Bereishis – Page 13 – Peninim on the Torah

“Hashem Elokim cast a deep sleep upon the man, and he slept.” (2:21)

Hashem determined that Adam Ha’rishon should not witness the creation of his wife-to-be. To circumvent this problem, He made Adam fall asleep. The Torah does not record him waking up from his spiritual slumber. Horav Shimon Schwab, z.l., derives from here that indeed, in comparison to the clarity of vision and spiritual perception that Adam manifest prior to his slumber, he and his descendants are considered to be in a deep spiritual sleep. Only Klal Yisrael stood at Har Sinai, being spiritually awakened as they experienced the Revelation and received the Torah. With this idea in mind, Horav Schwab proceeds to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5760

“And He brought her to the man.” (2:22)

This is the underlying concept of shidduchim, marriage matchmaking – Hashem brings the couple together. It is only the unperceptive who think otherwise. Anyone whose vision is not blurred by secular-induced myopia is acutely aware of the Yad Hashem, Hand of G-d, in this misunderstood area of Jewish life. Horav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Shlita, tells the story of a young man, a talmid chacham and yarei shomayim, Torah scholar and G-d-fearing, who was having a difficult time finding his “bashert,” intended mate. He decided to go to Eretz Yisrael to implore the neshamos, souls, of the tzaddikim, righteous, virtuous Jews who…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5759

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

We can translate the first pasuk of the Torah in a number of ways. Homiletically, the word “bereishis” can be translated as “bishvil reishis,” “because of the beginning.” This implies that the world was created as a result of things that are called “reishis,” things that are of such prime significance that the Torah refers to them as reishis. Chazal accord two entities this distinction: the Torah and Klal Yisrael. Using this hypothesis, Hashem created the world so that Klal Yisrael would accept and observe the Torah. The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh adds by inference that one who studies Torah,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5759

Hashem saw that the light was good, and Hashem separated between the light and the darkness. (1:4)

If the light was so “good” and the darkness less positive, why did Hashem merely separate them? Why did Hashem not banish darkness to some abyss, permitting “light” to shine all day? Why do they have equal time? Horav Yosef Chaim M’Bagdad, zl, explains that darkness increases our appreciation of light. He recounts an incident involving the Baal Haflaah, who was in need of a minyan at his home. After he was able to gather ten men, he realized that one of them was not desirable for a minyan. Thus, he sought another person. The individual in question was no…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5759

And Hashem made the two great luminaries, the greater luminary to dominate the day and the lesser luminary to dominate the night. (1:16)

Chazal tell us that originally the sun and moon had been the same size. The moon complained, asking, “How can two kings rule simultaneously?” In other words, the moon felt that one of the luminaries should be diminshed in size. Hashem, thereupon, told the moon to diminish itself so that the sun would be the dominant luminary. Chazal characterize the moon’s remark as inappropriate. The moon receives its light from the sun. Thus, the sun is the mashpiah, source of light, and the moon is the mekabel, reflecting the light it receives from the sun. This was unacceptable to the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5759

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife. (2:24)

Is this really the way it is supposed to be? For what purpose do parents spend their lives raising children, enduring hardship, frustration, and at times, pain? When their son grows up, should he reject them in order to cling to his wife? This cannot be the Torah’s intention. Radak says that the pasuk only implies a physical separation. His attachment to his wife requires him to move out of his home of origin in order to establish a new home with her. This writer once heard an explanation for this pasuk that sets the tone for marriage. While one…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5759

Hashem turned to Hevel and to his offering…But to Kayin and to his offering He did not turn…This annoyed Kayin exceedingly…And Hashem said to Kayin, “Why are you annoyed?” (4:4,5,6)

Hashem is questioning Kayin about the source of his depression. Does not the Torah, however, in the preceding pasuk clearly state the reason for Kayin’s annoyance: Hashem’s rejection of his offerings. Is that not enough reason for one to be despondent? Horav Chaim Brisker, zl, gives a practical explanation to the query. Hashem asked Kayin, “Why are you really upset? Is it because your korban,offering, was not accepted, or is there a deeper reason, the fact that your brother’s korban was accepted?” Quite possibly Kayin’s dejection was not due to his own rejection by the Almighty. Perhaps the real problem…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5759

This is the book (account) of the descendants of Adam. (5:1)

The Torah enumerates the generations that descended from Adam Ha’Rishon. In his inimitable manner, Horav Moshe Swift, zl, suggests a homiletic interpretation of this pasuk. “The book of life is the generations of man.” There are all kinds of books. Some are worth reading, while others are nothing more than trash. Some books teach valuable lessons with profound meaning, while other books leave no lasting impression. We are pages in the book of life written by our parents. They are the cover, the binding that holds the pages together. We write the pages based upon the way that we act…

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Moshe Marcovich In Bereishis, 5758

And Hashem Elokim called to the man, and said unto him, ‘Where are you?’” (3:8)

It seems strange that Hashem, Who knows everything, asked Adam, “Where are you?” Obviously, Hashem knew where Adam was. The Midrash tells us that Hashem certainly knew where Adam was; He just wanted to talk to him, to engage him in conversation. Hashem wanted to interact with Adam, to get him to open up and talk about the act that he had committed. Horav Moshe Swift, zl, offers a thoughtful insight. Whenever one senses a rift in a relationship, he should maintain contact in order to sustain hope of reconciliation. The tragedy is when there is no contact. When a…

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Moshe Marcovich In Bereishis, 5758

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

What to some individuals may be perceived as a curse could actually be a blessing in disguise — and vice versa. The serpent was cursed with having to eat tasteless dust his whole life. Imagine being relegated to a life in which one’s entire sustenance is without any taste. A life of no satisfaction, no pleasure, is truly a curse. But is it? While the serpent’s food is not appealing, it is always available. He never has to worry about the source of his next meal. We have only to ask someone who struggles to earn a livelihood how…

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“Hashem Elokim cast a deep sleep upon the man, and he slept.” (2:21)

“And He brought her to the man.” (2:22)

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

Hashem saw that the light was good, and Hashem separated between the light and the darkness. (1:4)

And Hashem made the two great luminaries, the greater luminary to dominate the day and the lesser luminary to dominate the night. (1:16)

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife. (2:24)

Hashem turned to Hevel and to his offering…But to Kayin and to his offering He did not turn…This annoyed Kayin exceedingly…And Hashem said to Kayin, “Why are you annoyed?” (4:4,5,6)

This is the book (account) of the descendants of Adam. (5:1)

And Hashem Elokim called to the man, and said unto him, ‘Where are you?’” (3:8)

And dust shall you eat all the days of your life. (3:14)

YEARS

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