Bereishis Essays

[Reuven Chaim Klein]

Essays from my What’s in a Word? series related to Parshas Bereishis:

• In the Beginning... - About ראשית, תחילה, and קדם.
• Article About Nothing (Part 1 | Part 2) - About תוהו, בהו, בלימה, מאומה, כלום, הבל and ריק.
• Be a Man - About אדם, אנוש, איש and גבר.
• Enter the Garden - (Part 1 | Part 2) - About גן, פרדס, and בוסתן.  
• Sleepy Words (Part 1 | Part 2) - About תרדמה, שינה, תנומה, לינה, and דורמיטא.

"Intriguing inquiry of a divine dichotomy" in The Jerusalem Report, Oct. 2024 (attached) - An explanation of how "evil" is a mathematical function of "good."

Recordings from my Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer lectures related to the Creation of the World (available on many platforms including: YouTube, Google Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, TorahDownloads, OUTorah.org, Archive.org):

• Episode 4: Chapter 3a - The Creation of the World (Day Zero) = How does the Tetragrammaton differ from God's other names? / Why is repentance (teshuvah) necessary for creating the world? / Seven Things Created Before Creating the World / The Names of Mashiach / Was Napoleon the Messiah? / Why must a king have advisors?
• Episode 5: Chapter 3b - The Creation of the World (Day One) = What was created on the First Day? / Is darkness just the absence of light or is it a creation of its own? / With what pen were the Tablet engraved? / What happened to Eve's clothes? / The Things Created During Twilight / Were the Heavens and the Earth created ex nihilo? / Covering Blood with Snow / What bringeth the Northern Wind? / Creating the World with Ten Utterances
• Episode 6: Chapter 4a - The Creation of the World (Day Two) = Firmament = Outer Space / When were angels created? / Creation of Fire / Four Classes of Angels / The Meaning of Chashmal / Punishing the Angels with a Pulsa Denura / The True Color of Techelet / What are Cherubim, Ophanim, Chayot, and Seraphim? / Four Faces on The Throne of Glory / Cloud-riding Baal in Ugaritic Literature / The Source of the Dinor River of Fire / What do angels do with their wings? / Angelic Kedushah and Human Kedushah / Saying Shema during Mussaf / Reciting Kedushah at Schlossburg
• Episode 7: Chapter 4b - The Creation of the World (Day Two) = The Byzantine Empire and Outlawing Kriyas Shema
• Episode 8: Chapter 5 - The Creation of the World (Day Three) = Sand as the border between Sea & Land / Making Mountains (Patriarchs) and Hills (Matriarchs) / Plates atop Molten Lava / Opening to Gan Eden / Setting the Table before the Meal / Cycle of Precipitation-Evaporation-Condensation / 30 Days as the Maximum Interval for Intimacy / Impregnating the Land
• Episode 9: Chapters 6-7 - Guest Shiur by Rabbi Boruch Kolodny = Introduction to the Astronomy and Astrology of Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer
• Episode 10: Chapter 6a - The Creation of the World (Day Four) =  The Sun and the Moon as Equals / The Cosmic Ramifications of their fallout / 7 Moving Stars (Planets) and 7 Days of the Week / Etymology of "Star" (Esther, Ishtar, Astarte) / Astronomy vs. Astrology / Yosef, Mercury, and Yesod / Making Kiddush under the influence of Mars / 12 Signs of the Zodiac (Mazalot) and the 12 Months of the Year / Bet Alpha Synagogue / Why is Mazal not considered Avodah Zarah? / Solar Months / Why is Birkat HaChamah once every 28 Years?
• Episode 11: Chapter 6b - The Creation of the World (Day Four) =  Birkas HaChamah and the Spring Equinox / Defining Big and Small / 366 Windows and Doors for the Sun to Shine Through / In which direction is God's Holy Presence (Shekhina)? / The Sun - Happy to be in Service / Taking a Bow / Is the Midrash geocentric or heliocentric? / Persuing Money not Wisdom / The Sun's Chariot
• Episode 12: Chapter 7a - The Creation of the World (Day Four) =  Souls of the Sun and Moon / Calculating the Molad According to Shmuel and Rav Ada / Machzor Katan and Machzor Gadol / 1080 Parts (Chalakim) of the Halachic Hour / The Mazalot in the Lunar Month / The Shift of the Molad from Year to Year / Egel and Fallen Angels in the North / Reconciling the Solar Year with the Lunar Year
• Episode 13: Chapter 7b - The Creation of the World (Day Four) = The Disappearing and Reappearing Moon / International Dateline in Halacha / How to Escape the Fate of Mazalot / Every 84 Years the Sun and the Moon line up like when they were created / Cosmic Implications of Eclipses / Rabbi Nehorai = Rabbi Meir / Waxing and Waning Through the Clouds
• Episode 14: Chapter 8a - The Creation of the World (Day Four) = Sod HaIbbur (Intercalation): Mathematical Formula or Kabbalistic Secret / Sun = Male, Moon = Female / Transmission of Sod HaIbbur: Adam, Enoch, Methusaleh, Noah, Shem, & Abraham / How many seasons in a 12 month year? / Why are Shem and Avraham called Kohanim? / The Kohen's role in making peace / Were Abraham and Shem firstborn sons?
• Episode 15: Chapter 8b - The Creation of the World (Day Four) = Transmission of Sod HaIbbur (continued): Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe & Aharon / Intercalation only in Holy Places / In the Holy Land or with a Talmid Chacham? / Ibbur Shanah in Babylon and Egypt / When did Yechezkel the prophet die? / Sod HaIbbur in Messianic Times / How many judges are needed for declaring a leap year? / Using a child holding a Chumash to complete a minyan / Ceremony of Declaring a leap year / Why blow the Shofar? / When do we declare a leap year? / What year of the Ibbur cycle ws the Exodus?
• Episode 16: Chapter 9a - The Creation of the World (Day Five) =  Animals (Behemot, Chayot), Birds, Fish, Insects / Signs of Kosher Birds / Pigeons & Turtledoves as Fowl Sacrifices / Signs of Kosher Fish / Signs of Kosher Grasshoppers / Wings that cover most of the body / Do birds require shechitah? / Were birds created from water, ground, or mud? / Commandment to cover blood
• Episode 17: Chapter 9b - The Creation of the World (Day Five) = Crawling Insects & Messianic World War / Fresh River Water vs. Salty Ocean Water / Thursdays in Jewish History / On what day was the Torah given? / Kriyas Yam Suf on Tuesday / Connection between Thursday and Rosh HaShannah / Male and Female Leviathans / Contradictory Properties of Salt
• Etc... (through Episode 38).

A Gezunte Vinter,

Reuven Chaim Klein

Beitar Illit, Israel

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