KYP - Berayshis
Ask A Shayla
לעילוי נשמת מרדכי בן חיים דוד ז"ל
Berayshis
146 Pasukim (verses), 6.5 Perakim (chapters) - Only one Mitzvah in this Parsha.
1st Aliyah (Kohen)
1st day - Hashem creates the sky and land. The land is dark so Hashem creates light and calls it “Yom”; darkness is called “Layla”.
2nd day - Hashem creates the firmament (atmosphere) and separates between the upper and lower waters (above and below the firmament).
3rd day - Hashem concentrates the lower waters (called Yamim) which cause the dry land (called Eretz) to appear. Trees, vegetation and grass are created.
4th day - Hashem has the sun and the moon (greater and lesser illumination) put in place. This allows for day and night and for the 4 seasons.
5th day - fish (large and small) and birds are created.
6th day - Crawling insects, animals and man (the latter in the image of Hashem) are created.
The first Mitzvah of the Torah is commanded: to procreate.
7th day - Shabbos - Hashem ceased to create and blesses the day.
2nd Aliyah (Levi)
Trees and grass do not grow and it does not rain until man was created.
A mist (cloud) encompasses the whole earth and irrigates it.
Hashem breathes into some dust and Adam is created; he is put in the eastern part of Eyden where a garden (Gan) is created.
In this garden are the Eytz Hachayim and the Eytz Hadas of good and bad
A river runs from Eyden to Gan and splits into 4 rivers.
1) Pishon
2) Gichon
3) Chidekel
4) Peras
Adam is commanded not to eat from the Eytz Hadas on penalty of death. He is to guard and work in Gan Eyden.
Hashem brings all creatures before Adam and Adam names each one.
3rd Aliyah
Hashem has Adam fall asleep and He takes one of Adam’s ribs and creates Chava (his wife). This is the source of why a man and woman leave their respective families and make a home together.
Adam and Chava are not clothed but they are not embarrassed about it.
The snake convinces Chava to eat from the Eytz Hadas. In turn, she convinces Adam to do the same.
Adam and Chava realized that they are not clothed and make cover themselves with fig leaves.
When Adam and Chava hear Hashem’s voice they hide themselves.
When Hashem asks Adam why he ate from the Eytz Hadas he blames Chava for convincing him to do so; when Chava is asked, she blames the snake.
The snake is cursed from all animals. He will crawl on his stomach, will always eat dust and will always be a mutual adversary of mankind.
Chava is punished with the pains of childbirth and by being subservient to her husband.
Adam is punished with needing to support himself “by the sweat of his brow”. [It won’t always be easy for him.]
At this point, Adam names his wife Chava which means “the mother of all living things”. (Until now we have been referring to her by her future name.)
Hashem makes clothing made out of skins for Adam and Chava.
4th Aliyah
Adam (and Chava) is sent out from Gan Eyden.
Cheruvim and an ever turning sword guard the way to the Eytz Hachayim.
Chava has two sons, Kayin and Hevel.
Hevel is a Shepherd; Kayin is a farmer.
Both Kayin and Hevel offer an offering to Hashem but Hashem favors Hevel’s offering.
Kayin kills Hevel.
Hashem asks Kayin where his brother is and he answers that he is not his brother’s guardian.
Hashem curses Kayin for killing Hevel that he should have a hard time growing things from the earth and that he will wander around the land.
Kayin says that the punishment is too hard to bear and that anyone can now kill him.
To this, Hashem makes a sign with Kayin that no one is allowed to kill him for 7 generations.
Kayin moves to Nod and has a son named Chanoch. The generations are Kayin-Chanoch-Eerad-Mechuyael-Meshusael-Lemech.
5th Aliyah
Lemech has two wives Adah and Tzilah. Adah has two sons - Yaval who is a farmer and Yuval who is a musician (harp and flute).
Tzilah - has a son Tuval-Kayin who sharpens cutting instruments made from copper and iron. His sister is Naama.
6th Aliyah
Lemech mistakenly kills Kayin and Tuval-Kayin and has to convince his wives to be with him again.
Adam has another son named Shais.
Shais has a son Enosh who is called in the name of Hashem.
The generations are Adam (lived 930 years)-Shais (lived 912 years)-Enosh (lived 905 years)-Keynon (lived 910 years)-Mehalalel (lived 895 years) -Yered (lived 962 years)-Chanoch (lived 365 years).
Chanoch follows in the way of Hashem but he dies relatively early.
7th Aliyah
The generations (cont’d) Mesushelach (lived 969 years)-Lemech (lived 777 years)-Noach-(Shem-Cham-Yafes).
Lemech says that Noach will bring respite for mankind from the toiling with the ground as per the curse of Hashem to Adam.
Mankind becomes promiscuous.
Hashem limits mankind’s existence to 120 more years.
Hashem reconsiders his decision to create mankind based on mankind’s behavior.
Hashem decides to destroy mankind, animals, creeping things and birds.
Noach finds favor in the eyes of Hashem.
Haftorah (Yeshaya 42:5)
Hashem makes Mashiach the one to bring justice to mankind in a non-belligerent way.
Hashem says that it is He who created the heavens, the earth and all they contain and it is He who has made Mashiach a light unto the nations to open blind eyes and to remove those in their [spiritual] confinement.
Hashem will be sung to and praised by all the living on earth.
Hashem wishes that the Torah will be glorified; even to those who currently act deaf and blind to it.
Klal Yisroel has been plundered and harassed throughout the generations because they have declined to listen and follow Hashems ways.
Now Hashem has redeemed Klal Yisroel and calls Klal Yisroel His own.
Hashem tells Klal Yisroel not to fear and that He will gather them from all corners of the earth.
Hashem states that nothing precedes nor follows Him.
Parsha Nuggets
1) Queston: Why does the Torah begin with a “Bayz” (Bet) and not with an “Aleph”?
Answer: Hashem didn’t want people to ask how the world can remain standing when it was created with a Loshon of curse (Arur is Hebrew for curse and its first letter is an “Aleph”). Rather, Hashem wanted to create the world with a Loshon of blessing (Bracha is Hebrew for blessing and its first letter is a “Bayz” (Bet)). Hopefully, through blessing the world will merit to remain standing. (Yerushalmi Chagiga 2:1)
2) Queston: Where does the word Shmayim (sky) come from?
Answer:
1) It is a concatenation of the words Shom (there) and Mayim (water) [The sky contains water]
2) It is a concatenation of the words Aish (fire) Umayim (and water). Hashem mixed fire and water and the firmament was made from the mixture. (Chagigah 12a)
3) One who sees the letter “Tes” (Tet) in their dream it is a good sign for them because the first time that letter appears in the Torah it is by the word “Tov” (good). (Bava Kama 55a)
4) [Regarding the greater and lesser illumination] The moon went to Hashem and asked Hashem if it is possible for two kings to share one crown? [Referring to itself and the sun] so Hashem commands the moon to decrease his size. (Chullin 60b)
5) Queston: Why does the word “Vayetzer” (from “Hashem formed man”) have two “Yuds” in it?
Answer:
1) “Woe is to me from my creator, woe is to me from my [evil] inclinations”. (Btachos 61a) [A man is born with a Yeytzer Tov (good inclination) and a Yeytzer Harah (bad inclination). If man doesn’t obey Hashem’s Torah he has to answer to Hashem but on the other hand, if he doesn’t listen to his Yeytzer Harah, it continuously nags him.
2) Man was originally formed with two faces, one in front and one in back. [Chava was given the second face] (Ibid)