rosh Hashanah the entire creation is renewed, and each person draws down chiyus (life-force) precisely in the measure that he has prepared himself and directed his ratzon. Our free choice determines how much fresh vitality we receive.

ובכלל עיקר הדעת בעולם הם בנ"י אדם אתם קרוין אדם כו'.

And in general, the essence of da'as in the world is Bnei Yisrael — "You are called 'Adam'…" (Yevamos 61a).

The locus of true da'as in the world is Bnei Yisrael, who alone are called "Adam" — the human being in the full sense. They carry the awareness through which creation is sustained.

שאדם הוא בר דעת ולכן אמרו בשביל ישראל שנקראו ראשית.

For "Adam" is one who possesses da'as, and therefore Chazal said the world was created "for the sake of Yisrael, who are called reishis (the beginning)."

To be "Adam" is to be a bar da'as, a being of awareness. This is why creation is "for the sake of Yisrael" — they are called reishis, the first and foundational point.

ויש להבין שתלה הכתוב בזה ולא פי' בשביל ישראל.

One must understand: the verse (as Chazal expound it) makes it depend specifically on this — that they are called reishis — and did not simply state "for the sake of Yisrael."

The Sefas Emes asks: why does Chazal tie the reason for creation to the title reishis rather than just saying "for Yisrael"? The wording must be teaching something essential.

רק הוא הטעם שלכך נברא העולם בשביל ישראל הואיל ונקראו ראשית היינו שמתקשרים בשורש האחדות והראשית.

Rather, this itself is the reason that the world was created for the sake of Yisrael — because they are called reishis, meaning that they bind themselves to the root of oneness and of the beginning.

Bnei Yisrael are the purpose of creation precisely because they connect to the shoresh — the root of Achdus Hashem and the very first point from which everything flows. Their avodah is to attach all of existence back to that source.

וזהו העיקר השכל וידוע אותי.

And this is the essence of "to be wise and to know Me" (Yirmiyahu 9:23).

True wisdom, the goal of da'as, is to know Hashem — to recognize the One Source within all of creation. That recognition is the inner work of reishis.

ומזה עצמו נעשה ממילא המשפט שבאי עולם עוברין לפניו כבני מרון כדי לתת לכל אחד חיות כפי דעתו ומצבו:

And from this itself the judgment comes about of its own accord — that all who come into the world pass before Him like sheep (bnei maron), in order to give each one life-force according to his da'as and his condition.

The Rosh Hashanah mishpat (judgment) is not arbitrary; it flows naturally from this principle. Each person passes before Hashem so that he may be apportioned chiyus exactly in line with the awareness he has cultivated and the spiritual state he stands in.

Summary: Rosh Hashanah renews the entire creation, and each person receives fresh life-force according to his da'as and his preparation. Bnei Yisrael are the purpose of creation as reishis because they bind all of existence to its root in Hashem's oneness — and from this very principle the judgment naturally unfolds, allotting to each soul its vitality.