DA'AS TORAH
“In the beginning, Hashem created …” (1:1)
The Torah starts with the letter “בּ”—beis, which is open to the left, to allude to the message that Torah she’bichsav should not be taken as something locked and sealed, but rather has to be “opened” in order to derive da’as Torah from it regarding issues which are not expressly addressed in it. This concept is also known as the “Fifth Shulchan Aruch”.
Of course, this process can only be undertaken by outstanding talmidei chachamim who have toiled in the holy Torah for many years with purity, employing the 48 means for acquiring Torah. The intellect of such exceptional individuals has become so pure, and their hearts so devoid of any personal interests, that they have become privileged to acquire da’as Torah.
This idea explains the juxtaposition between the last pasuk of the Torah and the first pasuk. The Torah ends with “… before the eyes of all Yisroel.” (Devarim 34:12), which, according to Rashi (ibid.), alludes to the incident where Moshe’s heart stirred him up to smash the luchos before their eyes. Moshe’s greatness in doing this lay in the fact that he used his da’as Torah to make a kal vachomer from Pesach (see Shabbos 87a). This sevara, which did not stem from anything contained expressly in the Torah she’bichsav, was based exclusively on Moshe Rabbeinu’s da’as Torah, and was powerful enough to overcome the luchos and smash them, with Hashem approving his act (see Gemara, ibid.).
HERETICS
“In the beginning, Hashem created …” (1:1)
The Gemara (Megillah 9a) says that in the Septuagint (the Targum HaShiv’im), when 70 Sages were forced by the Greeks to translate the Torah, the words Bereishis Bara Elokim were rendered as Elokim Bara Bereishis in Greek lest anyone should think that Bereishis is one divine power who created another one called Elokim (see Rashi, ibid.). Why, in fact, did the Torah at the very beginning use an ambiguous phrase, which seems to leave open the possibility for a heretical interpretation?
Someone who used to be religious once met Rav Chaim Brisker and told him that he had various questions about Hashem's conduct in this world. Rav Chaim replied that if he had questions, he would be willing to answer them, but he suspected that these so-called questions were not genuine ones, but rather excuses justifying his own conduct and lifestyle, and for such excuses he had no answers. In other words, heretics do not usually become what they are because of intellectual or theological doubts. It is rather a matter of character traits. Preferring to live an unbridled lifestyle without the yoke of Torah, they come up with supposed problems in order to justify their neglect or abandonment of religion.
Hashem wanted to start the Torah with a “בּ”—beis in order to teach us various lessons, and that was more important to Him than the danger of misleading potential apikorsim, because such psukim are in any case not the real cause of their heresy. Similarly, it says “… Let us make man …” (1:26), on which Rashi comments: “Even though they [the angels] did not assist Him in His creation, and there is an opportunity for the heretics to rebel, the Torah did not hesitate to teach proper conduct and the trait of humility that a great person should consult with and receive permission from a smaller one.”
The rule that a great person must consult with a smaller one is not limited to the judicial context. It teaches us that we should not live a self-centered existence, since we were created with talents, abilities, and positive qualities in order to share them with our fellow human beings, and assist them to the best of our abilities. Hashem considered this principle to be so important that it had to be emphasized, even at the risk of misleading potential heretics.
THE ORIGINS OF HERESY
The very existence of the sun and the stars, as well as the entire science of astronomy, points toward a Creator: see Rambam, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, end of chapter 4, but apikorsim (heretics) will still clothe their views with an intellectual veneer. In reality, the source of their outlook is negative character traits. Deep down they feel the emptiness of their lives, and seek to justify licentious behavior by citing sundry intellectual “problems” they claim to have detected with regard to leading a religious lifestyle. Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin noted that heresy, which denies the existence of Hashem, claiming that the only reality is nature, is so irrational that it can only be explained as a supernatural phenomenon created by Hashem. Rav Diskin added that much siyata diShmaya was needed to keep our distance from apikorsus, especially in the final period prior to the coming of Moshiach, when the powers of tumah increase, as they know that their end is near.
This week’s parsha teaches us that the entire creation is the handiwork of Hashem, Who supervises our lives with individual divine providence. We are totally dependent on Him, and must do our utmost to acquire immunity to the heretical views that are so pervasive in modern society, and to non-Jewish and anti-Torah views as a whole, and live with the awareness that we are constantly creating ourselves and continuing Hashem’s initial work of creation.
RIGHTS TO ERETZ YISROEL
In the beginning of G-d's creation (1:1). Rashi: “Said Rabbi Yitzchok: It was only necessary to begin the Torah from ‘This month is to you’ (Shemos 12:2), which is the first commandment that the Jews were commanded, so why did He commence with ‘In the beginning?’ Because of the pasuk ‘The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations’. For if the nations of the world should say to Jews, ‘You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations,’ they will reply, ‘The entire earth belongs to Hashem; He created it and gave it to whomever He deemed proper. When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us.’”
Since the Gentile nations in question deny the validity of the Torah, why would they listen to this argument? It would therefore appear that the answer cited by Rashi is not directed towards them, but rather towards us. When the nations will come to quarrel with us, we must strengthen our own faith in Hashem and realize that Eretz Yisroel belongs to Hashem, Who gave it to us in order to keep His mitzvos. If we remain strong in our faith, their arguments will automatically fall away, because their power to oppose us depends on the degree of our faith, and if we remain strong and cleave to Hashem, they have no power to do us any harm.
Rav Elchonon Wasserman said that based on natural premises it is very dangerous to live in Eretz Yisroel, surrounded as we are by enemies who hate us and thirst for our blood. Only by leading a life of Torah and kedushah can we live without fear, and be saved from their machinations. If, however, we follow the advice of our erring brethren by living the lifestyle of the Gentiles, then we have no right under the Torah to live here, and will be exposed to great dangers from our enemies.
STORIES ABOUT GEDOLIM
The above Rashi seems to belittle the importance of relating stories that have no halachic significance. However, Rav Moshe Schneider (Rav Sternbuch’s Rosh Yeshivah) would often relate stories about the Chofetz Chaim and other gedolim. Dayan Abramsky opposed this, arguing that learning Torah on its own was sufficient to acquire fear of Heaven. Rav Schneider responded that all of Sefer Bereishis consists of stories with moral messages, and we too should tell stories about gedolim, which arouse the desire to emulate them. However, Dayan Abramsky responded that the stories in Sefer Bereishis have halachic significance. In any case, Rav Schneider told Rav Sternbuch that he was still of the opinion that it was important to relate stories of gedolim which strengthen yiras Shamayim, and he continued with this practice.
FAITH AND HUMAN EFFORT
“And G-d made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars” (1:16). Rashi: They were created equal, but the moon was made smaller because it brought charges and said, “It is impossible for two kings to use the same crown.”
The moon’s punishment was measure for measure, because the basis of its sin lay in not having accepted Hashem’s conduct with unquestioning faith, and wanting the world order to correspond to its own understanding. Therefore, Hashem made the moon smaller in order to show what the world looks like when created beings do not accept Hashem’s conduct. However, although it became diminished, this punishment itself was its rectification, because its diminution led to a sanctification of the divine name, serving as a symbol that the world must be conducted solely on the basis of Hashem’s desire. Even today, several millennia after creation, scientists have still not managed to get to the bottom of all the wisdom inherent in creation, and each generation reveals new details of Divine wisdom.
GRATITUDE
“And the stars”: Because He diminished the moon, He increased its hosts, to appease it (Rashi, ibid.).
Even with the addition of the stars, the moon’s stature was still insignificant compared to the sun, so how was it appeased? The Ksav Sofer explains that by contemplating how small the stars are compared to itself, the moon was inspired to thank Hashem for not having been made as small as the stars. From now on, instead of feeling sorrow at its small stature compared to the sun, it felt grateful for not having been made as small as the stars.
Rav Moshe Schneider told Rav Sternbuch that he still remembered how, when he (Rav Schneider) was young, approximately 120 years ago, the students of the Vilna Gaon’s disciples would learn in the Vilna Gaon’s kloiz day and night. Their wives agreed that they would only come home on Shabbos. These great talmidei chachamim lived in abject poverty. Every Friday they would all visit the local hospital. In addition to praying for the recovery and welfare of the patients, and seeing how they could help them physically, the visitors also wanted to be exposed to people suffering from various diseases in order to increase their gratitude to Hashem for their own health, and thus strengthen their desire to pray fervently to Him to be spared such suffering in the future.
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