\u05d1\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d9\u05ea\u2026”In the beginning\u2026\u201d (1:1) \u201cWhy does the Torah start with the letter beit, the second letter of the Hebrew alef-beit, rather than with the first letter, alef?\u201d my Torah teacher asked, when I was in Kitah Vav (6th grade)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Torah consists of two parts, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The Torah starts with the second letter “Beit” to remind us that the Torah in fact consists of two parts. In addition, The Written Torah starts with the word \u201cbereishit,\u201d and the Oral Torah starts with the word \u201cmei\u2019ei\u2019matai\u201d \u05de\u05d0\u05d9\u05de\u05ea\u05d9 Thus, the first letters of the Written and Oral Torah spell the word \u201cbam\u201d \u05d1\u05dd This alludes to what our sages tell us on the words \u201cvedibarta bam\u201d \u201cand you shall speak of them.\u201d A person should use his speech and conversation for the study of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah and not for idle or forbidden talk. As I grew older and wiser I got it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the beginning\u2026\u201d I was born and raised in Israel, and during my last two years of high school, my major graduate subjects were English and Tanach. I always liked to study Tanach. At a very young age I had a strong feeling the Tanach was a
very special book, and I knew I can learn a lot from it. I also intuitively knew there are many layers and different levels of understanding to each story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I still remember the day I\u2019ve received my very first Torah book. I was in 2nd grade. We went on a field trip to Chabad in B\u2019nei brak, it was a beautiful sunny day, it was a very special day, a mile stone if you will, at the tender age of 7, I felt like I was a grown up \u2026 I was dressed in a white denim suit, I was happy to receive my book, in a special ceremony, THE BOOK that holds the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me G-d! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Torah begins with the creation story, or should I say the creation stories because there are in fact two versions of how the creation happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During high school I needed G-d\u2019s help. I had a rude awakening when during Tanach classes, out of the blue, I realized there is more than one creation story. Wait a second\u2026 what?! What do you mean?! shockingly I asked my teacher\u2026.but I thought\u2026 so which creation story is the \u201creal\u201d one?! I was confused. I felt betrayed. How can there be more than one creation story? Is there more than one truth? In retrospect it was a sign I had what it takes to become a rabbi; questioning and arguing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first version<\/strong> is the one we are most familiar with, it talks about the world being created in six days, with human beings created at the end of the sixth day, and G-d resting on the seventh day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The second version<\/strong> does not mention days, and man is created on the first day, and everything else is created after. The one part that most people are familiar with from this version is the part about Eve being created from Adam’s rib. The Midrash writes that when G-d consulted with his angels in creating man, the angels asked, “What is man’s nature?” G-d responded that man is greater in wisdom then they are. He brought before the angels each of the animals that had been created and asked them what its name was. The angels were unable to answer. However, when G-d brought each animal before man, man gave a name to each one in turn (Bereishit 2:19). <\/p>\n\n\n\n G-d then asked man what his own name was, and man replied, “Adam because I was created from adamah [dirt].” Obviously the naming of animals was more than a matter of semantics or coming up with some random combination of letters and vowels that would be unique to each creature. It is impossible to believe that angels couldn’t do that, or that the ability to do so is more indicative or man’s wisdom than other cognitive tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Torah tells us that man named each animal, it means that man was able to intuit that animal’s essence and purpose and ascribe to it a name that perfectly fit it’s spiritual character. Rabbi Finkel-Alter of Slabodka explains that the greatness of man is precisely the fact that he has the ability to reflect and show the self-awareness that despite his great wisdom, he is no more than a creation made from a pile of dirt and can sink as fast as he rises. No other creation, either beast or angel, has the same ability to reflect on its own shortcomings and frailty, either physical or moral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the second version<\/strong>, after G-d creates Adam he places him in the Garden of Eden, Le’Ovdah U’LeShomrah, to till it and to tend it. This is significant because everything is not provided for him in the garden, he actually has to till the soil, but he also has another job. He has to tend the garden, which is not just clearing out the weeds, but the Hebrew word is Shomrah, to guard. Adam has to guard and protect the garden. So what does it mean to master the earth? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mastering the earth means tilling the soil, making use of the bounty of the earth, but it also means protecting the earth. In fact we get that understanding from the language of subjugation. Because in Jewish law when someone becomes your slave you are not allowed to treat them however you want. If you injure your slave in any way then they go free. Having a slave is not just about having someone to do things for you, but it means that you are also responsible for someone’s welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are responsible for the earth. We need to till the soil in order to benefit from it, but we also need to protect it from harm. Without our action the earth would not sustain us with its bounty, but without our vigilance the earth would be ruined by our carelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the story goes, Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of Eden, and commanded not to eat from the \u201cTree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.\u201d The serpent persuades Eve to violate the command, and she shares the forbidden fruit with her husband. Because of their sin, it is decreed that man will experience death, returning to the soil from which he was formed, and that all gain will come only through struggle and hardship. Man is banished from the Garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecond Creation Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The angels lacked that same level of perception. If so, isn’t it odd that man should give himself a name like “Dirt”? Shouldn’t man’s name better reflect his own spiritual potential, especially given his having chochma (wisdom) greater even than that of the angels? <\/p>\n\n\n\nAdam and Eve<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n