Bereishis – Peninim on the Torah

בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם... כי עפר אתה ואל עפר תשוב. ויקרא האדם שם אשתו חוה כי היא היתה אם כל חי. ויעש ד' אלקים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור

“By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread… For you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The man called his wife’s name Chavah, because she had become the mother of all the living. And Hashem G-d made for Adam and his wife garments of skin. (3:19,20,21)

The commentators question the sequence of the pesukim. The fact that Adam named Chavah should have been written earlier, at the end of Perek bais, where the Torah relates how Adam gave names to all the creatures. Why is the naming of Chavah juxtaposed to Hashem making garments for Adam and Chavah? The Kehillas Yitzchak explains that when Adam realized what Chavah’s act had catalyzed, when he understood that his death and the deaths of all future generations was the result of Chavah’s eating and sharing of the Eitz HaDaas, he immediately became severely depressed and angry. After awhile, it dawned…

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ועץ החיים בתוך הגן ועץ הדעת טוב ורע

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5763

And the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and bad. (2:9)

Sforno explains that daas, knowledge, means to focus one’s heart on (what is) good and evil. This explanation of the word daas, is also found in the phrase v’haAdam yoda, “and Adam knew,” i.e., he became aware and now concentrated his heart on her (Chavah). This is also why a relative is called a moda, as it says in Rus 2:1, moda l’ishah, “a relative of her husband,” for it is natural that one concerns himself with the needs of his relative. Horav Shmuel David Walkin, zl, infers from here that a relative is a moda, because the foundation of…

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וירא אלקים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5763

And G-d saw all that He had made and behold it was very good. (1:31)

Life is comprised of successes and failures. Some of us have a greater number of successes. Others look at failure more often than at success. This is not a perfect world, but our perspective on life and the world can make a “world” of difference. Hashem created the world that we know in Six Days of Creation. He made some subtle changes during Creation in order to offset some of the problems that arose. Hashem first created light. This was a powerful, intense and very spiritual light. In fact, it was so spiritually illuminating that the wicked would never be worthy…

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בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5763

TIn the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and earth. (1:1)

The Baal HaTurim notes that the last letters of the words Bereishis bara Elokim — taf, aleph, mem — spell out (when rearranged) the word emes, truth. This teaches us that the world was created via the attribute of emes. Interestingly, the Torah alludes to the word emes in an indirect manner, since the sequence of the letters is out of order. Horav Shmuel David Walkin, zl, infers a profound lesson from here. The Torah teaches us that one must strive for the truth, regardless of the situation. One is not obligated to be truthful only during times of smooth sailing…

Home -> 5763 -> Bereishis

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5763

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and earth. (1:1)

The Baal HaTurim notes that the last letters of the words Bereishisbara Elokim — taf, aleph, mem — spell out (when rearranged) theword emes, truth. This teaches us that the world was created via theattribute of emes. Interestingly, the Torah alludes to the word emes in anindirect manner, since the sequence of the letters is out of order. HoravShmuel David Walkin, zl, infers a profound lesson from here. The Torahteaches us that one must strive for the truth, regardless of the situation. One isnot obligated to be truthful only during times of smooth sailing in which hehas no extenuating circumstances…

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בזעת אפיך תאכל לחם... כי עפר אתה ואל עפר תשוב. ויקרא האדם שם אשתו חוה כי היא היתה אם כל חי. ויעש ד' אלקים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור

“By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread… For you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The man called his wife’s name Chavah, because she had become the mother of all the living. And Hashem G-d made for Adam and his wife garments of skin. (3:19,20,21)

ועץ החיים בתוך הגן ועץ הדעת טוב ורע

And the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and bad. (2:9)

וירא אלקים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד

And G-d saw all that He had made and behold it was very good. (1:31)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

TIn the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and earth. (1:1)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and earth. (1:1)

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