English translation — משיחות ש״פ בראשית (אסת תג דשמע״צ ושמח״ת)* ה׳תנש״א

The connection between Shabbos Bereishis and Simchas Torah is emphasized in the Torah reading - on Simchas Torah we begin reading Parshas Bereishis,

and we continue reading the entire Parshas Bereishis

(from its beginning to its end.

)

on Shabbos Bereishis.

And this connection is emphasized even more in the determination of this year - that the day of Simchat Torah

(outside the Land)

falls on the sixth day of the week,

and from it we immediately enter <without any interruption in between²)

into Shabbat Bereishit.

And in this determination, there is added extra emphasis also in the reading of the day of Simchat Torah - the account of the creation of the world in the six days of Genesis until "And it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day"⁵,

in which the completion and perfection of creation was made by Him,

and immediately afterward we continue "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished etc. and G-d completed on the seventh day etc."⁵.

And we must explain the content of the connection from Shabbat)

Parsha Bereishit for Shemini Atzeret:

The essence of Shemini Atzeret is emphasized in the parsha of

The offerings of the day

(in the Torah reading and prayer)

- "On the eighth day an assembly you shall have... and you shall offer... one bull, one ram..."⁶,

And it is brought in the Midrash: "You find that during the festival, Israel sacrifices."

.

Seventy bulls for the seventy nations.

.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Now sacrifice for yourselves,

On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly... and you shall offer... one bull, one ram..."⁷,

"Thus it is written: 'They shall be to you alone, and no strangers with you'",

"Israel and the King alone together."

And accordingly, we need to understand the reason that on Shemini Atzeret they read the beginning of Parshat Bereishit—namely, the 'heart of light',

when they are in the state and situation of "Israel and the King alone together."

(And it is obvious - in a state of complete separation from the worldx there is no place or relevance for reading the Torah regarding the creation of the entire world?!

And this astonishment is strengthened further in the details of the verses in the portion of Bereishis:

"In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, etc. And G-d said, 'Let there be light',"

And Rashi explains according to the simple meaning of the verse

("If you come to explain it according to its simple meaning, thus explain it")

"In the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, the earth was without form and void and darkness, and G-d said, 'Let there be light',

"And the verse does not come to teach the order of creation, etc.",

That is,

That it is explicit in the verse that at the beginning of creation the earth was void and desolate and darkness,

And only afterwards, "And G‑d said, Let there be light."

Shabbos Bereishis

(Isru Chag of Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah)

And based on this, it is even more puzzling that on Simchas Torah

(as the standing and state of "Yisrael and the King alone")

we read in the Torah

(not only about the creation of the world in general,

but)

about the creation of the world in a lowly manner—"and the earth was chaos and void and darkness"!

And one must add,

that this question is

(not only in relation to Simchas Torah,

but)

also in relation to Parshas Bereishis itself—for ostensibly,

since the Torah's subject is light,

as it is written in Torah Ohr,

should have begun the Torah with 'And G‑d said, "Let there be light"'⁵,

and not with 'In the beginning... and the earth was void and without form and darkness etc.'

(and only afterwards 'And G‑d said, "Let there be light"')

.

And it can be said,

that the explanation for this is hinted at in the beginning of the Torah portion Bereishis:

In explanation of the word "Bereishis"

(two Reishis)

Our Sages of blessed memory explained⁴ that the creation of the world is "for the sake of the Torah which is called⁵ 'the beginning of His way,' and for the sake of Israel who are called⁵ 'the beginning of His harvest'."

That is,

that the beginning of all matters is the Torah and Israel which preceded the world,

And in this itself — the precedence of Israel over the Torah

(When He says, 'Command the children of Israel, speak to the children of Israel,' He says

'I, Israel, preceded' )

,

And as is known"' that Israel is likened to the first fruits

("first fruits")

,

and the Torah is likened to the terumah

(Torah 40)

,

And the first fruits precede the terumah*'.

And since the purpose of the creation of the world

(which was created for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of Israel)

is that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place specifically in the lower realms"/ that the "lower realms" as they are in a state of "lower realms"

(not as they are elevated to the upper realms)

shall be a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He,

therefore, at the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, the earth was chaos, void, and darkness

("lower realms")

,

And only after this, "And G‑d said, Let there be light,"

which,

the essence and completeness of the matter of light is achieved through Torah and Israel

(for whose sake the world was created / through the service of Israel in the observance of the Torah and its commandments,

"A mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light,"

they illuminate the world to be a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He.

And from this it is understood that at the beginning of the portion of Bereishis is intimated the entire service: first of all — "Bereishis,"

stressing the excellence of Torah and Israel, which are called "first."

that preceded the world,

And this is the empowering for their service in the world - which was created for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of Israel,

For the sake of Israel's service in fulfilling the Torah and mitzvos, through which they make the world a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He; and afterwards,

When they come to actual service - the order is that "the earth was without form and void and darkness, etc." and afterwards through the Torah the concept of "Let there be light" is revealed - in accordance with the intent of creation to specifically make a dwelling place in the lower realms.

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

And there is to add,

that this order is also emphasized in the study of Torah - in accordance with the fact that Parshas Bereishis is the beginning of the Torah:

Our Sages said²² that a fetus.

.

in its mother's womb.

.

they teach him the entire Torah.

.

And when he comes into the air of the world, an angel comes and strikes him on his mouth and makes him forget the entire Torah.

And the explanation of this is known.

("Why do they teach him and then [the angel] causes him to forget?")

" - that the study of the entire Torah in his mother's womb is the giving of power for the study of Torah after he comes out into the world.

That is to say: the order of Torah study is that first there is the giving of power of studying the entire Torah in a manner that is above the world²⁴,

But when the study of Torah must be in the world - an angel comes,

.

and makes him forget the entire Torah\",

that is,

that he begins to learn Torah in a state of concealment and darkness

(in knowledge of Torah)

²⁵,

And through his service and exertion, the light of Torah is revealed within him

("Torah Ohr")

,

And he continues to add in study and knowledge of Torah step by step,

"At five years old [one should study] Scripture, at ten years old [one should study] Mishnah, etc."²⁴,

until the study and knowledge of the entire Torah.

And similarly in the study of every particular matter in Torah — that the beginning of study is in the Written Torah, and afterwards one learns the explanation in the Oral Torah,

that is in the Oral Torah.

.

It is a hidden and concealed statement that the verse did not explain how and what.

.

until the Torah of the Oral Law explained it

For example — in the mitzvah of taking the lulav on the festival of Sukkot, from which we derive — that in the Written Torah the names etrog,

lulav and the blood

(Names in the holy language / but in an obscure language•²: "Fruit of a beautiful tree, branches of date palms, and boughs of thick trees"²,

And there is need for study and debate in the Oral Torah to clarify that they are an etrog, lulav, and the blood•⁵.

Shabbat Bereishit

(The festival of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah)

And the reason for this - as mentioned - is that the entirety of the service is to make for Him, blessed be He, a dwelling place specifically in the lower realms,

And therefore,

Also in the study of Torah in the beginning world, it is in a manner of concealment and darkness,

both in relation to man

("makes him forget the entire Torah" / and they are in relation to the Torah itself

(Shabbat Teshuvah).

.

it is a closed and hidden discourse\")

׳?

Based on this, we must explain the content of the reading of the beginning of Parshat Bereishit on Simchat Torah day:

Simchat Torah is the conclusion and seal of the festivals of the month of Tishrei,

Initial letters³¹,

the seventh month,

the sated and satiating³³,

in which the absorption was made in the inner dimension

("Atzeret" from the term of absorption of the festivals of the previous years

[Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaBikkurim,

and the festival of Sukkot,

in which the matters that were drawn down on Rosh HaShanah are revealed.

(And it was like them?)

in a manner of covering and concealment,

And there is a zayta etc., and there is a date palm* and in it"

(with,

2. And even regarding "willows of the brook" -.

the growths by the brook.

.

I have only willows of the brook, from the valley and from the mountains his face? The verse says: willows of the brook in any place.

.

From the top of the peaks the growth between the mountains.

.

Take upon soft mouths his eyelid from there.

.

And perhaps the details are specified: "Take upon many waters and what is his eyelid in it?"

(Mem Lamed,

Po'el V'ayala.

"In concealment -

(revealed)

to our festival day"³⁵} in order to draw them down into the work in the world throughout the entire year.

Therefore: first and foremost, on Simchas Torah the virtue of Israel is emphasized

(in a manner of separation from the world)

- "It shall be a solemn assembly for you",

"They shall be yours alone, and no strangers with you",

"Israel and the King alone",

And furthermore,

The emphasis on the superiority of Yisrael that preceded even the Torah - as is known⁵ one of the explanations of 'Simchas Torah' that Yisrael make the Torah happy

(apparently tangibly in dancing with the Sefer Torah that Yisrael effect the dancing of the Torah)

because of their superiority that preceded the Torah;

And the emphasis on the superiority of Yisrael in a manner of separation from the world,

constitutes granting of strength for their service in the world - therefore we read on Simchas Torah

(also)

about the creation of the world,

And up to the creation of the world in a manner that “the earth was chaos, void, and darkness” and afterward “G‑d said, Let there be light” — since the intent of the creation of the world is that Israel, through the Torah, should make a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, specifically in the lower realms.

And in the aforementioned, additional emphasis was added on Shabbat Bereshit — a general Shabbat for the entire year’s achievements,

As is known the saying⁵⁷ “How one sets oneself up for Shabbat Bereshit, so goes the entire year”:

And in the introduction — that the addition on Shabbat Bereshit to the beginning of the reading of Parshat Bereshit on Simchat Torah,

is,

first and foremost in reading the entire portion from its beginning to its end

(and that they also read the beginning of Parshat Noach — on Shabbat Minchah / and also

(and the main point)

in the reading of the parshah, two

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

Scripture and one Targum,

including and especially studying the parshah with Rashi's commentary",

which,

"the reader³⁹.

.

Twice from Scripture and the third time he repeats and learns the entire portion with Rashi, which is built on the foundation of the Talmud, this is more beneficial than Targum which is

(Rashi)

explains more""*.

And this is one of the reasons for the custom that was practiced many years ago to study in depth

(one verse or topic in)

Rashi's commentary on the weekly Torah portion

[Based on the famous principle that Rashi writes in our portion*: "I have not come except for the simple meaning of the verse and the Aggadah that settles the words of Scripture in its proper way"²*,

including also the explanation of "wondrous matters"³* and "wine of Torah"** in Rashi's commentary,

As discussed many times/ and certainly this custom should be observed on Shabbat Bereishit,

in order to continue throughout the year

(without a vow/ as stated,

"How one sets oneself on Shabbat Bereishit, so goes the entire year."

And regarding our matter - it must be said,

that in the continuation and conclusion of Parshat Bereishit

(which is read entirely on Shabbat Bereishit)

until the beginning of Parshat Noach

(Pinches

In the Shabbos offering / and particularly in Rashi's commentary

(the simple meaning of the verse)

At the beginning and end of Parshat Bereishis and at the beginning of Parshat Noach,

The above-mentioned point regarding the entirety of the service is more emphasized,

Since the intention is to make for Him, blessed be He, a dwelling place in the lower realms,

therefore, the service begins in the world

(after the preliminary granting of power for the service)

Specifically in a state of concealment and hiding

("and the earth was formless and void and darkness"/ and through the work of man, light and revelation are made

("Let there be light"/ as follows.

At the beginning of Parshat Bereishit - Rashi explains:

"Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Torah should have begun only from 'This month shall be for you' which is the first mitzvah that Israel was commanded,

And why did He begin with Bereishit,

Because of 'the strength of His works He declared to His people, to give them the heritage of the nations⁵*'

That if the nations of the world say to Israel, 'You are robbers, for you conquered the lands of the seven nations,'

They say to them, 'All the earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He,'

He created it and gave it to whomever is upright in His eyes.

By His will He gave it to them, and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us.'

And we need to understand:

In order to refute the argument of the nations of the world to Israel, 'You are robbers' - it would have been better if the Holy One, blessed be He, had given the land to Israel from the outset,

and not given it first to the nations of the world,

and only afterwards take it from them and give it to them!

And furthermore, the main point: even after the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to give it to them first, and afterward to take it from them and give it to us,

And consequently, there is a need to respond to the claim of the nations of the world to Israel, 'You are robbers' - it is not necessary

(apparently)

that this response specifically should be at the beginning of the Torah

(Torah from the language of instruction**,

8'■

Shabbat Bereshit

(Isru Chag of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah)

Instruction to Bnei Yisrael themselves"/ but can be after several parshiyos,

And for example: at the Covenant Between the Parts, when Hashem promised, "To your seed I have given this land, etc., the Kenite, etc., and the Jebusite",

"ten nations"

And so forth

And according to what was stated above - we must say the explanation of this

(in the manner of a hint)

:

Just as the order of the entirety of creation is in the manner that "the earth was formless and void and darkness",

And afterwards, "And G-d said, 'Let there be light',"

So is the order regarding Eretz Yisrael - "to give them the inheritance of nations,"

that the intent is that Israel will make from "inheritance of nations*

(lower realms)

"Eretz Yisrael"

"a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He/ and therefore at first "He gave them"

(to the nations of the world)

,

And so because of this there is room

(according to Torah)

to the claim of the nations of the world to Israel, "You are robbers who conquered the lands of the seven nations,"

since at first it was "the inheritance of nations".

And the answer to this claim - "The entire land belongs to the Holy One, blessed is He,

He created it and gave it to whomever is upright in His eyes": meaning that the creation of the entire land is to give it "to whomever is upright in His eyes" - to Israel,

as it is written, "He declared the power of His works to His people,"

"In the beginning.

.

Because of Israel who are called "first",

But that "by His will" that the giving to Israel will be in a manner that Israel will make from "the inheritance of the nations" the Land of Israel⁵²,

"By His will He gave it to them, and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us."

And this is also the reason

(that)

opens

(the Torah)

"In the beginning"

Even though "the Torah did not need to begin except from 'This month is for you,' which is the first commandment that Israel was commanded" — that even in the study of Torah in this world, the concept of "to give them the inheritance of nations" is emphasized.

"He gave to them" and afterwards "He took from them and gave to us".

a dwelling place in the lower realms,

that the order of Torah study begins in a manner of concealment and darkness,

and afterwards comes light and revelation

(as above, sec. 3)

.

And we must add and explain also the hint in mentioning the name of the author of the maamar

[Even though Rashi's way is to state the plain meaning of the verse without mentioning the name of the author of the maamar\",

unless there is a need to hint at an answer to an additional question that arises from a sharp student⁵⁴]

- "Said Rabbi Yitzchak":

And in the introduction - that we find in Rashi's commentators⁵⁵ that in the mentioning of the name of the author of the maamar

("Said Rabbi Yitzchak")

Rashi's intention to hint in the opening of his commentary the name of his father

(Rashi - acronym for Rabbeinu Shlomo Yitzchaki",

named after his father whose name was Yitzchak/ due to honoring his father"⁵

(And 'AV"B' - a father who emitted seed to give birth to raise and educate a son like Rashi)

.

But,

this explanation is not entirely clear - because,

according to the well-known greatness of Rashi's precision in the rule "I have only come for the plain meaning of the verse",

not missing and not adding,

Superficially, it is not plausible that Rashi would add "Said Rabbi Yitzchak"

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

not for the sake of understanding the plain meaning of the verse,

but rather only to hint at his father's honor*/

[And to note that the use of the name of the author of the discourse

(not for the sake of explaining the plain meaning of the verse,

but rather)

so that Rashi will fulfill honoring his father - in the finest of fine details, this is from him and analogous to the concept of "You are robbers"]

.

And it may be said,

That in the matter of honoring a father, in mentioning the name of the author of the maamar, there is hinted an additional explanation in the response to the nations' claim to Israel, "you are thieves" — "All the land belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He,

He created it and gave it, etc.,"

As follows.

And it will be understood by prefacing the explanation of the novelty in the response of Israel to the nations: "They say to them, "All the land belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He,"

He created it, etc." — for at first glance: since even the nations⁵ know and understand with their intellect that there is a Creator of the world,

For the simple intellect* compels and forces that nothing can make itself - so there is no place from the outset for the claim of the nations of the world to Israel 'You are thieves,' that Israel would need to reply to them 'All the land belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He, etc.'?!

And the explanation of this:

Even though the nations of the world know and understand with their intellect that there is a Creator of the world,

nevertheless,

their intellect does not compel that the Creator of the world is the Holy One, blessed be He

(the G-d of Israel)

specifically¹*,

and especially that this is only the matter of partnership

(And particularly according to the opinions that the Noachides were not warned at all about partnership [with G‑d])

⁶³ who believe in the Holy One, blessed be He, but say that it is proper to give honor to the stars and constellations, from which the nations of the world receive their influence,

as it is written: ** "which the L-rd your G‑d has allotted to all the peoples,"

"that were given to the rulers"⁶⁵.

And since in the opinion of the nations of the world there is partnership, even to the extent of rule and authority other than Him, may He be blessed — there is room for their claim against Israel: "You are robbers, for you have conquered the lands of the seven nations,"

since from the perspective of the stars and constellations

(the limitations of nature)

the land is "the inheritance of the nations"*⁶.

And regarding this, Yisroel respond to the nations of the world

("They say to them")

"The entire earth is Hashem's,

He created it and gave it etc.": Yisroel says and explains to the nations of the world that the truth is that the entire earth is Hashem's alone,

since "He created it and gave it etc.,"

He alone,

without the partnership of any other existence besides Him, blessed be He,

because,

All the stars and constellations through which influence is drawn into the world have no dominion at all, G-d forbid,

And they are merely like an ax in the hand of the one who hews with it,

And therefore the claim of "you are robbers" is nullified,

since such is the will of

Shabbat Bereishit

(Isru Chag of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah)

the Holy One, blessed be He,

the Creator of the world,

that He gave it to whomever is upright in His eyes,

By His will He gave it to them,

and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us.

And one could say,

that Rashi hints at the explanation in the negation of partnership

(the content of Israel's response to the argument of the nations of the world)

in honoring the father, etc., the mention of the name of the author of the Maamar:

Regarding the matter of honoring father, it is stated in the Gemara⁷* "the verse equates honoring father and mother to honoring the Omnipresent."

.

And similarly regarding the law

(that they are linked to honor)

that all three are His partners.

.

Three partners in a person: Hashem, his father, and his mother."

And at first glance: equating the honor of father and mother to the honor of Hashem because of their partnership in creating the person is itself the essence of the concept of partnership,

Chas v'Shalom,

that one must honor the stars and constellations just as one honors the Holy One, blessed be He, because of their partnership in influencing the world

(even though they receive their power from the Holy One, blessed be He,

just as the father and mother receive their power from the Holy One, blessed be He)

?!

And the explanation of this•* - that father and mother have free will,

and therefore they are a cause for the existence of the person,

and therefore they are called 'partners',

and because of this the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded to honor them

And until he equated their honor to his own honor

,

But the stars and constellations, which are not endowed with free will,

But like an axe in the hand of the hewer,

It is not applicable to call them "partners",

And one should not honor them or esteem them.

And one may add to this in greater depth — also regarding the connection and relevance to the content of the name of the author of the discourse

(In addition to the matter of honoring father/ "Said Rabbi Yitzchak"•*:

And as an introduction - that the answer regarding the partnership of father and mother because they possess free will

(as above, sec. 8)

is insufficient,

because,

the opinion of the worshipers

of the stars, because they think that the stars have free will,

is

(not only a mistake and foolishness,

but also)

heresy in His unity, may He be blessed,

And the explanation of this - that the commandment of honoring father and mother is specifically a positive commandment from the Torah to Israel

(but among the nations of the world this is only a detail in the settlement of the world•⁷/ and since Israel are "a part of G-d from above literally"■⁷,

As,

the essence, when you grasp a part of it you grasp its entirety⁷⁷,

and to the extent that "Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one"⁷³ - therefore their "partnership"

(In the creation of man - 'three partners in man,'

And more than this - in the entirety of creation,

as our sages said*⁷ 'a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of creation')

From the perspective of their choice⁷⁵ it is not in contradiction to His unity.

And it can be said,

That this matter is hinted at by Rashi in the name of the author of the maamar - 'Yitzchak' - as known that 'Yitzchak' is connected with

(and alludes to)

the perfection of the future to come*⁷,

so that they will see in actuality and revelation that 'Yisrael and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one'

and they will see in actuality and revelation that through the service of Yisrael, the world becomes a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He,

to the extent that there is no existence other than Him, blessed be He,

"There is none beside Him"⁷⁷,

and to the nullification

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

of 'There is none else'⁷⁸,

except for the reality of 'Yisrael and the King'

(All is one)

in His unity alone."

And based on this, one can say,

that in "Rabbi Yitzchak said" Rashi hints at the giving of power to the entirety of the service of Israel in the world

(along the lines of the hint in "Bereishit",

with 'two' beginnings,

Torah and Israel,

for whose sake the world was created,

as above, ibid.)

— who know from the outset about the ultimate perfection of the future to come

("Yitzchak")

that is accomplished through our actions and our service⁷.

And so too regarding Torah study: at the beginning of studying Rashi's commentary

(the simple meaning of the verse)

is hinted the perfection of Torah study in the future to come

("Yitzchak")

- "A new Torah will go forth from Me"⁸,

"From Me" precisely,

from His very essence and being, may He be blessed,

incomparable to the level of the Torah that "begins with Bereishis,"

according to the value of the world,

and this is the enabling power for the study of Torah in the manner of "begins with Bereishis"

(in the manner that one teaches the entire Torah before he goes out to the world,

as above, page 3)

.

And in this matter, there is added even more at the conclusion of the portion

(in the section of the seventh [Aliyah] and the Maftir)

—"And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, etc., and the Lord regretted that He had made man, and He was grieved in His heart":

The novelty at the conclusion of the portion regarding the beginning of the portion — that in addition to the fact that the beginning of creation was in a manner of 'tohu and bohu and darkness,'

the absence of light

(and only afterwards 'And God said, Let there be light' / there is added even more in the matter of darkness through this that 'the wickedness of man was great in the earth',

which,

also this matter was in the intention of creation,

as explained in Rashi's commentary: ״the Holy One, blessed be He, foresees the future.

.

Although

that it is revealed before Him that they will eventually sin.

.

He did not refrain from creating them for the sake of the righteous who would descend from them".

And the explanation in this - that also in the matter of sin there is intention and purpose - for the sake of the virtue of repentance,

that through it "intentional sins become for him like merits"⁸²,

"merits" literally,

and even to a type of "merits" loftier than ordinary "merits"⁸³

(of the righteous⁸⁴)

- for in this is further emphasized the virtue of a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms,

in a lower being that there is no lower below it.

And we must add to the explanation of Rashi's commentary, "And this I wrote in response to the heretics,"

A certain heretic⁸⁵ asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korchah,

He said to him: Do you not admit that the Holy One, blessed be He, foresees the future?

He said to him: Yes.

He said to him: But it is written, "And it grieved Him to His heart"?

He said to him,

A son was born to you, etc. At the time of joy, joy, etc.

He said to him: Such is the conduct of the Holy One, blessed be He, etc.' - for at first glance it needs to be understood⁸⁴:

Rashi's approach is to explain the plain meaning of the verse to a five-year-old studying Scripture,

and not to write "responses to heretics,"

the concept of "Know⁸⁷ what to answer an Epicurean"?

Conversely: the question on the verse "And the Lord regretted etc. and He was grieved at His heart"

(How can one say the above

Shabbos in Demmett

(Asaru-Chag of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah)

And 7

Regarding the Holy One, blessed be He, Who sees what will be born)

It is a simple question for a five-year-old studying Chumash,

And if so,

Rashi should have explained the matter

("Even though it is revealed before Him, etc.")

Without first stating that this is an answer to the question of an "apikoros" - something that would cause confusion in the mind of a Jewish child: How could it possibly enter his mind a question of an apikoros, Heaven forbid?!

And we must say the explanation in this,

Since Rashi needs to answer the question that arises in the simple meaning of the verse,

He answers in a way that through it a fundamental concept in the education of a child of five for Scripture is emphasized — that when he asks a question about such matters,

There is a distinction from one extreme to the other between the style of his question

(the question of a Jewish child)

and that same question as asked by an apostate:

The manner of the question of the apostate — "Do you not admit that the Holy One, blessed be He, foresees the future.

.

And it is written 'and He was grieved to His heart' - this is in a manner of heresy,

Who 'proves' from that which is said 'and He was grieved to His heart' that it is impossible to say that the Holy One, blessed be He, foresees the future;

But a Jewish child asks in the opposite style: It is clear and absolute to him with certainty that the Torah is truth,

Moses is truth and his Torah is truth,

And it is clear to him without any doubt that the Holy One, blessed be He, foresees the future, etc.,

Rather, he wants to understand it

(in his intellect)

what is the explanation for the change of mind of the Holy One, blessed be He,

What is the reason that brought about the change in the Holy One, blessed be He's, thought,

And so forth.

And with this, Rashi teaches

(Acronym: Teacher of Israel,

beginning from the children of Israel,

children of five for Scripture)

A lesson for every teacher and educator - to pay attention to the style of speech and questioning of the student and the disciple, that it be with caution from any matter that has a hint and trace or dust of opinions that are not in the spirit of faith,

And if he finds, Heaven forbid, an undesirable matter,

he must be in the category of "Rabbi Yehoshua"

(as hinted in the mention of the name of the Baal

the maamer**/ by the name of Hashem He will save you",

to endeavor and do everything dependent on him

(the educator)

in order to extend to him

(the educated one)

,

Through this he will awaken him regarding the caution from the milk of a non-Jew",

And so forth in other matters due to which unwanted thoughts can fall to him.

And in continuation of the conclusion of Parshat Bereishit - we come to the beginning of Parshat Noach

(which is read on the Shabbat of Bereishit during Mincha)

:

In the conclusion of Parshat Bereishit it is emphasized

(mainly)

The purpose of the descent of the world is that 'the wickedness of man was great in the earth, etc.'

To such an extent that 'the L-rd regretted that He had made man, etc., and the L-rd said, I will blot out man, etc.'

And only in the last verse is it stated, 'But Noach found grace in the eyes of the L-rd.'

In the manner of Rashi's commentary, that 'He was not prevented from creating them (the world) for the sake of the righteous who were destined to descend from them.'

And in Parshas Noach it is emphasized

(primarily)

the ascent that is made after the descent of 'the wickedness of man was great in the earth, etc.' - 'These are the generations of Noach, Noach was a righteous man, etc.'

that 'he saw a new world'

in a manner higher than the world that was at the beginning of creation,

akin to and in the pattern of the state and condition of the future to come"

("new heavens and a new earth")

.

And based on this, we can also explain Rashi's commentary on the verse "These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man,"

Sefer HaSichos - Hisvaaduyos

who explains

(in the second explanation)

"To teach you that the main offspring of the righteous are good deeds" - at first glance it is not understood: what is Rashi's necessity to remove the word "offspring" from its plain meaning?

(sons) and to explain that "the main offspring of the righteous are good deeds"?

And one cannot answer that since the sons of Noah were already enumerated at the end of Parshat Bereishit

("And Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth") we must say that the verse "These are the offspring of Noah" comes to add something new,

"To teach you that the main offspring of the righteous are good deeds" - for we also find regarding Adam "This is the book of the offspring of Adam" after the details of the events concerning Adam's sons were already stated,

And despite this,

Rashi does not explain that by "offspring of Adam" it refers to "good deeds",

And what is different about "offspring of Noah"?

And one could say,

that Rashi's necessity to explain here that 'the main offspring of the righteous are good deeds',

is,

from the word "these"

(generations of Noah, Noah a righteous man)

"*י:

Known is the rule also in Rashi "Any place it says 'these' it disqualifies the previous ones",

as is understood also in the simple meaning of the verse that 'these' indicates the beginning of a new matter.

And it can be said,

that in 'These are the generations of Noah' is also included the novelty

('he disqualified the earlier ones')

Regarding 'the generations of Noah' itself - what is written at the end of the chapter like the beginning 'And Noah begot the brother of Shem, Ham and Japheth',

This is part of all 'the generations of Adam' before the flood,

And what is written in the portion of Noah 'And Noah begot three sons etc.',

This is a new matter that belongs to 'These'

('he disqualified the earlier ones')

"The generations of Noach, Noach was a righteous man" - "the main product of righteous people are good deeds,"

That is,

that also "and Noach begot three sons"

(the literal generations of Noach)

is part of "the main product of righteous people are good deeds,"

that they raise and educate righteous children through whom there will be the existence of a "new world"

In the above there is also a lesson and instruction relevant to our time - after the conclusion of the year 5750,

"May it be a year of miracles",

And at the beginning of the year Tansha'iy,

"May it be a year of 'I will show him wonders'":

In our time, miracles and wonders are occurring throughout the world

(up to "great wonders"¹,

and not only in the manner of "Who alone does great wonders",

that "the master of the miracle does not recognize his miracle"²,

but also)

In a manner visible to all - a semblance and example and preparation for the miracles and wonders of the future redemption that will come immediately and swiftly,

Regarding this it is said³: "As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders."

Shabbos Bereishis

(Isru Chag of Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah)

And as an example:

In large and powerful countries, the orders of government and regime are changing for the good,

"good, justice, and honesty" - a semblance and example and preparation for the correction and perfection of the world in the days of Moshiach,

Including regarding Bnei Yisrael - granting freedom in everything related to matters of Judaism,

Torah and its mitzvos,

until the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Jews to freedom - a semblance, example, and preparation for the ingathering of the exiles

(in the manner of "those who taste it merit life"⁵•')

in the days of Moshiach;

the events in the Persian Gulf - from the signs of the Geulah,

as our Sages said regarding "kingdoms provoke each other etc.,"

and more specifically - "the king of Persia

(which simply refers to the area that includes all of Iraq)

[He] provokes an Arab king, etc., and all the nations of the world are shaken and panicked, etc.,

And He says

(the Holy One, blessed be He)

to them

(to Israel)

.

.

Do not fear, the time of your redemption has arrived."•"׳,

And continues and concludes: “At the time when the King Moshiach comes, he stands on the roof of the Holy Temple and proclaims to Israel: ‘Humble ones, the time of your redemption has arrived.’”

And on the other hand – in these days, the nations of the world gathered

(seventy nations)

in the manner of “Why do nations rage and peoples plot?”

to claim against Israel: “You are thieves, etc.”

not only regarding Gaza or Samaria,

but also

(and to all the heads)

Regarding Judah, including Jerusalem,

the capital city of the Land of Israel,

“Kiryat Chanah David”•” - in it

At a time when everyone knows the answer to this claim, which is explicit at the beginning of Rashi's commentary on the Torah: "The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed is He,

He created it and gave it to whomever is upright in His eyes.

.

He gave it to us".

[And amazingly - included in this were also countries whose way it is to strive and do all that depends on them for the sake of justice and fairness in the world,

As they also saw in their conduct regarding the events in the Persian Gulf in a manner required by justice and integrity

(to prevent a situation of robbery from one another,

nation from nation, etc. / for also in this matter they behaved in an undesirable manner towards Bnei Yisrael /

And one must say the explanation in this

(that this undesirable event occurred specifically during a period when open miracles are seen)

- along the lines mentioned above that the order in the world is in a manner of concealment and darkness,

and only afterward does the revelation of light occur,

and from this it is understood that one should not be impressed by that which "nations raged, and peoples plotted,"

since this is nothing but "emptiness"

(as the conclusion of the verse/ "all their agitation.

.

to emptiness""׳,

since "He who sits in heaven laughs, the Lord mocks them""׳,

and therefore the Children of Israel stand with all strength in everything related to the completeness of the Land of Israel

(and certainly in regard to Jerusalem/ knowing that "the entire land belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He,

He created it.

.

And He gave us".

And it can be said even more - that the concept of "Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples utter vanity?" itself is one of the signs of the Redemption,

As Rashi says that "our Sages expounded" the matter about the King Moshiach".

And may it be His will, and this is the main point - that after all the signs of the Redemption, there will come already and immediately the true and complete Redemption in actual reality,

"As in the days of your departure from the land of Egypt, I will show you wonders,"

that then there will be the completion of the concept of "a new world,"

"rest

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

for the upper realms and rest for the lower realms"³"

And in a manner that "they shall not harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain"⁴"

For the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the L-rd as the waters cover the sea"⁵".

Sefer HaSichos - 5751