Bereishis – Peninim on the Torah

ויקרא האדם שמות לכל הבהמה ולעוף השמים ולכל חית השדה

And the man assigned names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to every beast of the field. (2:20)

One of the seven blessings which comprise Sheva Berachos is Sameiach tesamach reiim ha’ahuvim k’sameichacha yetzircha b’Gan Eden mikedem, “Gladden the beloved companions as You gladdened Your creature in the Garden of Eden from aforetime.” This brachah asks Hashem to gladden the couple who stand before us as He did for Adam and Chavah in Gan Eden. One question confronts us immediately upon grasping the scope of this request: Is it reasonable to expect that every contemporary couple experiences such a heavenly relationship on par with that of the first couple in Gan Eden? Let us face it, we are…

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ויברא אלקים את התנינם הגדלים... ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי ויקדש אתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5769

And G-d created the great sea-giants… G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. (1:21; 2:3)

Upon studying the story of Creation, we confront what seem to be two inconsistencies in the language of the text. On the fifth day of Creation, Hashem created the taninim ha’gedolim, the great sea-giants. Interestingly, this is the only creation of which the Torah does not conclude with the words, va’yehi chein, “and it was so.” Why is this? Clearly, if Hashem created them, then it was so. Why is this creation different than the others? Rashi cites a comment from Chazal in Meseches Bava Basra 74b that these giant sea-creatures are none other than the Livyasan and its mate….

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בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5769

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

The Midrash relates what Rabbi Yehudah ben Pazi and Bar Kappara expounded regarding the Creation: “Why was the world created with a bais – Bereishis, in the beginning? Because it is an expression of brachah, blessing. And why not with an aleph? Because it is an expression of cursing, arirah.” The commentators point out that Chazal’s statement is not necessarily consistent with other pesukim in Tanach in which the letter bais is not always used as blessing. Indeed, we find in Yeshayah 24:1, “Behold, Hashem empties (bokeik) the land and lays it waste (bolkah).” Also, in Yechezkel 16:40, “They will tear/pierce…

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בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5769

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

The first Rashi in the Torah is famous: “Amar Rabbi Yitzchak, ‘The text of the Torah should have commenced with Sefer Shemos 12, in which the commandment regarding the month of Nissan is written. Instead, the Torah begins with Creation. This is to indicate that Hashem created the world. Thus, it was His prerogative to give Eretz Yisrael to whichever nation He chose. He gave the Holy Land to the Jewish People as an inheritance.’” This statement is questionable, since many basic teachings and lessons can be derived from Sefer Bereishis, such as: Maaseh avos siman l’banim, “The actions of…

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ויקרא האדם שמות לכל הבהמה ולעוף השמים ולכל חית השדה

And the man assigned names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to every beast of the field. (2:20)

ויברא אלקים את התנינם הגדלים... ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי ויקדש אתו

And G-d created the great sea-giants… G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. (1:21; 2:3)

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

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

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

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

YEARS

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