Bereishis – Page 13 – Peninim on the Torah

בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

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

The foundation of any structure determines its strength and permanence. The Torah is a spiritual structure which is founded and sustained on the union of a number of positive attributes. There is no room for any negative trait in the Torah’s foundation. This idea, cited by Rabbi Paysach Krohn, is expressed by Rabbeinu Bachya in his Sefer Kad HaKemach. He notes that in the first pasuk, verse, in the Torah, every vowel sound is present except one. The komatz, patach, segol, tzeirei, cholem, sh’vah and chirik are all present. There is only one missing sound: the shuruk, the “ooh” sound….

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ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי ויקדש אתו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5761

“G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.” (2:3)

he average person understands the negative aspect of Shabbos, the various acts of labor that are forbidden. What about the positive side of Shabbos? How does one “celebrate” Shabbos? How does one act “Shabbosdik”? We all know that one is required to have an oneg Shabbos. What does “oneg,” enjoyment, mean? Horav Sholom Schwadron, z.l., contends that the idea of oneg Shabbos can have many definitions, based upon the individual and his religious/spiritual perspective. Some will enjoy Shabbos on a spiritual plane, with Torah and tefillah, heightened Torah study and prayer. Others will enjoy its physical/material aspect either through relaxation, sleep and peace of mind. Alternatively, is the individual who…

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ויאמר לו איכה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5761

He (Hashem) said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

When the Baal HaTanya was incarcerated by the Russian government, one of the leading “thinkers” of the day came to visit with him. This visit was just another opportunity to present one of his mocking questions to the Rebbe. The answer was unimportant, his objective was accomplished by simply asking the question: “What is the meaning of the ‘Ayeca?’, ‘Where are you?’ which Hashem asked Adam? Did Hashem not know where Adam was?” The Rebbe looked at the thinker and responded, “Do you believe that the Torah is eternal?” “Certainly,” he responded. The Rebbe said, “Since the Torah is eternal,…

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וכל יצר מחשבת לבו רק רע כל היום

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5761

“And that every product of the thoughts of his heart was but evil always.” (6:5)

We have no idea of the hold the yetzer hara, evil-inclination, has on us, as the following story demonstrates: The Sanzer Rav, Horav Chaim Halberstam, z.l., once stood by his window and gazed at the people walking by. He saw a certain Jew and motioned for him to come inside. When the man entered, the Rav asked him, “What would you do if you discovered a wallet filled with money in the street, and you were aware of the identity of its owner?” The Jew responded, “I would immediately return it.” Hearing this response, the Rav rebuked the fellow and…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5760

“In the beginning G-d created.” (1:1)

Horav Tzvi Hirsh Meisels, z.l., the Veitzener Rav, cites the Midrash Hane’elam that suggests that the letters of Bereishis, “Bais, Reish, Aleph, Shin, Yud, Saf,” are an acronym for two words; bris eish, a convenant of fire. He explains the concept of a covenant forged in fire based upon the following story: Horav Meisels was the rav in the dreaded concentration camp Auschwitz. On Simchas Torah night a group of fifty young Gerer chassidim were brought to the gas chambers. Their sin was rebelling against the German government. Their act of mutiny – observing the laws of the Torah. These…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5760

“And Hashem Elokim formed the man… and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life; and man became a living being.” (2:7)

The “soul,” the nishmas chaim, which Hashem blew into man’s nostrils is defined by Targum Onkelos as “ruach memalela,” a speaking spirit. This means that the essence of life, which only Hashem could have imparted to man, is the soul that includes the power of speech. The ability to use intelligent speech to communicate is what elevates man above the animal world. We must endeavor to understand with whom man was designed to communicate. At this time, no one else had yet been created. Horav Shimon Schwab, z.l., derives from here that the primary purpose in creating man with the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5760

“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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בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ

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

ויברך אלקים את יום השביעי ויקדש אתו

“G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.” (2:3)

ויאמר לו איכה

He (Hashem) said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

וכל יצר מחשבת לבו רק רע כל היום

“And that every product of the thoughts of his heart was but evil always.” (6:5)

“In the beginning G-d created.” (1:1)

“And Hashem Elokim formed the man… and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life; and man became a living being.” (2:7)

“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)

YEARS

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