Bnei Yisrael awaken creation's renewal

במדרש חכמות בנתה ביתה ימי בראשית כו' שלחה נערותי' תקרא כו'.

In the Midrash: "Wisdom has built her house" — the days of Bereishis (creation), etc.; "she has sent out her maidens, she calls," etc.

The Midrash applies the verses of "Chochmah built her house" to the work of creation, the seven days, and to the call that goes forth to mankind.

כי עיקר כח האדם לעורר שורש נשמתו החצובה מלמעלה מהטבע.

For the essential power of man is to awaken the root of his neshamah, which is hewn from above nature.

A person's deepest strength is to arouse the source of his soul, which is rooted in a place higher than the natural order.

וז"ש כי בנין העולם הוא בעמודי שבעה אבל קיום העולם תלוי בהתמשכות חיות מיום השמיני שהוא למעלה מכח הטבע שהטביע הקב"ה במעשה בראשית.

And this is the meaning: the building of the world is upon seven pillars, but the existence of the world depends on the drawing down of chiyus (life-force) from the eighth day, which is above the power of nature that the Holy One impressed within the work of creation.

Creation rests on seven (the natural week), but the world's continued existence depends on drawing life from the "eighth" — a dimension beyond the nature Hashem embedded in the six days.

לכן נברא האדם אח"כ שהוא צורה של כל הבריאה שהוא החומר.

Therefore man was created afterward, for he is the form (tzurah) of all creation, which is the matter (chomer).

Man was made last because he is the "form" that gives meaning to the rest of creation, which is mere "matter" awaiting his elevation of it.

אמנם וודאי מקודם צריכין לתקן הטבע ולהתקדש בהיותו עוסק בעניני עוה"ז הטבעי.

However, certainly one must first rectify nature and sanctify oneself while engaged in the natural affairs of this world.

Yet the path begins below: a person must first refine the natural world and sanctify himself even as he is occupied with ordinary, physical matters.

ועי"ז נמשך חומר הגוף לצורה שבו שהוא הנשמה.

And through this the matter of the body is drawn toward the form within it, which is the neshamah.

By sanctifying his physical involvement, a person draws the "matter" of his body upward toward its inner "form" — the soul.

וז"ש זה הדבר אשר צוה ה' תעשו הוא חיבור הנשמה הרוחניות בגוף הגשמיי וכמו כן יש בכלל הבריאה רוחניות וגשמיות ועי"ז וירא אליכם כבוד ה'.

And this is the meaning of "This is the thing that Hashem commanded, you shall do" — it is the joining of the spiritual neshamah within the physical body; and likewise in all of creation there is spirituality and physicality, and through this "the glory of Hashem shall appear to you."

The command "this you shall do" is to unite soul and body. Creation as a whole has the same structure of spirit and matter, and when the two are joined through avodah, the kavod of Hashem becomes revealed.

והוא בחי' ביום השמיני קרא שהוא כח מלמעלה מהטבע.

And this is the aspect of "on the eighth day He called," which is a power from above nature.

This revelation of glory corresponds to the "eighth day" — the supra-natural force drawn down once the natural realm has been refined.

ומקודם היו ימי מלואים וכ' בזוה"ק שהוא מענין מלא כל הארץ כבודו ע"ש.

And before that were the days of the milu'im (inauguration/filling), and it is written in the Zohar that it is from the matter of "the whole earth is full of His glory," see there.

The preceding seven days of milu'im share the root "to fill," connected, per the Zohar, to "the whole earth is full of His glory" — the filling of the world with the divine presence.

פי' התמלאות הכלים החיצונים בכח הפנימיות והוא תיקון המעשה.

The meaning: the filling of the outer vessels with the power of the penimiyus (inner dimension), which is the rectification of action.

The "filling" means saturating the outer, external vessels with their inner spiritual core — and this is the tikkun of action, refining deeds so they hold their inner light.

ואח"כ יכולין למשוך הארה עליונה כנ"ל.

And afterward one can draw down the supernal illumination, as above.

Only after the outer vessels have been filled with inner light can the higher, supra-natural illumination of the "eighth day" be drawn down.

וזה עצמו פי' החודש הזה לכם שניתן לבנ"י כח לעורר התחדשות דאיתא מחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית.

And this itself is the meaning of "This month is for you" — that Bnei Yisrael were given the power to awaken renewal (hischadshus), as it is brought: "He renews in His goodness each day, continually, the work of creation."

The first mitzvah, "this month is for you," granted Bnei Yisrael the power of renewal — to participate in the daily renewal of creation that we praise in "He renews in His goodness each day."

ואיתא בטובו זו התורה.

And it is brought that "in His goodness" refers to the Torah.

Chazal interpret "in His goodness" as the Torah, the instrument through which the world is renewed.

ובאמת הפי' בטובו הוא בנ"י כמו דאיתא בגמ' יבוא טוב ויקבל טוב מטוב לטובים.

And in truth the meaning of "in His goodness" is Bnei Yisrael, as it is brought in the Gemara: "let the good one come and receive the good from the Good One for the good ones."

On a deeper level "in His goodness" alludes to Bnei Yisrael, who are called "good" — as Chazal expound: Moshe ("good") receives the Torah ("good") from Hashem ("the Good One") for Yisrael ("the good ones").

וכל אלה נכללים בפי' בטובו.

And all of these are included in the meaning of "in His goodness."

The single word "in His goodness" thus encompasses Hashem's goodness, the Torah, and Bnei Yisrael all together.

פי' שהקב"ה מחדש ע"י בנ"י בכל יום מעשה בראשית.

The meaning: that the Holy One renews, through Bnei Yisrael, the work of creation each day.

It is through Bnei Yisrael that Hashem renews creation daily — their avodah is the channel for the world's renewal.

וז"ש החודש הזה לכם שביד בנ"י להביא התחדשות לעולם בכח התורה באמת דאין כל חדש תחת השמש וכדאיתא אני מעיר השחר ואין השחר מעיר אותי.

And this is "this month is for you" — that it is in the hands of Bnei Yisrael to bring renewal to the world through the power of the Torah, in truth, for "there is nothing new under the sun," and as it is brought: "I awaken the dawn, and the dawn does not awaken me."

True renewal does not come from within nature ("nothing new under the sun"); it must be drawn from above. Bnei Yisrael, through Torah, are the ones who awaken it — like David's "I awaken the dawn," rousing the light from a place higher than the natural cycle.

וי"ל לכם ראש חדשים כי וודאי מגיע מזה התחדשות לכל הברואים אבל הראשית והתחלה היא לכם:

And one may say "for you it is the first of months," because certainly this renewal reaches all creatures, but the beginning and the start of it is for you.

The renewal that Bnei Yisrael awaken flows out to all of creation, but its source and starting point belongs to them — "for you it is the head of the months."

Summary: The world is built on seven (nature) but sustained by the "eighth" — a life-force above nature. Man, created last as the "form" of creation, must first refine the natural world and sanctify his physical involvement, thereby joining body to soul and filling the outer vessels with their inner light; only then is the supernal illumination drawn down and the glory of Hashem revealed. The first mitzvah, "this month is for you," empowers Bnei Yisrael, through the Torah, to awaken the daily renewal of creation — a renewal that originates with them and flows out to all the world.