CHAMISHOH MI YODEI'A - FIVE QUESTIONS ON THE WEEKLY SEDRAH - PARSHAS BREISHIS 5770 - BS"D

2) Ch. 1, v. 1: "Breishis boro Elokim ES" - The M.R. Breishis 18:4 says that Hashem created the world with the power of the letters of the Alef-Beis. Commentators say that this is alluded to in the first words of the Torah, as the word ES is spelled Alef-Sof, indicating that the creation came about with the energy of all the letters from Alef through Tof. As well, the Rabbis have stated in numerous places that the world as we know it will stand for 6,000 years. This is also alluded to in our verse. How so?

3) Ch. 2, v. 9: "V'eitz hadaas" - What species of tree was this?

4) Ch. 4, v. 17: "Va'yeida Ka'yin es ishto" - Who was his wife?

5) Ch. 5, v. 5: "Va'yi'h'yu kol y'mei Odom asher chai tsha mei'os shonoh ushloshim shonoh" - The Holy Zohar on Breishis page 140a and the Medrash Shochar Tov on T'hilim chapter #92 say that Odom donated 70 years of his life to King Dovid, who would have otherwise been a stillborn. What is the connection between the lives of Odom and King Dovid?

ANSWERS:

#1

The gemara Rosh Hashonoh 27a says that the text of our Rosh Hashonoh prayers "zeh ha'yom tchilas maa'secho" is according to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer who says that the world was created in the month of Tishrei. Tosfos d.h. "k'man matzlinon" asks that in reality we side (gemara Rosh Hashonoh 12a) with Rabbi Yehoshua who posits that the world was created in the month of Nison, and Rosh Hashonoh is not "zeh ha'yom tchilas maa'secho." As well, Tosfos raises a seeming contradiction in the poems of Rabbi Eliezer of Kalir as to which month was the one in which the world was created. Rabbeinu Tam finally answers that although we side with Rabbi Yehoshua, we can still attribute the creation to the month of Tishrei, since Hashem entertained the idea of creating the world during the month of Tishrei, although the actual creation took place in Nison. Perhaps this is why we say "zeh hayom TCHILAS maa'secho," - the BEGINNING of Your actions, as only the decision was made in Tishrei, while in reality the world came into existence in the month of Nison. As well, this would explain the words of the prayer "Ha'yom HARAS olom," - literally "today is the CONCEPTION of the world," since it was only conceived on the first of Tishrei and not actually created on that day. (After writing this thought I mentioned it to Rabbi A.B. who later showed me that this interpretation is to be found in the writings of the Ramcha"l in Sefer Hakavonos, an elucidation of our prayers al pi the Holy Ari z"l on page 108. Boruch she'kivanti.)

Rashi on 1:1 says that Hashem originally planned to create the world to be run in a manner of strict judgment, as indicated by the word "Elokim" in our verse, but saw that it could not exist under such terms. He then created the world with a balance of strict judgment and mercy, indicated by the words "Hashem Elokim" (2:4). This seems to fit perfectly with the words of Tosfos. Hashem conceived the idea of creating the world in Tishrei, the month of judgment, but in fact created it in the month of Nison, the month of Divine mercy, when in the future the bnei Yisroel would be redeemed from Egypt. As well, we find that from the month of Tishrei onwards in the Northern Hemisphere, that fall begins and leads into winter, months of DIN, when the world's plant life withers and dies. From Nison onwards, with the advent of spring and leading into the summer, we find growth of plant life.

Even though the creation of the world was only "oloh b'mach'shovoh" in Tishrei, we nevertheless attribute the creation of the world to Tishrei, is as if it actually took place then, since no one can stop Hashem once He decides to do something, in sharp contrast to humans, thus the thought alone is considered as if it was done.

Tosfos ends his words by bringing another case of "oloh b'mach'shovoh," the creation of Odom and Chavoh, quoting the gemara Eruvin 18a that originally Hashem planned to make Odom and Chavoh as two distinct beings, but instead combined them as one, and only later separated Chavoh from Odom. Although the M.R. Breishis 17:8 and the gemara Nidoh 31b say that regarding some matters woman is harsher than man, as she was taken from his bone and flesh, nevertheless it is possible to say that men are tough while women are merciful because man was created from the earth, an emotionless entity, while woman was created from man, who has emotions and feelings. Perhaps Tosfos is telling us more than meets the eye at a cursory glance, which seems to only be a reference to the idea that Hashem originally planned one way, but executed things differently. Possibly Tosfos is also bringing a reference to the concept that He planned to create the world in Tishrei and have it operate with strict judgment, just as he planned to create man and woman from the earth itself, thus creating the forbearers of all mankind from the inanimate earth and thus imbuing them both with harshness. In turn, children would be brought up by a set of parents who are both tough. This would be a furtherance of the world running by strictness. In reality Hashem created woman from man, thus creating a parent who is merciful as well, in keeping with "Hashem Elokim," bringing in a partner who is merciful. This embodies the same "oloh b'mach'shovoh" as actually creating the world in Nison.

#2

The Shach in his commentary on parshas B'har brings a most magnificent connection between these two concepts. He quotes Rabbi Shimon haTeimoni asking Rabbi Zeira (The sefer Seder Hadoros explains how it was possible for this to be as Rabbi Shimon haTeimoni lived centuries before Rabbi Z'eiro.), "How do the Rabbis know that the world will stand for 6,000 years?" Rabbi Zeira responded that they based it upon the fact that the world was created through the letters of the Alef Beis, and their total numerical value gives us a total of 6,000. How so? Add up the value all the letters from Alef through Yud and you have 55. Add from Kof through Kuf and you have another 540. Reish, Shin, and Tof yield 900. The five final letters, final Kof, final Mem, final Nun, final Pei, and final Tzadi have the values of 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 respectively, yielding 3,000. Then we come back to the letter Alef again, but this time after the letter final Tzadi it has the value of 1,000 (Alef=Elef). Add 55+540+900+3,000+1000 and you have a total of 5,995. The gemara M'nochos 29b derives from the words "Ki b'Yo-H Hashem tzur olomim" (Yeshayohu 26:4) that Hashem created this world and the next with the power of the letters Yud and Hei (b'Yo-H means with the letters Yud and Hei). The gemara then asks, "With which letter did He create this world and with which letter the next?" The gemara derives from the words that appear later in our parsha (2:4), "Eileh toldos hashomayim v'ho'oretz b'*H*iborom," which can be read as "b'Hei bro'om," that Hashem created this world with the letter Hei. Rabbi Z'eiro said that this means that beyond all the letters of the Alef Beis being used to create this world, an extra letter Hei was also used. The numerical value of Hei is 5, and when added to the above-mentioned 5,995, we have a total of 6,000!

#3

There are numerous opinions as to which type of tree this was. The gemara Brochos 40a says that this was either a grape plant, a fig tree, or wheat. The M.R. Breishis 15:7 says that it was either an esrog tree or a "bnos sheva" tree.

#4

The gemara Sanhedrin 38b says that she was his twin sister. The Medrash Hagodol says that her name was Kanunto, while the Medrash Ksav Yad says that her name was Hava'yoh.

#5

The Mahara"l of Prague in N'sivos Olom, Nsiv Ha'teshuvoh at the end of chapter 4 explains this. He says that just as Odom, primary man, the first human being on earth, was its leader, so too, King Dovid was the first king of the bnei Yisroel who was of the royal tribe of Yehudoh.

The Holy Zohar in parshas Vayishlach, pages 168a-b gives us an alternate calculation for King Dovid's 70 years. He says that Avrohom should have lived for 180 years just as his son Yitzchok did, but he gave 5 years away for King Dovid. Yaakov should have lived for 175 years, as did Avrohom, but he only lived 147 years since he gave away 28 years. Yoseif should have lived for 147 years as did his father Yaakov, but he gave away 37 years. These three donations add up to the 70 years of King Dovid's life. He adds that the majority of Dovid's years was donated by Yoseif because both he and Yoseif were kings. A careful reading of Rashi's commentary on the words in T'hilim 90:4, "Ki elef shonim b'einecho k'yom esmol" indicates that he is in agreement with the second opinion mentioned in the Holy Zohar.

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