Bereishis – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

וייצר ה' אלקים את האדם עפר מן האדמה ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים ויהי האדם לנפש חיה

And Hashem Elokim formed the man of dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life; and Man became a living being. (2:7)

Adam HaRishon, and, subsequently, all of mankind are a creation comprised of both earthly and Heavenly elements. His body is composed of dust of the earth, his soul from the spirit. As the Zohar HaKadosh comments to Vayipach b’apav nishmas chaim, “And He blew into his nostrils the soul of life,” One who blows flows from within himself, thereby indicating that man’s soul is an aspect of Hashem’s essence. It was this soul that was blown into him that made man into a living being. Targum Onkelos defines this metamorphosis as transforming Adam into ruach memalela, “speaking spirit.” Thus, the…

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ויאמר ד' אלקים לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5774

Hashem Elokim said, “It is not good that man be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him.” (2:18)

The words lo tov, not good, tell it all. Man was independent and self-sufficient. Procreation was an ability with which he was created. So, why did he require a helpmate? A life alone is “not bad,” but it is also “not good.” For man to achieve his primary function, he needs the companionship, support and challenge inherent in every good marriage. Hashem wanted the children born to Adam and his future mate to be born from and raised by a father and mother. Interestingly, prior to the creation of woman, Hashem brought every species of animal – wild beast and…

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ויאמר לו ד' לכן כל הרג קין שבעתים יקם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5774

Hashem said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Kayin, before seven generations have passed he will be punished.” (4:15)

Kayin sinned egregiously, going down in history as the first murderer. He took the idyllic state of Gan Eden and transformed it into a killing field. What makes his deed all the more pernicious is the reason for the murder: jealousy. Instead of learning from Hevel’s act of offering a korban, sacrifice, from his choicest flocks, Kayin killed him. Envy does that to a person, blinding him from seeing what is usually a simple truth that could change his life. Instead, he kills the messenger. Kayin realized too late that he acted disastrously, but he repented. Hashem accepted Kayin’s teshuvah,…

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לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5773

It is not good that man be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him. (2:18)

The Torah clearly states that woman was created for the specific purpose of helping her husband. There are two ways to provide help for a person: the individual in need of assistance is aware of his need and understands that he cannot do it alone; the individual is unaware of his need– in fact, he thinks that he needs nothing and no one. In the latter circumstance, the helper must first make the individual aware of his own needs. Likewise, there are two forms of challengers and challenges. In one situation, the individual perceives the challenger as a threat and…

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לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5773

It is not good that man be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him. (2:18)

The Torah clearly states that woman was created for the specific purpose of helping her husband. There are two ways to provide help for a person: the individual in need of assistance is aware of his need and understands that he cannot do it alone; the individual is unaware of his need– in fact, he thinks that he needs nothing and no one. In the latter circumstance, the helper must first make the individual aware of his own needs. Likewise, there are two forms of challengers and challenges. In one situation, the individual perceives the challenger as a threat and…

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ויקרא ד' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5773

And G-d called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

Adam HaRishon was hiding from Hashem. Having committed the first sin, the very first deviation from a Heavenly command, primordial man was cringing with fear, filled with guilt and shame. Hashem turns to him and asks: Ayeca? “Where are you?” Clearly, this is a strange question coming from the omniscient Creator. If Hashem was trying to engage Adam in conversation, then this question is nothing more than an innocuous opportunity for Adam to explain himself. Otherwise, it does not seem to be insightful – especially knowing the Source. At first blush, the question was really focused on Adam’s hiding from…

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ואיבה אשית בינך ובין האשה ובין זרעך ובין זרעה הוא ישופך ראש ואתה תשופנו עקב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5773

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will pound your head and you will bit his heel. (3:15)

The Midrash HaNe’elam applies a homiletic rendering to this pasuk and uses it as a tactic for prevailing over the blandishments of the yetzer hora, evil inclination. The serpent/yetzer hora/symbol of evil seduces the Jew to trample on the mitzvos with his eikav, heel. The Jew is able to triumph over him by using his rosh, head, and applying himself to the study of Torah. Why the heel? I think it is because the yetzer hora knows that if the mitzvah “gets off the ground,” the Jew will study it and eventually embrace it. It is best not to take…

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כי עפר אתה ואל עפר תשוב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5773

For you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (3:19)

Chavah – and by extension every human being who followed after her – was meted with a grave punishment. Death, in its various forms, comes to all of us as a result of Chavah’s transgression. She ate from the forbidden fruit and so her life and that of all her future progeny was put on temporary status. Why was she given such a serious punishment? True, she transgressed Hashem’s command; and true, she had only one command to observe, but still, did she deserve death for that? Is it fair that one woman sins, and the entire world pays? I…

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ויקרא האדם שם אשתו חוה כי היא היתה אם כל חי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5773

And the man called his wife’s name Chavah, because she had become the mother of all the living. (3:20)

One mitzvah – that is all Adam HaRishon had to observe. Hashem had commanded him not to eat from the Eitz Hadaas, Tree of Knowledge. It should have been easy to observe this one single mitzvah. Apparently, nothing is as simple as it seems. We have no idea of the guile of the serpent, nor can we perceive the pleasing nature of Adam. His wife had fallen under the serpent’s spell, and Adam deferred to his wife. Everything is relative. We can neither fathom the spiritual plateau of primordial man and woman, nor can we appreciate the depth of evil…

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והארץ היתה תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהום. ויאמר אלקים יהי אור ויהי אור...ויבדל אלקים בין האור ובין החשך.

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Bereishis, 5772

When the earth was astonishingly empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep… G-d said, “Let there be light,” and there was light… And G-d separated between the light and the darkness. (1:2,3,4)

Contrary to popular belief, the darkness of which the Torah speaks is not merely the absence of light. It is a specific creation, as it is clearly stated in Yeshayahu 45:7, Yotzeir ohr u’borei choshech – oseh shalom u’borei ra. “(I am the One) Who forms light and creates darkness, Who makes peace and creates evil.” The Midrash comments, “Great is peace, for Hashem did not commence His creation of the world with anything other than something which represents peace. What is this? It is light.” The Midrash goes on to cite the pasuk in Yeshayahu. We must endeavor to…

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וייצר ה' אלקים את האדם עפר מן האדמה ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים ויהי האדם לנפש חיה

And Hashem Elokim formed the man of dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life; and Man became a living being. (2:7)

ויאמר ד' אלקים לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו

Hashem Elokim said, “It is not good that man be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him.” (2:18)

ויאמר לו ד' לכן כל הרג קין שבעתים יקם

Hashem said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Kayin, before seven generations have passed he will be punished.” (4:15)

לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו

It is not good that man be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him. (2:18)

לא טוב היות האדם לבדו אעשה לו עזר כנגדו

It is not good that man be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him. (2:18)

ויקרא ד' אלקים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה

And G-d called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (3:9)

ואיבה אשית בינך ובין האשה ובין זרעך ובין זרעה הוא ישופך ראש ואתה תשופנו עקב

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will pound your head and you will bit his heel. (3:15)

כי עפר אתה ואל עפר תשוב

For you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (3:19)

ויקרא האדם שם אשתו חוה כי היא היתה אם כל חי

And the man called his wife’s name Chavah, because she had become the mother of all the living. (3:20)

והארץ היתה תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהום. ויאמר אלקים יהי אור ויהי אור...ויבדל אלקים בין האור ובין החשך.

When the earth was astonishingly empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep… G-d said, “Let there be light,” and there was light… And G-d separated between the light and the darkness. (1:2,3,4)

YEARS

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