Overview of the Weekly Reading: Bereishit
To be read on 26 Tishrei 5766 (Oct. 29)
Torah: Genesis 1:1-6:8;
Haftorah: Isaiah 42:5-43:10
Bereishit is the 1st Reading out of 12 in Genesis
and 1st overall, and 9th out of 54 in overall
length.
Shabbat Mevarchim
The Torah opens with G-d's creation of the world
in six days - plus Shabbos. G-d planted a garden in Eden, with the Tree
of Life in the middle, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. G-d
told Adam that he may eat from every tree except for the Tree of Knowledge.
The serpent persuaded Eve to eat from the tree, and she gave some of
its fruit to Adam. G-d punished each of the three, then clothed Adam
and Eve, and banished them from Eden. Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel.
Cain killed Abel, and subsequently Eve gave birth to Seth. The Torah
then lists the ten generations from Adam to Noah. When Noah was 500
years old, he fathered Shem, Ham and Yapheth. G-d then decided that
man should live only to 120. G-d saw that the world was evil, and decided
to obliterate it, except for Noah and his family.
FROM THE MASTERS OF
KABBALA
From the holy Zohar, teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
But, since the Higher World is concealed, and everything that is
associated with it is also concealed, the verse [merely] states "Bereshit..."
[meaning:] "bara -" [Hebrew for "He created"]
"- sheet" [meaning "six"]. [This implies the
creation of] six supernal days.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the holy Ari, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed
The following words are "chaos, emptiness, and darkness,"
referring to the shattering [of the vessels]. Since there were many levels
[of shattering], each [vessel shard] descending further than the next,
the Torah [uses various terms to describe the cataclysm,] saying "chaos,
emptiness, and darkness."
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the Alshich
The fact that G-d placed man into such a superior environment prior
to his having performed a mitzvah to merit such bliss teaches us that
serving
G-d is not like serving a human master. Service to a human master does
not change one's nature even when done quite loyally, to the best of one's
ability. The reward one receives depends entirely on the goodwill of the
master and does not become an integral part of the recipient. This is
not so when one serves G-d. Every mitzvah one performs transforms the
very nature of the person performing it, his whole body becoming suffused
with a degree of holiness, so that gradually the distance between him
and his Creator shrinks, barriers are removed, and, eventually, his entire
life-force becomes rooted in the Garden of Eden.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
FROM THE CHASSIDIC
REBBES
"G-d blessed them, saying, be fruitful and multiply."
(1:22)
The first mitzva in the Torah is the commandment to be fruitful and
multiply. From this we learn that the first responsibility of a Jew
is to ensure the existence of another Jew in the world, and to try to
influence other Jews to be "more Jewish."
(Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi)
A
MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE
from the Chabad
Master series, produced by Rabbi Yosef Marcus for
www.ascentofsafed.com and www.kabbalaonline.org
MOSHIACH THIS WEEK
"And G-d saw the light, that it was good." (Gen. 1:4)
Even before the world was created, G-d created the soul of Moshiach.
It shone very brightly, and is hinted to in the verse, "And G-d saw
the light, that it was good." The forces of evil also saw this light,
and asked G-d, "Whose light is this?" G-d answered, "This
is the king who will defeat all of you in the End of Days."
Yalkut Shimoni on Isaiah - [Reprinted with permission
from L'Chaim Magazine (www.lchaim.org).]
An
essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here) (W:0166/Bereishit)
Although the primary purpose of the Torah is to teach the Jewish
people about the commandments, we see that Bereishit opens with the story
of Creation and not with a mitzvah. Rashi quotes the explanation
of Rabbi Yitzchak: Why did the Torah begin with the story of Creation?
In order that His nation would know His strength to give them the territorial
portion of the nations. If the nations accuse the Jews of being thieves
because we conquered the Land of the Seven Nations (Israel), we are instructed
to answer them that the earth belongs to the Holy One Blessed Be He. He
created it and gives it to who He see fit. If He desires, He can give
it to the other nations, and if He wishes He may take it from them and
give it to us. In addition, since He gave it to us, it is not permitted
to give any of it away. It is important not to submit to the falsehood
of believing the Jewish people stole the Land of Israel. The story of
Creation gives us the correct perspective.
Despite the above, the Lubavitcher Rebbe points out that the reason that
the Torah begins with the story of Creation cannot be only to supply an
answer to a possible question that the nations of the world may or may
not ask us (though today it is clearly relevant). It must also be a lesson
as to how to serve G-d.
The first lesson is that a Jew should not be influenced by things in
the world that hinder the fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments.
That a certain commandment is said to not make sense, is impractical,
outdated or uncivilized is the complainer's problem. If you hear a complaint
once, you will hear it one hundred times. Our job is to remember that
G-d created the world, and all of the earth is His; He sets what is correct,
and we listen to Him.
There is another lesson: Initially, the land of Israel was in the inheritance
of Shem, the eldest son of Noah. Afterwards, it was conquered by the seven
Canaanite nations. To change its status back from the land of the Canaanites
to the "Land of Israel" required its conquering by the Jewish
people.
From a spiritual perspective, this is a hint to what is expected in the
daily life of a Jew. While all of life belongs to G-d, we often make a
distinction between our Jewish lives and our daily physical pursuits.
When we are in synagogue praying or in the middle of some other commandment,
we are serving G-d. On the other hand, when we are eating or drinking,
involved in our work lives etc, we may unconsciously or even consciously
allow ourselves to fall under the influence of the physical world.
Therefore, the beginning of the Torah tells us: Everything you do should
be for the sake of heaven. To serve G-d when we are involved with a specific
commandment is nice, but what G-d really expects from us is that "everything"
should be part of our service to G-d. On this, the gentile nations - and
the gentile within each one of us - make their claim: "You are thieves.You
have conquered! You have stolen our secular orientation by conquering
the secular parts of life and made them into something holy, the Land
of Israel. We do not want to change!"
The Torah is teaching us that this argument is baseless. There is no
true separation between Torah and the world. The entire world belongs
to the Holy One Blessed Be He. The ultimate purpose of the physical reality
is to "make a dwelling place for G-d in the lower worlds". This
is the meaning of the well-known edict that, until Mashiach comes,
it is every Jew's job to transform wherever he or she is into an extension
of "Israel" - to imbue every place and every aspect of this
world with G-dliness.
Shabbat Shalom - Shaul
P.S. Please also read my weekly Shabbat Law, below.)
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