This Shabbat we will be commencing a new cycle of the Torah, starting with sefer Breishit, parshat Breishit.
There is a misconception that nothing existed before Breishit, but this is not true. Obviously HKB"H existed before Breishit, He has always existed and He always will. We know very little about the reality before Breishit, except from a few glimpses that Chazal give us, for example in the Gemara (Shabbat 88b), where it tells us that the Torah was created 974 generations before Breishit.
Breishit is a unique sefer in many respects, but perhaps the most striking feature of sefer Breishit is that it contains very few mitzvot, compared to the other four Chumashim. Sefer HaChinuch says that out of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah, only three appear in sefer Bresihit – פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה, בְּרִית מִילָה, אִסּוּר אֲכִילַת גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה.
We know that the Torah is a book of mitzvot and in fact Rashi (Breishit 1, 1), quoting an (unknown) Midrash in the name of R' Yitzchak, says that the Torah should have begun with the first mitzva given to Am Yisrael - הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם (שמות יב, א).
Every Shabbat and Chag, in Shacharit we say הַלֵּל הַגָּדוֹל (Tehilim 136), written by David HaMelech. Actually, it is a machloket in the Gemara (Pesach 118b) where opinions vary regarding which mizmorim are included in הַלֵּל הַגָּדוֹל, but according to all the opinions mizmor קל"ו is for sure part of it.Aside from some communities in Italy, the halacha is to say only mizmor קל"ו.
הוֹדוּ לַה' כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
הוֹדוּ לֵא-לֹקֵי הָאֱלֹהִים (הַמַּלְאָכִים) כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
הוֹדוּ לַאֲ-דֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים (כּוֹכָבִים וְהַמַּזָּלוֹת) כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְעֹשֵׂה נִפְלָאוֹת גְּדֹלוֹת לְבַדּוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְעֹשֵׂה הַשָּׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְרֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת בַּיּוֹם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
אֶת הַיָּרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים לְמֶמְשְׁלוֹת בַּלָּיְלָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְמַכֵּה מִצְרַיִם בִּבְכוֹרֵיהֶם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
וכו'
The most interesting part of this mizmor is what is missing from it. It begins praising HKB"H Who predated everything, and then begins to list the stages of Creation – Heaven, earth, sun, moon, stars …Then suddenly it skips to the tenth plague of מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת just prior to יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם!
Hang on a second, what about all the things that happened betweencreation of the sun, moon and stars and יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם? If we are praising HKB"H, then why not also include –
לְעֹשֵׂה הָאָדָם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
הַמַּצִּיל אֶת נֹחַ מֵהַמַּבּוּל כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֶת אַבְרָהָם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְמַרְאֵה הָאַיִל בָּעֲקֵדָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְמַצִּיל יַעֲקֹב מִיָּד עֵשָׂו כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְעֹשֵׂה שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שְׁבָטִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
לְמַמְלִיךְ יוֹסֵף עַל מִצְרַיִם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ.
Even in the stages of Creation this mizmor omits the creation of light (day 1) and flora (day 3). You can say that light is part of הוֹדוּ לַה' כִּי טוֹבbecause it says וַיַּרְא אֱ-לֹקִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב and that plants, grasses, trees are all part and parcel of the earth לְרֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם. However, there is no way you can explain away the total omission of sefer Breishit almost in this mizmor. It skips straight from the sun, moon and stars … directly to sefer Shmot, without even the smallest mention of everything that took place in sefer Breishit.
By skipping straight to sefer Shmot, mizmor קל"ו seems to be corroborating R' Yitzchak's opinion in the Midrash that the Torah should have begun with הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם. However, as we know, it did not - it begins davka with (the entire) sefer Breishit.
Rashi (Breishit 1, 1), explains why. According to Rashi, the reason the Torah begins with Breishit, is – to establish Am Yisrael's claim to Eretz Yisrael.
From this we learn that before the Torah starts to delve into the mitzvot, the halacha (which is the עִיקַּר of the Torah), certain preliminary foundation principles must be established. Without establishing these foundation principles, it is impossible to begin studying halacha, because halacha is derived from these foundation principles. Unless these foundation principles exist, halacha is meaningless, it is like a tree (עֵץ הַחַיִּים) without roots. If a tree has no roots, any strong wind can blow the tree away and it ceases to exist.
One of these foundation principles is Am Yisrael's connection with Eretz Yisrael, as in Rashi above.
The next foundation principle which precedes halacha, is mentioned in the Midrash –
עֶשְׂרִים וְשִׁשָּׁה דּוֹרוֹת קָדְמָה דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב "לִשְׁמֹר אֶת דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַחַיִּים" (בראשית ג, כד). "דֶּרֶךְ" – זוֹ דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ "עֵץ הַחַיִּים" – זוֹ תּוֹרָה. (ויקרא רבה פרשה ט', פסקה ג')
The Midrash says that 26 generations before the Torah was given on Har Sinai, it was preceded by Derech Eretz.
What does Derech Eretz mean?
According to some Mefarshim (Maharal דרך החיים פרק ב, משנה ב; Netivot Olam נתיב דרך ארץ, סוף פרק א; Likutei Moharan תניינא, תורה ע"ח) it refers to paranasa and an occupation. As it says in the Mishna (Avot 3, 17) אִם אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אֵין תּוֹרָה. Unless a person has a source of income, he will not be able to study Torah. The Mishna also brings the converse - אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, unless one studies Torah, he will not merit a parnasa. This symbiotic relationship between Torah and parnasa is explored in greater depth in sefer Meir Panim (פרק יג, קמא-קמב).
The more prevalent interpretation of Derech Eretz, however (Tzror HaMor פרשת וזאת הברכה "ואמר איש הא-לקים", Abarbanel פרשת בראשית "ולכן היותר נראה לי") is that it refers to integrity, midot and musar.
Using the second opinion, our Midrash above (referring to the 26 generations before Matan Torah) laid the foundation principle of Derech Eretz - integrity, midot and musar. In other words, the entire sefer Breishit is not about halacha, it is about Derech Eretz.
Adam's lack of Derech Eretz when he ate from the עֵץ הַדַּעַת. Noach's lack of Derech Eretz when he failed to plead for his generation that was destroyed in the flood. Avraham's Derech Eretz when he welcomed guests into his אֶשֶׁל and provided them with food and drink and not just the bare minimum, but rare delicacies, like tongue in mustard sauce, running around, post-surgery, on a swelteringly hot day, waiting on them. Yitzchak's Derech Eretz when he allowed his evil son Eisav to live under his roof, despite his idol worshiping wives. Yaakov's Derech Eretz when he was reluctant to follow Rivka's bidding and impersonate Eisav and when he rebuked Shimon and Levi for not showing Derech Eretz in Schem. Rachel's Derech Eretz when she gave Leah the simanim to not shame her. Leah's Derech Eretz when she prayed that her 7th child would not be a son, but a daughter (Dina), so that Rachel would not be shamed that she had less children than the שֶׁפָּחוֹת. Yosef's Derech Eretz when he relinquished any personal credit for his interpretations of the dreams, attributing them entirely to HKB"H. And so on …
Sefer Breishit lays the foundation of דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ קָדְמָה לַתּוֹרָה. It became necessary when Adam HaRishon exhibited lack of Derech Eretz in Gan Eden. HKB"H had to wait 26 generations to allow mankind to reacquire that Derech Eretz, through the Avot, before resetting the world back to its state at Creation, at Matan Torah.
Sefer Breishit is the roots of the tree, the עֵץ הַחַיִּים. It is a preliminary foundation principle before the עִיקַּר of the Torah, the halachot, beginning with the first mitzva in the Torah הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם.
It is true that sefer Breishit has three mitzvot פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה, בְּרִית מִילָה, אִסּוּר אֲכִילַת גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה, but these were given to individuals. In order for them to become halacha, they had to be repeated at Har Sinai by Moshe Rabbeinu, only then did they receive halachic status.
The reason the Torah begins with the word בְּרֵאשִׁית is because the world was created for three things that are called רֵאשִׁית –
· The Torah, as it says ה' קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ (משלי ח, כח)
· Am Yisrael, as it says קֹדֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לה' רֵאשִׁית תְּבוּאָתו (ירמיהו ב, ג)
· Eretz Yisrael, as it says וְלָקַחְתָּ מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה (דברים כו, ב)
HKB"H's original intention (plan A) when He created the world was – immediately following Creation with halacha, like הַלֵּל הַגָּדוֹל, like R' Yitzchak's opinion that the Torah should have begun with הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם. This reflects Midat HaDin.
However, reality proved that this world cannot exist only on Midat HaDin. Adam HaRishon sinned and HKB"H added Midat HaRachamim (plan B), without which the world cannot exist. Yes, the Torah was and remains a primary reason the world was created, but without the precursor to the Torah, Derech Eretz, Midat HaRachamim, the world cannot exist.
This is reflected in the Mishna, masechet Avot, which is all aboutDerech Eretz – midot and musar.
The first Mishna in Avot is very much like הַלֵּל הַגָּדוֹל. It reflects Midat Hadin. It lists the lineage of the Torah from Moshe to אַנְשֵׁי כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה and continues הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַּלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה. It's all about the Torah and Din, it is like HKB"H's original intention (plan A).
Then we have the second Mishna in the name of Shimon HaTzaddik - עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים. It begins with the first 3 principles of "Reishit", Torah, Avodah (Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael serving HKB"H), but then adds a 4th element גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, in other words Derech Eretz, Midat HaRachamim. This second Mishna reflects the reality after Adam's sin (plan B). The entire remainder of masechet Avot then goes on to detail Derech Eretz and is in that sense - a mirror image of sefer Breishit.
You may ask "How can it be that Derech Eretz precedes the Torah? The Torah was created 974 generations before Creation and Adam's sin (plan B)?" This is true, however, before the Torah existed, HKB"H existed – and HKB"H is Derech Eretz!
The entire Torah is based on Derech Eretz, every single halacha, at its core – is based on Derech Eretz. How should one eat? How should one dress? How should one conduct business dealings? How should one wage war? How should one celebrate? All the myriad halachot emanate from a single source and question "What is the Derech Eretz way to do this?" How can I do this in the best way to glorify HKB"H, to reflect the Derech Eretz that He shows us? That is the foundation of every halacha. It is a precursor to the halacha, without a deep sense of Derech Eretz at its core, the halacha is unrooted – it is merely a technicality with no root. Such a halacha cannot persist, it will be blown away with the first strong wind. Only halacha with Derech Eretz at its core, will prevail for eternity.
Tonight and tomorrow we celebrate Simchat Torah, a different Simchat Torah than we have ever known, a Simchat Torah with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow. How do we deal with this seeming conflict?
In my previous shiur I touched upon the appropriate expression of Simcha and what true Simcha is. In this shiur I would like to add another layer on top of that and hopefully open our eyes to how we can give this year's Simchat Torah the reverence it deserves.
Before I made Aliyah, I lived in חוּץ לָאָרֶץ, in South Africa and like for everyone who lives in the Diaspora, the chagim are two days. The first day you had Shmini Atzeret and the second day was Simchat Torah, on separate days. Such a separation was much easier to deal with, that on Shmini Atzeret you said Yizkor and Tefilat HaGeshem, a more somber, formal agenda. On the second day you had Simchat Torah, which was pure celebration and joy.
One of the most difficult things for me to adjust to when making Aliyah was that Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are on the same day in Eretz Yisrael. All mixed into one day, you have the full spectrum of emotions, Yizkor, Simcha, the formality of Tefilat HaGeshem. How does one juggle all those emotions in one day.
I am using Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah as a case study, but in fact it epitomizes the essence of living in Eretz Yisrael in every other aspect as well. Living in the Kedusha of Eretz Yisrael distills and intensifies everything. Every aspect of life in Eretz Yisrael is more intense and less "laid back" than in חוּץ לָאָרֶץ. It is not the climate, the political situation, the people – it is the intrinsic holiness of this land that focuses and concentrates everything into a much sharper reality.
The answer to our question above is that we celebrate Simchat Torah this year, like we celebrate it every other year, joy mixed with sorrow, Yizkor mixed with dancing. Except this year both the sorrow and the Simcha are more intense. Each element has its allotted time in this incredibly "busy" day and in that allotted time we must focus more intensely on the sorrow and the joy.
When we say Yizkor, we must not only remember our loved ones who passed "naturally", but also our loved ones who passed "violently" in this last year of pogrom and war. I have not seen an official nusach of Yizkor from the Chief Rabbinate, but HaRav Yosef Tzvi Rimon שליט"א formulated this nusach (if another nusach has been formulated by the Chief Rabbinate that I am not aware of, I suggest you use that instead) –
יִזְכּוֹר אֱ-לוֹקים אֶת נִשְׁמוֹת בָּנָיו וּבְנוֹתָיו, וּבָהֶם בַּחוּרִים וּבַחוּרוֹת, עוֹלָלִים וּזְקֵנִים, טַף וְנָשִׁים, שֶׁנֶּהֶרְגוּ בְּאַכְזָרִיּוּת עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם בִּידֵי הַמְּרַצְּחִים הָעַרְבִים בְּטֶבַח שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה תשפ"ד,
וְנִשְׁמוֹת הַגִּבּוֹרִים וְהַגִּבּוֹרוֹת, חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הַהֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, לוֹחֲמֵי מִשְׁטֶרֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּתּוֹת הַכּוֹנְנוּת וּשְׁאָר כּוֹחוֹת הַבִּטָּחוֹן, הַחִלּוּץ וְהַהַצָּלָה, וְאֶזְרָחִים שֶׁחֵרְפוּ נַפְשָׁם וְנֶחְלְצוּ לְעֶזְרַת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיָּד צַר,
וְנִשְׁמוֹת כָּל גִּבּוֹרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר נָפְלוּ בְּמִלְחֶמֶת חַרְבוֹת בַּרְזֶל, וּבְכָל מִלְחֲמוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבְכָל הַפְּרָעוֹת וְהַתְקָפוֹת הַטֵּרוֹר שֶׁל הָאוֹיֵב הָעַרְבִי נֶגֶד יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּאָרֶץ וּמִחוּצָה לָהּ,
וְנִשְׁמוֹת כָּל לוֹחֲמֵי הַמַּחְתֶּרות שֶׁהֵבִיאוּ לִתְקוּמַת הָאֻמָּה וְהַמְּדִינָה וְלִגְאֻלַּת הָאָרֶץ בְּעֶזְרַת אֱ-לֹקֵי מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל.
מִנְּשָׁרִים קַלּוּ וּמֵאֲרָיוֹת גָּבֵרוּ. זֵכֶר עֲקֵדָתָם וּמַעֲשֵׂי גְבוּרָתָם לֹא יָסוּפוּ מֵאִתָּנוּ לְעוֹלָמִים. תִּהְיֶינָה נִשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם צְרוּרוֹת בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים עִם נִשְׁמוֹת אַבְרָהָם, יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, שָׂרָה רִבְקָה רָחֵל וְלֵאָה, וְעִם שְׁאָר גִּבּוֹרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּקְדוֹשָׁיו שֶׁבְּגַן עֵדֶן עַד עוֹלָם, וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.
אֵ-ל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, שׁוֹכֵן מְרוֹמִים, בְּרַחֲמָיו הָעֲצוּמִים יִזְכְּרֵם לְטוֹבָה עִם שְׁאָר צַדִּיקֵי עוֹלָם, וְיִנְקוֹם בְּיָמֵינוּ לְעֵינֵינוּ, וְעַל יְדֵי צְבָאֵנוּ, אֶת נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדָיו הַשָּׁפוּךְ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתוֹ: הַרְנִינוּ גוֹיִם עַמּוֹ כִּי דַם עֲבָדָיו יִקּוֹם, וְנָקָם יָשִׁיב לְצָרָיו וְכִפֶּר אַדְמָתוֹ עַמּוֹ.
בַּעַל הָרַחֲמִים יַסְתִּירֵם בְּסֵתֶר כְּנָפָיו לְעוֹלָמִים וְיִצְרוֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֶת נִשְׁמוֹתֵיהֶם, יִזְכּרֹ עֲקֵדָתָם, וְתַעֲמֹד לָנוּ וּלְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל זְכוּתָם.
אֶרֶץ אַל תְּכַסִּי דָּמָם וְאַל יְהִי מָקוֹם לְזַעֲקָתָם. בִּזְכוּתָם יָשׁוּבוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲחֻזָּתָם. ה' הוּא נַחֲלָתָם, בְּגַן עֵדֶן תְּהֵא מְנוּחָתָם, וְיָנוּחוּ בְשָׁלוֹם עַל מִשְׁכָּבָם, וְיַעַמְדוּ לְגוֹרָלָם לְקֵץהַיָּמִין, וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.
When we celebrate the Torah, we must similarly sing and dance with more intensity. I am not referring to jumping more wildly or singing louder, but rather to having more intense kavannah when we sing and dance that we focus more on what the celebration is truly for – for the glory of HKB"H and the Torah and less on "shtikim" and clowning around, like bouncing people on chairs etc. The Simcha must epitomize גִּלּוּ בִּרְעָדָה, the true Simcha on the Chag, as was reflected in the Simchat Beit HaShoeva celebration in the Mikdash.
However, by far the most important aspect of this year (and every year's) celebration of Simchat Torah, is that it must emanate from a core of Derech Eretz, deep respect for the feelings of others, especially the מִשְׁפָּחוֹת שַׁכּוּלוֹת, and the מִשְׁפְּחוֹת הַחֲטוּפִים.
B"H and בִּזְכוּת זֶה, Am Yisrael will emerge from this challenging year – stronger, with more Emunah, more resilience, more unity and more hope for our future בְּבִיאַת גּוֹאֵל צֶדֶק בבי"א
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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