BEREISHIS
By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum
Torah
With G-d's help,
UNIVERSAL TORAH is a weekly series sharing thoughts and lessons we may draw
from the current parshah having universal significance -- both for the Children
of Israel, the appointed Guardians of G-d's Torah, and for all the families and
nations of the earth. In our troubled times, when the world is facing war, violence,
crime, illness and destruction on an unprecedented scale, mankind is in
desperate need of the oldest living system of wisdom in the world: G-d's holy
Torah. For "G-d is not a man that He should lie, nor the
son of man that He should change His mind. He spoke -- will He not do
it? He pronounced -- will He not fulfill it?" (Numbers
23:19). "For I am G-d, I have not changed." (Malachi 3:6).
"Go and let us ascend to the Mountain of G-d, to the House of the G-d of
Jacob." (Isaiah 2:3).
* * *
IN THE
BEGINNING
"How fortunate we
are that Moses our Teacher showed us the right way. The Torah begins without
any philosophical proof, with the simple words, 'In the beginning G-d created
the heaven and the earth.' We are commanded to believe in G-d through faith alone,
and not to enter into speculation." (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov).
"In the beginning
G-d created.": In the three opening words of the
Hebrew Torah, G-d "signs" Himself as the G-d of Truth. The last
letters of these three words, BereshiS barA ElokiM,
are: Sav [according to the Ashkenazic
pronunciation, or "Tav", according to the Sefardic pronunciation] - Aleph - Mem,
forming an anagram of the word EMeS, TRUTH.
The Rabbis taught that Teshuvah ("coming back to G-d") was created even
before the world. This means is that the world is not merely random. Everything
that exists in the entire universe is part of a vast, unfathomable system
serving a purpose that goes way beyond the system itself, a purpose that existed
before the system itself in the "mind" and "will" of the
One Who created it. The purpose of the system is to bestow good on all G-d's
creatures. We can receive this good only when we "return" to G-d --
by seeking out and following the wisdom of God's teaching to mankind: the Torah.Teshuvah!
Today the world seems to
be on a helter-skelter path to self-destruction. The only way for us to stop it
is by "coming back" to G-d.
* * *
THE
GLORY OF ADAM -- AND HIS FALL
At the climax of the
account of the creation is the story of the creation of Adam. The Hebrew word
ADAM cannot simply be understood as "man" or "human being",
"homo sapiens" or the like without further elaboration. The fact that
there is a resemblance between the physical form of a human being and that of
an ape does not mean they are both in the same category or
on the same level. The defining qualities of homo
sapiens are precisely those that differentiate him from the ape: his uniquely
human powers and abilities. Similarly, the fact that two humans resemble each
other in physical structure does not mean that they must be equal and identical
in all respects. One may be highly intelligent, creative, loving, etc. while
the other could be a psychopath, a terrorist or even a demon incarnate in a
human body. What makes the two different is the mind, soul or spirit that
inhabits each of their bodies. One may have an elevated soul. The other may
have a "fallen" soul or the spirit of a demon. Are they both homo sapiens? Are they both Bney
Adam, "Children of Adam"?
While the human body is
the physical manifestation of ADAM, what makes him unique is the soul that
animates his body. The soul that G-d breathed into Adam came from His very
essence. Adam's soul was created by G-d to be a separate creature, giving him the
ability to connect with G-d OF HIS OWN FREE WILL. Adam's destined role in the
creation is to lead the entire world to return to G-d. He was appointed ruler
over all: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the world and conquer it and
rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and over all the
living creatures swarming over the earth" (Gen. 1:28). Man has
responsibility for the whole world. His task is to attain global peace and
ecological balance and harmony, in which all are united in the service of G-d.
Adam was created to
attain this exalted destiny of his own free will. As part of G-d's plan, Adam
therefore had to be confronted with a choice: to serve G-d by obeying His
command, or to follow the "serpent" in his own heart, who tells him
he can disobey G-d, do what he wants, and still get away with it. G-d says
"If you disobey you will die". But the serpent in the heart lies to
us: "Do what you want -- you won't die!" Time after time, man falls
for the trick.
Adam was created to rule
the entire world, but he cannot even rule over his own heart -- and sins. When
a person comes to his senses and understands what he has done by eating the
forbidden fruit of evil, he discovers the painful truth. "With the sweat
of your brow you will eat bread until you return to the earth, for from it you
were taken, for you are dust and to dust you will return" (Gen. 3:19).
After Adam's sin, life is a constant struggle, leading only to the grave. Only
with death can sin be finally atoned. "To dust you will return". This
is because everything must "return"! Everything must come back to
G-d! Teshuvah! Man's task is to return to his
destiny, which is to conquer the world and join it back to G-d. "Who is
mighty? He who conquers his evil inclination" (Avot
4:1).
* * *
THE
COMMANDMENTS THAT APPLY TO ALL MANKIND
"And the L-rd G-d
commanded the Man saying, from all the trees of the
garden you may surely eat" (Gen. 2:16). The Rabbi's taught that G-d's
commandment to Adam implies six universal laws which are all allusively contained
in the Hebrew words of this verse (as discussed in Midrash Rabba Bereishis 45:5 and Talmud Sanhedrin 56a; see Rambam Mishneh Torah Laws of Kings 9:1):
1. Idolatry is
forbidden.
2. Blasphemy is
forbidden.
3. Murder is
forbidden.
4. Sexual immorality
is forbidden.
5. Robbery is
forbidden.
6. Men must govern
their affairs under a system of law and justice.
These six laws, together
with the prohibition of eating a limb from a living animal (see next week's Parrshah, Gen. 9:4) make up the Seven Commandments of the
Children of Noah, also known as the Seven Universal Laws.
* * *
THE
PROHIBITION OF MURDER
In the intricate,
endlessly profound tapestry of the holy Torah, the Seven Universal Laws are
deeply bound up and meshed in with the 613 commandments that apply to the
Children of Israel. Thus every portion of the Torah has profound significance
for all humanity and each one contains lessons that may deepen our
understanding of the Seven Universal Laws.
Of the seven, one that
stands out particularly in Parshas Bereishis is the prohibition of murder. The Torah is the
"book of the generations of man" (Genesis 5:1): man was commanded to
"be fruitful and multiply" -- to breed children and children's
children, to cherish and nurture LIFE. The antithesis of life is death. The
Rabbis taught that when "G-d saw all that he made and behold it was VERY
good", the word "very" teaches that
even death is beneficial (as it atones for sin). However, death is in the hands
of G-d: "See now, for I, I am He, and there is no
god with Me; I kill and make alive, I smote and I will heal and there is none
to redeem from My hand" (Deut. 32:39). A person who arrogantly takes G-d's
prerogative into his own hands and appoints himself as the angel of death to
kill another is a shameful, counterfeit ADAM, a criminal who should be stoned
and then hung ignominiously on a tree before being buried (see Deuteronomy
21:22-3 and Rashi there). Such a man is a "curse of G-d" (ibid). In
the words of Rambam (Laws of Murder 1:4): "There is nothing to which the
Torah takes greater exception than bloodshed, as it is written (Numbers 35:33):
And you shall not pollute the land. for blood -- that
is what pollutes the land."
The story of Cain's
killing of Abel over the inheritance of the world is the story of human
history. Mankind's task is to learn how to settle disputes amicably instead of
fighting and killing one another. In our times, it is particularly important to
emphasize the criminality of murder because of widespread insensitivity to the
seriousness of killing. Many voices can be heard defending killers, and
protesting against their execution as prescribed by the Torah. Many in the
world even rationalize and justify wholesale murder and violence when committed
for the sake of a "cause", and celebrate terrorist attacks against
their enemies. This simply illustrates the depths to which "Adam Beliya'al", the Worthless Man, can descend, as in the
story of Cain and Abel.
The Torah clearly teaches
that murder is an abominable crime which must be requited with death in order
to punish the villain and protect human society. Yet at the same time as
seeking to impose justice, our societies must also ask themselves why killing,
murder and violence are so rampant. These are not inexplicable scourges that
have no cause. Our rabbis revealed what causes murder to become rampant:
"The sword comes into the world because of the failure to execute justice
without delay, because of the perversion of justice and because of those who
issue Torah rulings which are not in accordance with the halachah"
(Avot 5:8).
Developing a system of
law and government that is just and free of corruption (in fulfillment of the
Seventh Universal Law) is the key to cleansing the world of the scourge of
murder and violence.
Is it our responsibility
to attempt all this? That is the question of Cain: "Am I my brother's
keeper?" The lesson of the story is that the answer must be a resounding
YES! As brothers and sisters, Children of Adam, Children of Noah, we are and
must be our brothers' keepers. We must take responsibility. We must seek the
welfare of our brothers and sisters everywhere. How can we best do this?
Through studying, practicing and promoting G-d's Torah, which
is the master plan for universal peace and harmony.
Shabbat Shalom! Chodesh Tov UMevorach
Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum