ספר בראשית - פרשת בראשית - א:א-ב:ג - ראשון

In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and the earth. This verse introduces the creation of th^[57]e world, telling us that Hashem created everything: the heavens and the earth.

Rabbi Yitzchok said: It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem—"This month is to you"—which is the first mitzvah that the Jewish people were commanded. The main purpose of the Torah is its commandments. Even though there are some mitzvos in Bereishis, like bris milah and the prohibition of eating the gid hanasheh, those could have been included with the other mitzvos. So why does the Torah begin with Bereishis? Because of the verse, "The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations" (Tehillim 111:6). If the nations of the world say to Israel, "You are robbers, for you conquered the lands of the seven nations of Canaan by force," Israel can reply: The entire earth belongs to Hashem. He created it, and He gave it to whomever He deemed proper. When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it from them and gave it to us. This is what we learn from the story of creation.

Bereishis Bara—this verse is not a commandment but a lesson. The verse calls for a Midrashic interpretation, as our Rabbis taught: God created the world for the sake of the Torah, which is called Reishis Darko (the beginning of His way), and for the sake of Israel, who are called Reishis Tevuaso (the first of His grain). If you want to explain it according to its simple meaning, explain it as: At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, the earth was astonishingly empty and dark, and God said, "Let there be light." But the verse did not come to teach the sequence of creation, to say that these things came first. If it wanted to teach us the order, it should have written, "At first, God created..." There is no word Reishis in Tanach that is not connected to the following word, like "the beginning of the reign of Yehoyakim" or "the beginning of your grain." Here too, you say, "In the beginning of the creation..." Similar to "At the beginning of Hashem's speaking to Hoshea." If you say it came to teach the order, then you should wonder, because the water preceded, as it is written, "the spirit of God hovered over the face of the water," and the verse did not yet tell us when the water was created. From this you learn that the water preceded the earth. Also, the heavens were created from fire and water. So you must admit that the verse did not teach us anything about the sequence of what came first or later. It says Bara Elokim and not "Bara Hashem," because at first it was Hashem's intention to create the world with the attribute of strict judgment (din), but He saw that the world could not exist that way, so He preceded the attribute of mercy and combined it with the attribute of judgment. This is what is written later: "On the day that Hashem Elokim made the earth and the heavens."

Now the world 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. This verse describes the state of the world before creation really began: it was empty, chaotic, and dark, with God's spirit hovering over the waters.

Tohu is an expression of astonishment and desolation, that a person wonders and is astonished at the emptiness in it. Bohu is a language of emptiness and desolation. Al p'nei tehom means on the face of the waters that were on the earth. V'ruach Elokim merachefes—the throne of glory was suspended in the air and hovered over the face of the water with the breath of the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and with His word, like a dove that hovers over its nest.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Hashem created light with His word, bringing illumination into the world.

And God saw the light, that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness. Hashem saw that the light was good and made a distinction between light and darkness, giving each its own place and time.

He saw that it was not proper for the wicked to use the light, so He separated it for the righteous in the future. According to the simple meaning, He saw that it was good, and it was not fitting for the light and darkness to be used in confusion, so He set the boundary for this one in the daytime and for that one in the nighttime.

And God called the light "day," and the darkness He called "night." And it was evening and it was morning, one day. Hashem established the cycle of day and night, and the first day of creation was completed.

According to the order of the language of this portion, it should have written "first day," just as it says "second," "third," and so on for the other days. Why does it say Yom Echad—"one day"? Because Hashem was the only being in His world; the angels were not created until the second day. This is explained in Bereishis Rabbah.

And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate between water and water." Hashem commanded that there be a separation in the waters, creating the sky to divide between the upper and lower waters.

Yehi rakia—let the firmament be strengthened. Even though the heavens were created on the first day, they were still moist, and they solidified and hardened on the second day from the rebuke of Hashem when He said, "Let there be a firmament." This is as it says in Iyov: "The pillars of the sky were shaky the entire first day, and on the second day they were astonished by His rebuke," like a person who stands in astonishment because of the rebuke of the one who frightens him. Be'emtzah hamayim—in the middle of the water, meaning there is a separation between the upper waters and the firmament, just as there is between the firmament and the waters on the earth. From here you learn that they are suspended by the word of the King.

And God made the firmament and separated between the waters that are beneath the firmament and the waters that are above the firmament, and it was so. Hashem completed the creation of the sky, making a clear division between the upper and lower waters.

Vayaas Elokim es harakia—He fixed it upon its base, and that is what is meant by making it. Me'al l'rakia—it does not say "on the firmament" but "above the firmament," because they are suspended in the air. Why does it not say "ki tov"—that it was good—on the second day? Because the work with the water was not finished until the third day. Something that is not completed is not in its full goodness. On the third day, when the work with the water was completed and another job was started and finished, it says "ki tov" twice—once for the completion of the second day's work and once for the completion of the third day's work.

And God called the firmament "heaven." And it was evening and it was morning, a second day. Hashem named the sky "shamayim" and the second day of creation was completed.

Rashi says that the word shamayim is a combination of "sa mayim" (carry water), "sham mayim" (there is water), or "eish umayim" (fire and water), meaning Hashem mixed fire and water together and made the heavens from them.

And God said, "Let the waters beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so. Hashem commanded the waters to gather, revealing the dry land.

Yikavu hamayim—let the waters gather. Rashi explains that the waters were spread out over the surface of the entire earth, and Hashem gathered them into the ocean, which is the largest of all the seas.

And God called the dry land "earth," and to the gathering of the waters He called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Hashem named the land and the seas, and saw that this stage of creation was good.

He called them "seas"—but isn't it just one sea? Rather, the taste of a fish that comes up from the sea in Akko is not the same as the taste of a fish that comes up from the sea in Spain. Each sea has its own unique qualities.

And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed-yielding herbs, and fruit trees producing fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in it on the earth." And it was so. Hashem commanded the earth to produce all kinds of plants and trees, each according to its type.

Tadshei haaretz desheh eisev—let the earth sprout vegetation. Rashi explains that "desheh" is not the same as "eisev" (herb), and "eisev" is not the same as "desheh." The language of the verse would not be fitting to say "taasiv haaretz" (let the earth herb), because the types of vegetation are different, and each one is called by its own name, like "eisev ploni" (such-and-such herb). The word "desheh" refers to the covering of the earth with herbs when it is filled with vegetation. In Old French, "desheh" is called "erbidits"—herbage, all mixed together, and each root individually is called "eisev." Mazria zera—seed-yielding, meaning that it grows seed to plant elsewhere. Eitz pri—fruit tree, meaning the taste of the tree should be like the taste of the fruit, but the earth did not do so; it only produced trees that make fruit, but the trees themselves were not fruit. Therefore, when Adam was cursed, the earth was also punished for its iniquity. Asher zar'o vo—whose seed is in it, meaning the seeds of each fruit, from which the tree grows when you plant it.

And the earth gave forth vegetation, seed-yielding herbs according to its kind, and trees producing fruit whose seed is in it according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. The earth fulfilled Hashem's command and produced all the different types of plants and trees, each according to its type, and Hashem saw that it was good.

Even though it does not say le-mineihu—according to its kind—regarding the grasses when they were commanded, they understood that the trees were commanded about this, and they applied a kal va-chomer (a fortiori argument) to themselves, as is explained in the Aggadah in Chullin 60a.

And it was evening and it was morning, a third day. The teacher does not add further explanation here.

And God said, let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to separate between the day and between the night, and they shall be for signs, for appointed seasons, for days, and for years. God is now creating the sun, moon, and stars to serve as markers for time and to separate day from night. They will also serve as signs for special times and for the calculation of days and years.

Yehi me'oros—let there be luminaries. Rashi says they were created on the first day, and on the fourth day He commanded them to be suspended in the sky. Likewise, all the creations of heaven and earth were created on the first day, and each one was fixed in its proper place on the day that was decreed for it. That is why it is written, es ha-shamayim—to include their products, and ve-es ha-aretz—to include its products. Also, the word me'oros is written without a vav, which hints at the word me'erah—a curse, because the fourth day is considered a day of misfortune, when children may become ill with croup. That is what we learned in Taanis 27b, that on the fourth day they would fast so that children would not fall ill with croup.

Le-havdil bein ha-yom u-vein ha-layla—to separate between the day and the night. Rashi says this happened after the first light was hidden away. But during the seven days of creation, the primordial light and darkness served together, both by day and by night. And they shall be for signs—when the luminaries are eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the world, as it says in Yirmiyahu: "And from the signs of the heavens, do not be dismayed." When you do the will of Hashem, you do not need to fear retribution. For appointed seasons—this refers to the future, when Israel will be commanded regarding the festivals, which are reckoned from the new moon. For days—the sun serves for half the day, and the moon for the other half, making a full day. For years—at the end of 365 days, they complete their revolution through the twelve constellations, and that is a year. Then they start again to revolve as before.

And they shall be for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth, and it was so. The teacher does not add further explanation here.

Ve-hayu li-me'oros—and they shall be for luminaries. Rashi says, in addition, they will serve to give light to the world.

And God made the two great luminaries, the greater luminary to rule the day, and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars. The sun and the moon were created as two great lights, but the moon was made smaller, and the stars were also created to accompany them.

Ha-me'oros ha-gedolim—the great luminaries. Rashi says they were created equal, but the moon was diminished because it complained and said, "Is it possible for two kings to use the same crown?"

And the stars—because the moon was diminished, God increased its entourage with many stars to appease it.

And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. The teacher does not add further explanation here.

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate between the light and the darkness, and God saw that it was good. The teacher does not add further explanation here.

And it was evening and it was morning, a fourth day. The teacher does not add further explanation here.

And God said, let the waters swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens. God is now creating the fish and the birds, commanding the waters to bring forth living things and the skies to be filled with flying creatures.

Nefesh chayah—a living creature, meaning it has life. Sheretz—every living thing that is not much higher than the earth is called a sheretz: among birds, such as flies; among insects, such as ants, beetles, and worms; and among animals, such as the lizard, the weasel, the mouse, and the like, and all the fish.

And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. God created the great fish in the sea, and all the living creatures in the water and the birds.

Ha-taninim—the great fish in the sea. In the words of the Aggadah, this refers to the Leviathan and its mate; He created them male and female, and He slew the female and salted her away for the righteous in the future, because if they would propagate, the world could not exist because of them. Nefesh ha-chayah—a living creature, meaning a creature that has life.

And God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth. God gives a blessing to the fish and the birds to multiply and fill the world.

Va-yevarech osam—He blessed them. Rashi says, because people diminish them, hunt them, and eat them, they required a blessing. The animals also needed a blessing, but because the serpent was destined to be cursed, He did not bless them, so that the serpent would not be included. Pru—be fruitful, meaning produce fruits. U-revu—and multiply; if it had only said pru, one would beget one and no more, so u-revu was added so that one could beget many.

And it was evening and it was morning, a fifth day. The teacher does not add further explanation here.

And God said, let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle, creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kind, and it was so. God is now commanding the earth to bring forth animals, creeping things, and beasts, each according to its kind.

Totse ha-aretz—let the earth bring forth. Rashi says, this is what I explained already, that everything was created on the first day, and they only needed to be brought forth. Nefesh chayah—a living creature, meaning it has life. Va-remes—these are the creeping things that are low and crawl on the earth, and appear as if they are dragging along because their movement is not noticeable. Every expression of remes or sheretz in our language is called cumbers in Old French, meaning crawling creatures.

And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, and the cattle according to its kind, and all the creeping things of the ground according to their kind, and God saw that it was good. God made all the animals and creeping things, each according to its kind, and saw that it was good.

Va-ya'as—He made them. Rashi says, He fixed them in their complete form and in their full stature.

This verse says, "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals, all the earth, and all the creeping things that creep on the earth." The teacher explains that this is the creation of man, and that man is given dominion over all the other creatures of the world. The phrase "let us make man" is discussed further in the Rashi.

On Na'aseh Adam (let us make man), the teacher explains that from here we learn the humility of the Holy One, blessed be He. Since man was created in the likeness of the angels, God consulted with them. When He judges kings, He consults with His heavenly household, as we find regarding Achav, where Micha says, "I saw Hashem seated on His throne, and all the hosts of heaven were standing by Him on His right and on His left." The teacher clarifies that right and left do not literally apply to God, but rather, some angels defend and some prosecute. Similarly, in Daniel, it says, "by the decree of the destructive angels is the matter, and by the word of the holy ones is the edict." Here too, God took counsel with His heavenly household and took permission. He said to them: among the heavenly beings there are some in My likeness; if there are none in My likeness among the earthly beings, there will be envy among the creatures of creation. "Let us make man"—even though the angels did not assist in his creation, and there is an opportunity for heretics to rebel (since it is in the plural), Scripture did not hesitate to teach us proper conduct and the trait of humility: that a great person should consult with and receive permission from a smaller one. If it had written, "I will make man," we would not have learned that He was speaking with His tribunal, only with Himself. The refutation to the heretics is written in the next verse, where it says, "And God created man" (in the singular), not "and they created." On BeTzalmeinu (in our image), the teacher says it means in our form.

On Kidmuseinu (after our likeness), the teacher explains that this means to understand and to discern. On Veyirdu (and they shall rule), the teacher says that this expression contains both the meaning of ruling and the meaning of subservience: if man merits, he rules over the beasts and the cattle; if not, he becomes subservient to them, and the beast rules over him.

This verse says, "And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." The teacher explains that man was created in the form that was made for him, and everything else was created with a command, but man was created with the hands of God, as it says in Tehillim, "And You placed Your hand upon me." Man was made with a dye, like a coin which is made by means of a dye. In the image of God who created him, it explains that the image that was prepared for him was the image of the likeness of his Creator. "Male and female He created them"—the teacher notes that later it says, "And He took one of his ribs," and the Midrash says that originally they were created with two faces and then divided. The simple meaning is that both were created on the sixth day, but it does not explain how; that is explained elsewhere.

On Vayivra Elokim Es HaAdam BeTzalmo (God created man in His image), the teacher explains that this means in the form that was made for him. Everything else was created with a command, but man was created with the hands of God, as it says in Tehillim, "And You placed Your hand upon me." Na'aseh (let us make) is like a coin made by means of a dye. BeTzelem Elokim (in the image of God) means the image that was prepared for him was the image of the likeness of his Creator. On "male and female He created them," the teacher says that the Midrash explains they were created with two faces and then divided, but the simple meaning is that both were created on the sixth day, and the details are explained elsewhere.

This verse says, "And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every living thing that moves on the earth." The teacher explains that this is the blessing to mankind to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth, to subdue it, and to have dominion over all the animals.

On Vechivshuha (and subdue it), the teacher explains that the vav is missing, allowing it to be read in the masculine singular, to teach that the male subdues the female, so that she should not be a gadabout. Furthermore, it teaches that the man, whose way is to subdue, is commanded regarding procreation, but not the woman.

This verse says, "And God said: Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb on the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; to you it shall be for food." The teacher explains that God gave mankind all the plants and fruits for food.

On Lachem Yihiye LeOchla (to you it shall be for food), the teacher explains that God equated cattle and the beasts to man regarding the food they were permitted to eat. He did not permit Adam and his wife to kill a creature and eat its flesh; only every green herb they were all permitted to eat equally. When the sons of Noach came, He permitted them to eat meat, as it says later, "Every creeping thing that is alive... Like the green herbs which I permitted to the first man, I have given you everything."

This verse says, "And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that moves on the earth in which there is a living spirit, every green herb for food." The teacher explains that all the animals and birds were also given the green herbs to eat, just like man.

This verse says, "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day." The teacher notes that God saw everything He made and it was very good, and this concludes the sixth day of creation.

On Yom HaShishi (the sixth day), the teacher explains that Scripture added a "hei" to "the sixth day" at the completion of creation, to tell you that the world was created on the condition that Israel would accept the five books of the Torah (the numerical value of "hei" is five). Another explanation: all the works of creation were suspended until the sixth day, referring to the sixth day of Sivan, which was prepared for the giving of the Torah. The "hei" is the definite article alluding to the well-known sixth day, the day the Torah was given.

This verse says, "Now the heavens and the earth were completed and all their hosts." The teacher explains that this is the conclusion of the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them.

This verse says, "And God completed on the seventh day His work that He did, and He abstained on the seventh day from all His work that He did." The teacher explains that God finished His work on the seventh day and rested from all His work.

On Vayechal Elokim Bayom HaShevi'i (and God completed on the seventh day), the teacher explains that Rabbi Shimon said: a human being of flesh and blood, who cannot exactly know the times and moments, must add from the profane to the holy (i.e., add time to Shabbos). But the Holy One, blessed be He, who knows His times and moments, entered into Shabbos within a hair-breadth, and it appeared as if He completed His work on that day. Another explanation: what was the world lacking? Rest. The Shabbos came, and so came rest; the work was completed and finished.

This verse says, "And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, for thereon He rested from all His work that God created to do." The teacher explains that God blessed and sanctified the seventh day because He rested from all His work.

On Vayevarech Vayekadesh (He blessed and sanctified), the teacher explains that He blessed it with the manna: on all the days of the week it descended for them in the amount of an omer per person, but on the sixth day, each one received a double portion. He sanctified it with the manna, that it did not descend at all on Shabbos. This verse is written with reference to the future. On Asher Bara Elokim La'asos (that God created to do), the teacher explains that the work that was fit to be done on Shabbos, He doubled up and did it on the sixth day, as explained in Bereishis Rabbah.