Overview of the Weekly
Reading: Bereishit
To be read on 24 Tishrei
5765 (Oct. 9)
Torah:Deut.
32:1-52
Haftorah: Hosea 14:2-10, Joel 2:15-27
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 (K:01-65/Bereshit)
From the holy
Zohar, teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
(Z:01-65/Bereshit)
"... out of the wilderness", means the desert [i.e. Sinai], from which
she inherited [the ability] to be a bride [malchut] and to enter under
the chupa canopy [bina].
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the holy Ari,
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed (A:01-65/Bereshit)
[The fact that the Torah begins with the letter beit of "Bereishit"] teaches
that the Torah has or contains two aspects: peshat (its simple or literal
meaning) and sod (its deeper meaning).
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the Shelah,
Shney Luchot HaBrit by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz
(S:01-65/Bereshit)
All other creatures on earth would have dwelled in a "higher" existence;
there would not have been any trees that failed to produce edible fruit,
for instance.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
FROM THE CHASSIDIC
REBBES (V:01-65/Bereshit)
Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah
The spiritual influence elicited on Sukkot is an "encompassing
light," like a sukkah that surrounds a person but at a certain
distance. On Shemini Atzeret, in contrast, this light is absorbed
in the soul. This is the reason that moving from the sukkah back
to the house, from a temporary dwelling to a permanent one, arouses
joy. The move signifies that all the spiritual revelations of Sukkot
have been permanently absorbed.
(Lubavitcher Rebbe) (Days of Awe, Days of Joy)
Bereishit
"G-d saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was
very good." (1:31)
Our Sages commented: "'Good' - refers to the good inclination;
'very good' refers to the evil inclination.' " The phenomenon of
teshuva, repentance, could not exist without the creation of
an evil inclination. Teshuva enables man to attain an even higher spiritual
level and completeness than before he sinned; thus, G-d declared the
creation "very good" only after Adam was created with this
potential.
(Lubavitcher Rebbe)
"G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it."
(2:3)
The day of Shabbat is intrinsically holy. Nonetheless, the Torah commands
us to "Remember the Shabbat day to make it holy" (Ex. 20:8).
For when a Jew remembers and observes Shabbat, it enhances its G-d-given
sanctity and adds to it.
(Sefat Emet)
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
(M:01-65/Bereshit)
Moshiach and the Moon
"When she gave birth there were twins...and he called his name
Peretz, and afterwards his brother...and he called his name Zerach."
(Gen. 38:27-30)
Peretz is the direct ancestor of King David and Moshiach.
The Midrash notes that "Before the first enslaver of Israel (Pharaoh)
was born, the ultimate redeemer of Israel (Moshiach -- Peretz)
was already born." G-d thus brought about the remedy and cure before
the affliction - before the Egyptian exile and all the exiles that would
follow thereafter - including our own.
This "light of Moshiach" that was created with the birth
of Peretz confers upon Israel the strength and ability to succeed in their
exiles to "break through" (the meaning of the name "Peretz")
all the obstacles that try to impede their service of G-d until Moshiach
is revealed.
Our Sages compare Zerach to the sun and Peretz to the moon. The sun continuously
shines in an unchanging manner; thus it symbolizes the stable manner in
which tzadikim (the righteous) serve G-d. The moon's appearance
keeps changing; it continually waxes and wanes.
The moon thus symbolizes ba'alei teshuva (penitents), who "slipped"
and strayed and then returned and regained their spiritual stature. The
royal house of David, the very source of Moshiach, is precisely
from Peretz (the moon), because Moshiach will bring even tzadikim
to do teshuva, to return to their Divine source.
(Likutei Sichot)
An
essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here) (W:01-65/Bereishit)
How do Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah impact the coming New Year?
The Kabbalistic tradition of Safed as carried forward by the great Chassidic
Rebbes, is that a person can repair more damage done by ill deeds in the
past year by being happy on Sukkot (breaking greater boundaries) than
he could accomplish during Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur. We learn this
from the tremendous Simchat Bait HaShoeva (water libation ceremonies)
that took place in the holy Temple each evening during Sukkot. Many Jewish
communities make events with music and dancing to relive these ceremonies.
Look for notices in your area.
Even more powerful are the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah
(kept for two days outside of Israel). After all of the repairing and
teshuva of the High Holy days and Sukkot, the culmination of all
of the holidays is Simchat Torah. On this day we pray, read the Torah,
and eat festive meals like all the other holidays, but the most important
mitzvah is to dance with the Torah. The entire year we celebrate
with the Torah while it is open, taking strength from its content.
On Simchat Torah, we specifically dance with the Torah when it is closed.
We are so imbued with Torah ideas, all we want is to nullify ourselves
to the Torah, to carry it wherever it must go - to literally be the legs
and feet for the Torah. However much we can be happy with the Torah during
Simchat Torah, we will be granted with simcha and joy of the Torah
the whole year.
What is the connection between the last Shabbat of Tishrei, and the portion
of Bereishit?
The last Shabbat of the month, when we read the portion of Bereishit,
is the elevation and completion of all of our actions throughout all of
the holidays. We learn this from the verse, Vayechulu hashamayim v'ha'aretz.
Usually translated as "And G-d completed the heavens and the earth".
Vayechulu (completed) can also be understood as 'elevated'.
In this context, elevated refers to the sparks of holiness in every aspect
of the world, which are released when we use a physical thing, experience,
thought or emotion in a positive way (such as the work of teshuva during
the High Holidays). On Shabbat, these sparks are elevated back to their
heavenly spiritual source.
What causes this elevation and completion? Just as the craftsman must
separate himself from his work as part of the creative process, in order
to feel the final completion and satisfaction of what he created, so also
by separating ourselves from our weekday actions, from the labor that
is forbidden on Shabbat, we also elevate and complete not just all of
our actions of the last week, but all of our actions of the last month
of Tishrei. Shabbat Bereishit is the elevation and completion of the entire
month of Tishrei.
Gmar chatima tova, Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
P.S. Please also read my weekly Shabbat Law, below.)
(for a free weekly email subscription,
click here)
For all our insights for this parsha:
from three years ago
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