Bereishis - 1st Portion

Join me in learning together. Today Sunday or the first day for parishes which is usually read on we begin with the first Torah reading of Berius in the beginning of God's creation of heaven and earth rashi tells us immediately as we're going to learn today only the interpretation of Rashi as we are learning As though there are many commentators on these first few verses, especially on the creation of the world, we will stick to the rashi commentary says. The Torah being that the Torah is primarily a book of laws and the Torah is here to tell us the mitzvah. Why then does the Torah begin with the story of creation? Really the Torah should have started from the first mitzvah which was given to the Jewish people which was the commandment of the first month. So why then did Hashem decide to begin the beginning of the book of Genesis with the mitzvah and not with the first mitzvah but with the story of creation. Because He communicated a concept that he has declared the power of his deeds to his creations. meaning that if the nations of the world will come to say you are thieves that you now conquer the seven nations of the world the seven nations that were in the land of the Jewish people can then respond the entire universe is God's because God created the universe he created it and the son and thereby gave it to whoever he felt desires that deserves it. And it was with his desire that he gave it to those nations of the world. And it was with his will and desire that he took it away from those original seven nations and therefore he eternally gave it to us and subsequently this land now becomes to us. So this is the reason why the Torah began with the story of creation to tell us that the creator of the universe decided to give the land of Israel to the Jewish people and take it from those seven nations that that originally got it from Noah. Second rashi as we know that rashi generally looks to tell us the simple interpretation of the verse. However, many times as we're going to see throughout the Torah that Rashi says at times I cannot use the simple interpretation and I will have to tell you the medashic or explanatory interpretation to be able to understand the Torah and the words of the Torah accurately. And so in this case, Rashi tells us this verse tells me that I need to understand it the way our rabbis explained it. And he says as follows. Like the rabbis have explained it of blessed memory because of the Torah which is called the beginning of his ways and because of the Jewish people who are called the beginning of his crop. What Rashi is telling us here is that the only way we'll understand what this word berious means is if we actually take into consideration the other two times that the Torah uses this unique word of bacious. And that is in reference to the Jewish people and in reference to the Torah. But if you're going to try to explain it according to its simple interpretation, this is the way it's going to have to be interpreted or explained. The creation of the heaven and earth. And then as the Torah continues in the next verse that the world was void and there was darkness over the entire world on the entire surface of abyss. And then the next verse which tells us that there was light meaning that if you're looking at the three verses they're all going to be be explained in one concept. First God created heaven and earth. That means while there was still void on the land then God says there should be light. So what is God telling us? Not about necessarily the creation of the universe but about the creation of light that was there on the first day. Now Rashi explains why this doesn't make sense according to the simple interpretation. You will not be able to explain the word berious meaning in the beginning. The verse over here is not coming to tell me about the order of creation. and what was created first and what was created last to tell us that these were in the beginning of the creation and these were at the end of creation because if this was indeed the purpose of the verse to tell me the order of creation then the verse should have used at first that God created the heaven and the earth there is No term that you find the word berious in a verse which has nothing to do and is not connected with the verse afterwards. Meaning that any time that you'll find the word berious used in the Torah, it has to do with the next sequence of events that occurs afterwards. For example, in the beginning of the kingdom of Yokim that's mentioned in the book of Kings, the beginning of his kingdom, the beginning of a crop that comes. So then you're going to have to say I same idea over here in the beginning of God's creations for example in the beginning of God created and similar to it you will find in other verses in the beginning of God speaking to that the word is also connected to the word afterwards. So therefore if I'm looking at this in these words for example explaining it in the way mentions it in he says the beginning of the words that god spoke to and therefor he continues to say what god said to hos. So what Rashi is telling us over here is to be able to explain the word boratious to mean in the beginning as literally meaning the beginning of creation and telling us a sequence of events must work in a sequence of events of telling us God's creation of the universe. The problem is if you're going to say so to tell us of what came first then you're going to have to explain the connection is as follows. in the beginning he created all of us and then you're going to be able to say well this works in other cases where the verse uses a shorter terminology and because of that they skip over a few words one word that is self understood for example in other cases of job that God did not close the doors of his belly that's talking about of a womb of giving birth. He doesn't say who closed it or in another place in Isaiah where it says that he will carry the army or the leftovers of Dames of Damascus anyone and he doesn't say who's the one that's going to carry it. He also says if a man will plow his cattle and he doesn't foretell and he doesn't say who's the one that's going to be the one to that is the man that's going to the to plow in the cattle as well is the one that knows from beginning to end doesn't explain and doesn't say who is the one that he's going to foretell one thing or one matter to another matter For if this was so, you have to ask yourself the water came first because it already says in the next verse that God's spirit hovered over the surface of the water even though the verse has yet to tell me that water was created. Even more so they didn't even tell you that the water came about. What do I see from here? That from the time of the creation of the world already water was there. What do I know from here? That water came before earth. So if so the fact that he's creating everything, did it come after the water or did it come before the water? The even more so. Another way that we can prove that the water was created before heaven and earth shim because the heaven itself were created from water and fire. So how is it possible then to say that it was created before water therefore one has to explain the verse over here is not telling me what came first and what came last at all. That means this verse when it comes to tell me bacius is not here to tell me the order of creation. It's coming to tell me the system of creation. It's not telling me the order of what came first because water came before heaven and earth as we're going to see in the next verse. So it's telling me in general about the creation of the universe and that's why he uses a terminology bacious and not the word. The next words that Rashi comes to explain is elikim. When we look over here, the words that the Torah uses and he references God has many different names and in not using the name Hashem, but he uses the name Elohim Omar and he does not say the name of Hashem used. Why does he not use the name Hashem? But he uses the name Elohim because at first God intended to create the world in a method of judgment in an order of justice. However, God then realized that the world would not be able to stand and the world would not be able to endure with just justice alone and in such harsh conditions. So therefore he gave precedence to the order of mercy. and he joined it together and he aligned it with the the order of justice. And that's why later on we're going to see when the verse tells us and recounts about the creation of heaven and earth. He uses the terminology when God made the heaven and earth and uses both Hashem Elohim made heaven and earth. Verse two, the and the were and when the earth was astonishing void and emptiness and darkness was over the surface of the abyss and the spirit of Hashem, God's spirit hovered over the surface of water. What does this mean? And Rashi explains to us what does it mean astonishingly voyant? The word comes from the word astonishment and amazement implying that like a person who's astonished and amazed at what is happening on the emptiness that existed there. The word toy in the old French comes from the word astonishment and Rashi uses over here old French word estradition. Voy comes from the word vitu an expression of emptiness and desolation. The next rashi alim over the surface of the abyss. Rashi tells us what does it mean? What is this abyss? Alham this means over the surface of the water which is the earth and over here this concept this abyss on it was the darkness as well. So Rashi explains what does it mean the spirit of God was hovering over it and he says as follows meaning to say that God's godly throne the divine throne was as if it's standing in the air in the space and hovering over the surface of the water that it filled the entire emptiness that was there the entire existence And that's what he calls the spirit of God because it was the spirit because was hovering in that area like the hol like the breath of the holy one. Blessed be he. And as it said as a like a dove hovers over its nest and using the terminology again in old French otover to hover over that it was hovering in the water when something is in the middle standing in a certain space called hovering and that's what he calls as if God's throne was hovering over that space. Verse three, and God said, "Let it be light." And there was light. Verse four, and God saw that the light was good. And he separated, and Hashem separated between the light and the darkness. Rashi four. And God saw that the light was good. And over here go Rashi again reminds us that we need to come to the words of the medish to understand it and not in its simple interpretation. So to this we also need to come to the words of the and explanatory interpretation and we cannot understand it according to its simple meaning. Hashem saw that this light that he first created that it's unbelievably great and it is not worthy that the evil should be able to take pleasure from it. So what did he do? He moved it further away from this world and he put it aside for the righteous people in the time to come that only they will be able to enjoy this light. But if you want to explain it according to the simple interpretation this is the way it would mean saw that it's good that the world the way the good the way the light is on its own it's wonderful and it's not good it is not good that light and dark should be mixed at the same time that the both of them should be controlling the same allotted time and therefore he decided decided to put a separation for what does it mean a separation? He said that light should have its particular time which is that it should only be light by day and therefore for darkness he also said its time its period which was during the night. So therefore according to the simple interpretation means that God believed that go that light and dark together is not a good mixture and each one should have its specific time when it should be uh utilized and therefore light was set for day and dark was set for night. verse five. And thereby according to this separation that we mentioned in the previous verse, now he assigned he called light and assigned it for day and for darkness and assigned it to the night. And there was nightfall and there was there was first the nightfall followed by the rest of the night. Then there was a morning followed by the rest of the day and together what did this become one day five according to the way we're going to see the rest of the subsequent chapters and how he writes the rest of the Torah reading technically this should have been the first day that if you're counting in numbers you go why did he said and then the rest of them sheni then the next one should like he writes by the rest of the days second, third and fourth. Why over here does he use the terminology one not first as in because God was the only one in the world. because even the angels haven't yet been created until the second thing until the second day. So God was the sole being in the universe at the time and therefore he uses a terminology which means one singular this is the way it's explained incious. So in order to symbolize this fact that God was the only thing and the sole thing created thus far he uses a terminology and not one and not the first. Verse six, we are now at the second day of creation. came and God said that there should be let there be a sky in the midst of the water and this will separate between the two waters the atmospheric water and the ocean water does it mean explains verse six let the sky be strengthened Even though the heavens was already created on the first day of creation, they were still moist or weak as they were in a fluid form and therefore they weren't strong the way they were supposed to. And because of that they became solidified only on the second day from the fact that God said the words there should be a heaven there should be a sky that's what caused the reprimand that God said let there be a sky that caused that they should become solidified as one as it says as it says And the pillars of heaven were shaky. This is the way it was throughout the first day in the first day of creation. But on the second day of creation, they were astonished at his reprimand. Like a person who stands immovable or shocked from a person who is being rebuked and is terrified. When a person's terrified, he stands in one place in shock and awe. And this is what happened to the he heavens as well that they were first very fluid and on the second day when God said that's what got them to be solidified in the heaven in the midst of the water. What does that mean? So Rashi explains in the center of the water because as Rashi is going to explain to us that the same distance that there is between the upper waters and the sky, so too is the distance between the sky and the water that is on the earth. So you have the sky hovering in the middle because the same distance that you have the sky to the waters above you have also to the sky and the waters below. What do you hear from here? What do we see from here? That the sky and the upper water is suspended by the command of the king. By God's command, we can see that the waters above are not leaning on anything, but they are suspended in the midst by God's command. And that's where they are. Verse seven, and God may position the sky. And he separated the water below the sky and between the water that was above the sky to the water that was below the sky. And it was so. And so it was verse 7. What does it mean that God made the heaven, made the sky? So he explains as follows. Rashi tells us he placed it in its correct in its correct position. Placing something in its correct position is what's called making it fixing it. By fixing it, it's called making it. Where does he bring a similar uh expression where we find the same idea is called and you will make and she will make or let grow her nails. She didn't make the nails literally but by the very fact that she was fixing it or letting it grow that is called making. So to over here making means a fixing it in its proper position above the sky. What does it mean? As Rashi tells us here it does not say here upon the sky but may the men before it means above the sky. as he mentioned in the previous rash that over here what is it telling us that it was suspended in space you'll notice something very interesting by all the days of creation besides the second day it says it was good why doesn't it say and it was good by the second day of creation this is because technically this has not been completed The work associated with the water has not yet been completed until the third day. He started it in the second day. That means he only started the work of suspending it into heaven on the second day. But it only was completed and on the third day. Something that's not completed, you cannot be considered perfect or at its best. Finally on the third day when it was completed the object the work of the water and he started a new work and completed it as well. That's when he uses a double terminology that it's good twice once to complete the original work and once to complete the work of the day of the third day as well. So Arash is telling us over here the reason why he doesn't say on the second day is because the work has not been actually completed once it's completed on the third day. That's why we find a double terminology of Kov once which he saying that it was good for the first day and for the sec for the third day that the item that was completed that day as well ate the eth verse and God called the sky heaven and there was nightfall followed by the rest of the night and then morning which then consisted the second day of creation. Verse 8. And God called the sky heaven. Why did he call it heaven? Because the word shamayim as we're going to see is made up of two words or shamim. The word is made up of s meaning carry water or shim over there is water. This was a fire and water which was Then he mixed them together as Rashi mentioned previously and he made that heaven. So we have the heaven is a mixture of heaven of fire and water which means over there is water or carries water and that's how we have come with the name. Verse 9. And God said, "Let the water below of the heaven be gathered to one place to one place. And let the earth or the dry land be seen." And so it was test verse 9. Let the water be gathered. So what is he telling us here? It's because all the water was spread all over the land the entire earth and he gathered them in the Atlantic into the ocean which sometimes it means the Atlantic but over here it means and this is the largest sea of all the areas of all the seas. So God gathered all the waters into the ocean. Once he gathered all the waters into the ocean, we now come to the next verse. Verse 11 verse 10. And God called the dry land. And he called the gathering of the waters where he got all that water together in one spot. He called them seas. And God saw that it was good. Verse 10, he called them seas, but it is not. As he continues, why does he say plural? Wasn't it only one C? So therefore, she explains as follows. What is this referring to? Why does he considered it plural? Because each one of these seas are different and each one of them have their own unique quality as the fish that comes up the taste of the fish that comes up the sea and aku doesn't taste like the same kind of fish that comes up in inia and therefore he calls it seas because each one of the seas have a different flavor and taste to it whether you call it salt water or fresh water but the bottom line is that there are different types of waters and therefore he calls it seas plural. Verse 11 and God said let the earth begin to sprout vegetation. What kind of vegetation? Underground it should be a seedbearing plants and trees whose bark tastes the same as its fruit. to its kind that its fruits are according to their species on the earth and so it was Rashi explains what this means in text in verse number 11. Let the earth sprout vegetation plants. So he says as follows the word as dasha cannot be termed as nor can as be termed as dasha. What is Rashi telling us here? That this des what does it mean and what does it mean as? And now he goes on to explain that they mean two different ideas. And the verse is not here to tell me that it should make a multiple kinds of grass or to cover the gr the cover the earth in grass because there are many different species of vegetation and each one has its own name. Asaf plane is called a different kind of grass. And it is not linguistically correct for someone to say well this is that kind of when I say desa dasha is a general term for calling a big field that's full of grass or the way it's the ground is fully covered with vegetation. So desh tells me it's when it's a nice beautiful landscape of all different kinds of grass and different kinds of vegetation. So what is it telling us here? So therefore we have the next verse which tells us let it be filled means let it be filled and covered with a layer of let the earth be covered with all kinds of grass. which is used in old French would say all of them collectively is called a dasha and each individual plant is called as is called a grass. So the word asf and dasha simply put as an individual kind of specy of plant or vegetation while dasha is a multitude of all kinds of vegetations seedbearing that its seed will grow inside of it that you'll be able to have a seed that will grow in this one thing that you can take its actual seedling and plant and replanted in another place. Fruit trees that the taste of the bark of the tree should be like the same taste of the fruit of the tree. But in reality, the bottom line, it's not like it, as we're going to see, and the land sprouted. The land sprouted a produce of fruit, and not that the trees themselves tasted like the fruit. Why did that happen? And therefore, when man was cursed for his sin, as we're going to learn later with the sin of tree of knowledge, so too the trees were held accountable for not following to the instructions that they were told to do. And as it says that later on in the words, and the land will be cursed because of you. That means initially it was supposed to be that the bark and the fruit should taste the same and this was a curse that happened that they did not and did not follow the command that they were told. What does it mean? This refers to the kernels. This is the kernels that exist in every fruit. From it a tree grows. When you take the kernel of the fruit and you replant it in the ground, then you will have a tree that grows from it. Verse 12. And the earth gave forth vegetation which was vegetation plants bearing seeds. Lemon according to its species asapri and those bark and those that and those trees that the bark did not taste the same of the fruit they also had fruits precertaining seeds in them and God saw that it was good and God and this was a nightfall that followed by the rest of the night and the morning that followed by the rest of the day could together they constituted the third day of creation. Verse 12, even though it does not say according to its kind, according to its various species. When it talks about and when it talks about the different grass and vegetation that when they were told they heard the trees heard the I'm sorry the vegetation heard that the trees were commanded to sprout and they made a argument for themselves. as it's explained. Meaning they said if the trees that come out all different kinds of fruits it was and it's easy to separate amongst them was commanded that each one should have a different species. You should be able to recognize and identify the different species. How much more so the small little grass that it's able to become so so diff so mixed up with one another. how we have to be in different species and therefore they came separate on their own. That means the rash is coming to tell us why doesn't it say the word limino according to its kind and it only says it by the trees because the grass took upon itself the vegetation said if the trees which it's easily identifiable and God said they should be s separate and to be identified how much more so the vegetation has to be identifiable how because it can get mixed up very easily. Verse 14. And God said, "Let there be luminaries in the heaven in the sky to make separate between day and night. And these will serve as signs for setting the dates for the Jewish festivals for days and for years. says, "Let there be illuminaries." What is he telling us here? That in this case, it's not that he's creating these luminaries, but he's putting them in position of the luminaries that were already created. As he explains, these were already created on the first day of creation. And on the fourth day of creation, they were told where are they going to be placed? Barakia in the sky. And the same is true when it comes to the creation of all the luminaries and all the things told the everything that was created on the six days of creation. Everything was already created on the first day of creation. And each one of them was then placed on the day that it was commanded that it should be placed. And that's why it says in the first verse and the heavens. Why does it say to say and to include all the things that will come because of it its children the land to include all everything that developed from the land of vegetation and so on. So what Rashi tells us here clearly is that everything was created on the first day of creation and throughout the six days of creation they were placed in their different positions like the sun and the moon that were placed in the sky as we'll soon see. And if you look at the word in this case, it does not have the vowels in it. Does not have the VV in the vowels and it's missing the VV because as follows because it was a day of a curse. It was a curse day. A cursed day when children will are liable to fall ill with ascra. What is ascera? which is a sickness which causes a person not able to breathe. This is what we learned as on the fourth day they would fast that this terrible uh disease that happens in the throat that doesn't allow them to breathe was that they used to pray on the fourth day that it shouldn't happen that the children should not get sick with it. The Talmud tells us in detracted of Tinus about the different days that different fasts were done. And one of the things that they were fast on Wednesdays was that the children should not be struck with this terrible illness to separate between day and night. Sashi explains as we explained earlier that the great light was put aside for the time when the future Mashiach will come. on the seven during the seven days of creation. But in the seven days of creation, the original light and dark were serving together by day both by day and by night. Though later on we learn that this light was put away. But during the seven days of creation and according to some the first three days of creation, these lights were serving together. over here when it comes the fourth the fourth day of creation God separates the two the next and they will be they will serve as signs. So Rashi explains as follows. When the luminaries are eclipsed, it's a bad sign for the world. As it says, do not be frightened from the signs of the heaven. When you do what Hashem wants, when you fulfill the desires of what Hashem wants, then you do not have to worry of the punishment. You do not have to be worried about any calamities. However, these things were not considered as good signs when these eclipses would happen. The verse says that this is going to be a sign for the festivals. This is talking about in the future times when the Jewish people are going to then go according to the moon and make the holidays based on when they see the new moon that the Jewish people are going to be commanded to make the festivals and they will be counted according to the birth of the moon. What does he refer to in today's? This is the function of the solar calendar. The sun functions for a half a day and the moon functions for the other half of the day. This becomes a full day. So we know that these two uh I'm sorry not for the solar but the actual day to tell us when a day is and a day works. A half a day you'll have the day and a half a day you'll have the night which will be part of that day as well which can makes it a complete day. This tells us I'm sorry for the function and the years and over here we have as it tells us at the end of 365 days which is the solar calendar will complete its course of what will be the course of the time of mazalis the 12 signs of the zodiac that serve them each one in a specific time that will make a year and then it starts all over again second time to move around the orbit as it did the first time. So every 365 years it it surrounds the orbit again and again. And this is referring to that solar calendar of it going around and ultimately we have the solar lunar calendar which makes its movements around the orbit. Now we're up to verse 15. These will now serve as luminaries in the sky to shine on the earth. And so it was what does it mean that they will be as luminaries? Rashi tells us in verse 15 they will also serve another function that they will give light into the world. Not only will they be serve as a calendar not only will they serve as signs but they will also give light on the universe. It's verse 16. And God assigned these two great God positioned the two great luminaries. the greater light which is the sun to rule by day and the smaller light to govern to rule by night and gave the stars accompanied with the stars and the planets explains why does the first tell me the two great lights and then it says a greater light than a smaller light. So he explains as follows. They were initially created equal and the moon became smaller because it complained and said the moon complained and said it's impossible to have two greats at the same time. One has to be smaller. So God said you complained so therefore you became smaller accompanied with the stars. So why the stars go with the moon? Because God diminished the moon. Therefore here. So therefore he increased its attending groups which was the stars and the g planets to try to appease the moon. What else was the task of the sun and the moon as we're soon going to see? Verse 17. God placed them in the sky to shine on the earth. Verse 18 and to rule by day and by night and to make a difference and to separate between the light and the darkness and God saw that it was good. Then there was nightfall followed by the rest of the night. Then morning followed by the rest of the day together making it the fourth day. We now come to the fifth day of creation. Verse 20. Similarly came and God said, "Let the water team with the low with the lowlying swimming living creatures the let the fowl come from the mud of the swamps and it will then fly over Alania on the earth across the earth across the sky. What does this mean over here? Where are they coming from? What are they h what's happening here? Sashi explains verse 20. What does it mean living creatures? So here he says creatures that will have life. Until now we spoke about vegetation, we spoke about trees, skies, lights, luminaries, nothing that seems that has life on its own. over here. Now we're talking about creatures that are going to have a seemingly a life of their own. Sherets, what is considered low-lying? So he explains any living creature that in size that does not reach much higher than the ground that it crawls on the ground is called aerets. It's called something that that's uh crawling on the ground. What does it refer to? Winged creatures like flies amongst aborn creatures. For example, antsim beetles or worms and amongst larger creatures a weasel a mouse a snail and other similar things and all the fish. So here he gives the example of what is considered creatures, what is considered flying creatures and what level goes above them, things that are a little larger. Verse 21. And God, God then created the great sea creatures and as well as all the species that crawl that are low-lying which were water produced according to its kind and all of the other winged fowl that came about according to its kind. And God saw that they were good. Verse 21. What does it mean? The sea creatures, the large sea creatures, large sea fish. Now following according to the words of the madrashik andic interpretation tells us this is referring to the leviathan and its mate that initially god created the leviathan that it was a male and a female and God killed this female and he pickled it. He salted it that it should be there for the future when Mashiach comes for the world to come for the righteous. What's the problem? Why couldn't he leave the male and the female together? Because if the male and the female would mate and then they would have children, the world would not be able to contain the many fish that will come because of it. And this we see from the word that he uses the terminology which means the great sea creatures meaning that there was more than just one that there was a male and a female and thereby we explain that there's now lacking those sea creatures as well. What does it mean? The nephesh the creatures or explains nephesh a soul or I'm sorry a creature that have life in them which refers to these creatures that we spoke about before. Verse 22. And God blessed them. And he said as follows, be fruitful and be fruitful and and uh prolific and fill the water. He's talking to these sea creatures will fill the water in the seas and the birds, the flying creatures will multiply in the land. Verse 22. Why was there a need that God should have to bless them? Why special for the fish that they had to be blessed? Since people would diminish their numbers by hunting them and eating them. Therefore, therefore they needed for a special blessing. So too, the animals needed a blessing as well. The beasts needed a blessing for the same reason because people will hunt them and c and eat from them because in the future it would be like we're soon going to learn about the story of the snake that it was going to be cursed. Therefore, he did not bless them. So like this the c the serpent would not be amongst the blessing that God gave. Meaning if he would have to give a blessing to the beasts as well then the snake would be amongst those who got the blessing. And if it would be amongst those that got the blessing then this cursed snake will have blessings as well. So therefore God did not give a blessing to the beasts as well and only to the fish. What was the blessing that God gave? As we mentioned pr be fruitful comes from the word like a fruit comes as the same word beer fruit make fruit as we explained fruit the kernel creates another tree which creates another seedling and so on and so forth so too should be with the fish and be prolific. If God said why does he have to use a double terminology because if God only used the word be fruitful then it will only be one fruit to one seedling to one kernel not more. Therefore he comes and says be prolific that one will give birth to many that one fish can have multiple fish schools of fish. Verse 23. And it was morning and it was evening. Nightfall followed by the rest of the night. It was morning followed by the rest of the day. Which made the fifth day of creation. Verse 24. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their species." Nephes living creatures according to its species. domestic animals and low-lying creatures and wildlife of the earth lumina according to its species and so it was what are we referencing here to what kind of animals as we mentioned Rashi reminds us why does he use the terminology the earth should give birth forth so Rashi says I already told you this is what I already explained to you everything was created on the first Okay. And only thing that had to be done, it had to be developed, that had to be had to come out from the ground. Not that it had to be recreated. That's why we don't find a terminology va that God created because it was already created and it only had to come out from the ground. Uh the next verse is the next rashi as he explained it is referring to living creatures, creatures that have life. What's the lowlying creatures in this case? This is referring to creeping creatures which are low set that are very low that are and crawl on the ground and creep on the ground. It looks like if you look at one of these it looks like that they're just being drawn along. It doesn't look like you don't see their legs. You don't see how they're walking. any time of you use the terminology or that we already used in the previous verses. It's corresponding to what we would call in the old French a crawling creature but in that language is can movers basically that you don't see its legs and it's just moving along at the top on the on the ground creeping along crawling creatures. Verse 25. And God made the wildlife of the earth lina according to its species and the domestic animals lina according to its species. And all the crawling creatures, low-lying creatures of the earth, lumino according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. In verse 25, Rashi tells us this means that he formed them in the way that he desired and in their full stature. He made them complete. The question is why does it say vay again and he made them again? Meaning that he completed the way he wanted them to look. He didn't just make them come out of the ground but he also gave them their image their figure of how each one of the animals and creatures should look the way we see it. And God said, "Let us make a human a human in our image and according to our likeness." And this human will rule over the fish and of the birds of the sky and as well of the domestic animals and in all of earth and all as well as all the reptiles that crawl on the earth. Verse 26, Rashi says, "What does it mean? Let us make human." And over here it doesn't say God says I will make man but he uses a terminology seemingly that he's talking to the angels and says let us and he's asking advice how to make the human being. What do we learn from here? We learn the humility of God. We learn from here. Why only do we find this specifically by the creation of the human being? Because man was created in the image of angels and because of their importance. We are worried that the angels will be jealous of humans. Therefore, what did God do? He asked them their advice. Because when God judges the kings because of their importance, God judges and concerns himself and asks advice with his tribunal up above. So too we find in the story of in the book of kings that the prophet Micah told him, I see God sitting on his heavenly throne. of and all of the galaxies are standing on the side on his right side on his left side. Meaning that when God was judging the king here, he had all of his tribunals sitting on the side and making that judgment. Is there a right and a left by God that Micah says that the angels were standing on the right and on the left? God is all over the universe. Ella. He was using a parable, an example. These on the right who are saying good or trying to be on the defense and the ones on the left who are prosecuting to say for why he should be liable and obligated. The same idea we also find in other verses in the book of Daniel where it says There's a the as well as we find the matter has been determined through the decree and the destruct of angels. So too what does this mean? The matter has been decreed Afghan also in this case with the creation of human beings. God consulted with his tribunal not he took permission for them. He said, "There are above in the heavenly spheres. There's ones like me, which is the angels that were created in the godly image." Therefore, if there won't be anybody like me in the lower world, there's going to be jealousy in the creation of the universe, in the creation of the world. So therefore, I have to make that the above and the below should be equal. Those above should be look like in the in the image of God and so to the ones below should look in the image of God. Rashi continues with the next one. Let us make man even though the angels did not help in the creation of man. This gives space for people that are heretics to express a rebellious argument against God. Why does God need helpers? God forbid. The Torah did not hold back from writing it to teach us respect and humility. That there's nothing wrong of somebody great getting permission for or consulting with somebody small. And therefore, if God would have written, I will make man, we would not learn from there. That God was consulting his tribunal, consulting his heavenly court, but only talking with himself. And the response to the heretics was written right there on the side that one cannot argue where he wrote it immediately afterwards as it says the next verses we're going to see in verse 27 and God created the human beings. Even though we see that God uses the terminology let us consult with the angels so to speak that does to negate the fact that God didn't create man on his own. He God then says that he created man on his own as we see in verse 27 and it doesn't say and they created but it says and God creates what does it mean in our image in our mold according to our likeness. What does that mean? with the ability to discern and to understand and discern. When we look at this language, there's two ways of understanding it. You can understand it as this can mean a way of ruling and also descending. If the human being is ability is privileged and he's able to do and he's worthy then then he's able to rule over the animals and the wild animals and the beasts. But if he's not worthy, he becomes lower than the animals themselves and the beasts are able to rule over him. Verse 27. And God created the human in his image. He created him in the image of God. He created them as a single androgenous being comprised of both male male and female bodies. He created them back to backashi tells us in verse 27, God created human in his image. Meaning the mold specially made for him. Everything that God created in the universe, you'll notice that God says and he said with an utterance. However, when it comes to the human being over here, it says and he created meaning that he did it with his hands metaphorically with an action as it says that I placed my you placed your hands upon me. He was made using a stamp like a coin that is formed through a dye which we would call in old French a coin coin and the similarly it says the stamped form of man will change like clay. So over here the difference of how God created man in contrast how he created the rest of creations. He explains to you that the Torah is telling us that that mold that was prepared specifically for the human for the for for God. That mold imbued the spiritual image of the creator within the human being. that the human being has the creator within them. He created them male and female. So it seems like that he created them as one. However, later on when God talks about the creation of Adam and Eve, he uses the terminology later on he says and he took one of his bones. So what was it? That means they weren't created as one. It seems like first he created male and then he created female. So therefore he explains as follows. He created them first in two phases and then he separated them. Then he divided them and the simple interpretation comes to resolve the apparent character tradition as follows and he just says that they were both created on the sixth day of creation and he does not explain how he how he created them but later on he explains to you how he created these two. They were created on the sixth day of creation. How they were created that will be later on. He'll tell you how he created them. Taking one bone from another and so on. Verse 28. And God bless them. He told them be fruitful and prolific. fill the earth and master over it and rule over the fish in the sea and those that fly in the heaven of and anything of life that creatures that crawl the earth. If you look at the word over here, it does not have the in it to tell you to tell us that the male subdues the female that she should not be outgoing in an immodest way. The and also to tell you that the male the commandment of procreating is the one that is on the male whose nature is to subjugate and therefore he was the command one that can be commanded to be fruitful and prolific and not the woman. So the actual commandment the first mitzvah of be fruitful given to the human was given to the male and not the female. and God said, "Behold, I have given to you every seedbearing plant seed bearing plant that's on the face of the entire earth and all the trees that have seed bearing fruit. They will be for you as food to eat. Verse 29 Rashi tells us they will be for yours for food and for all the creatures of the earth. God compared animals, beasts and humans. And when it comes to food, what is it telling us here? that the very fact that he puts the animals and the beasts together with the food, he's telling us that their food is equal. Because, as he's about to tell us, because at this point, man and his wife were not allowed to go and kill animals and eat them and to eat its flesh. The only thing that they were able to have at this time was they would all eat the vegetation. The animals ate vegetation and the humans they all ate vegetation. However, when it came to the time of Noah and after the after the flood only then did he permit for them to have meat. As it says, anything that creature that lives should be like vegetation that I have already permitted to man to eat. Now, I have now given you everything to eat. This that I have permission to Adam. I gave Adam permission to have from vegetation. The same way I gave him permission to have vegetation, you now are allowed to have flesh from the animal as well. And God saw behold everything that he made and it was very good. And it was evening following by the night and day followed by the rest of the day. And it was the sixth day of creation. If you look at all the other days of the creation, it says and over here it says the sixth day added a at the sixth gracious at the end of the creation of the world to tell us he made a condition with the creation of the world on the condition that they will accept upon themselves the Jewish people on the condition that the Jewish people will accept upon themselves the five books of the Torah. And therefore he says the sixth day they're the adding the extra he for the five books of Torah another explanation is or the sixth day until the sixth day of the creation all the world was standing in balance and which was dependent on to see that the the sixth of which was designated then as the day of the giving of the Torah. That means all the creation of the world was standing there to see if it was worthy until the sixth day which the sixth day was then designated for the Torah was given and the purpose of the world then put and placed chapter 2 verse one and heaven earth and all its components were now completed on the sixth day. Verse two, God finished his work that he had done on the seventh day. And he's then rested on the seventh day from all the work that he was doing. What does it mean by Rabbi Shim says, what does it mean? Does God finish his work on the se seven on the seventh day? Was he working too hard? What was going on over here? It should have said on the sixth day that he finished his work, not on the seventh day. So explains that the way of God is not the way of the human being. A human being doesn't know how to calculate its exact time to the second has to add from the weekday onto holy. Meaning we have to stop our work a little bit before Shabas because we don't know the exact time when Shabas comes that he knows to be exact of the exact moment of when something starts or finishes. He is able to be exact to the moment of the thread that he exactly knows when Shabas begins. Therefore, it only seems that he finished on the seventh day. Really, God finished the work on the sixth day, but it came to the seventh day was absolute rest for us. It looks like it finished on the seventh day, but God is able to exact it exactly to the moment. Another explanation is that yes actually indeed it was finished on the seventh day. Why? Because there was one thing that was missing until the seventh day of creation. What was the world missing? Was missing rest. Shabas when Shabas came along rest came to the world. And therefore it says that God finished the creation on the seventh day because only when rest came to the world was the actual work complete. Only once you can rest is your work actually complete. Verse three and God blessed the seventh day and he made it holy. He sanctified it because that was the day he seized from all work which God created and planned to make on that day. Why does it say the word that he blessed and he sanctified? Because he gave a special blessing and sanctification on that day. He blessed it with the mana because all the days that the Jewish people were in the desert, they would have the mana would come in a certain measurement, a measurement per person. And on the sixth day, they got a double person also and therefore that they did not have to have Shabas. So you have that concept of the blessing that they had a double portion for the Shabas as well. And he also sanctified it with the mana shabas that because of its sanctity the mana would not fall on chabas that they would not have to worry on chabas about sustenance for themselves though that this is already before shabas came about and we don't even know about shabas or the mana or what's going to happen and the Torah was talking about what's going to happen in the future when they will be told about the mitzvah of Shabas and when they will be told and they will have that merit to collect the mana. The next it doesn't say that God created and made in the past but he uses a terminology to make in the future. Why does he say to make in the future? because he's referring to the work which is meant to be done on chabas. God already did it. He did it and did double on the sixth day because no work should be done on chabasurcious. It's explained in brac. This concludes the first Torah reading for the book of bracious.