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ומלמדין אותו כל התורה כולה שנאמר (משלי ד ד) "ויורני ויאמר לי יתמך דברי לבך שמור מצותי וחיה"
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וכיון שבא לאויר העולם בא מלאך וסטרו על פיו ומשכחו כל התורה כולה שנאמר (בראשית ד, ז) "לפתח חטאת רובץ"
And it [the foetus] is taught the entire Torah, as it is said: (Proverbs 4:4) "He instructed me, and said to me, 'Let your mind hold onto my words; Keep my commandments and you will live'",
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And when it [the foetus] comes to the light of the world, an angel comes and strikes it on the mouth and makes it forget the whole Torah, as it is said (Genesis 4:7) "Sin crouches at the door (lit., "petach", opening, i.e. of the mouth)
Have you heard the above midrash before? What do you think of it? Why do we need it -- what does it add to our experience of ourselves as Jews and students of the Torah? Does it detract at all?
עץ יוסף על עין יעקב
ומלמדין אותו כל התורה כולה וכו', ולכאורה מה התועלת בלימוד כיוון שמשכחין אותו? אך יבואר על פי מה שכתב האלשיך על מה שאנו אומרים "ותן חלקנו בתורתך" לפי שכל הנשמות עמדו על הר סיני וקבלו כל אחד חלקו בתורה. ולזה אמר בגמרא: יגעת ומצאת תאמין, כאדם שמוצא אבדתו לפי שהוא חלקו. ולכן אילו לא היו מלמדים אותו במעי אמו, לא היה יכול להגיע חלקו בתורתו אף על ידי יגיעותיו כמו שכתב אפלטון שלא יבין האדם כלל בדברים אשר לא קדמה בהם שום ידיעה או מחשבה, אבל מה ששמע או ראה כבר מעניניהם איזה רמז או הרהור ישוב ויזכרם... שמה שראה ושמע שם יעשה רושם בקרב אדם בכוח, אף על פי שאינו בפועל, ולכן אם יאמר לך אדם "יגעתי ולא מצאתי" – אל תאמין שזה מהנמנע
Etz Yosef on the Ein Yaakov
We teach it the entire Torah... What is the benefit of this learning since we make it forget? This is explained based on the writings of the Alshich on what we say "And give our portion in your Torah" because all the souls stood on Mount Sinai and each one accepted their portion in the Torah. That is what the Talmud means when it says, "If one made an effort and found [success in Torah learning] believe him." This is like a person who finds a lost object which is his portion. If the embryo had not been taught in its mother's womb, then it would not be able to [later] achieve its portion in the Torah even through effort. This is based on the writings of Plato that a person cannot understand things for which one does not have prior knowledge or experience. But what one hears or sees which is based on prior experience or thought will be remembered... What one sees and hears in womb [even after forgetting] makes an impression on the potential of a person even though it is not yet actualized. Therefore if someone says, "I made effort in Torah learning and did not achieve success" we do not believe him since this is impossible.
things that are necessary before the beginning, to make the beginning happen. (only god creates ex nihilo).
What is necessary for you to function well? what is your first step?
(ג) אסור לו להתעסק בצרכיו או לילך לדרך עד שיתפלל תפלת י"ח (ויש מקילין לאחר שאמרו מקצת ברכות קודם שאמרו ברוך שאמר וטוב להחמיר בזה) (תרומת הדשן סי' י"ח) ולא לאכול ולא לשתות אבל מים מותר לשתות קודם תפלה בין בחול ובין בשבת ויום טוב וכן אוכלין ומשקין לרפואה מותר:
(ד) הצמא והרעב הרי הם בכלל החולים אם יש בו יכולת לכוין דעתו יתפלל ואם לאו אם רצה אל יתפלל עד שיאכל וישתה:
(3) It is forbidden to busy one's self with his own needs or to set out before praying Shemonah Esrei (and their are those who are lenient that say some blessings before they say Baruch SheAmar, and it is good to be stringent in this - Terumat HaDeshen 18) nor may one eat or drink, but water may be imbibed before prayer, both on a weekday and on Shabbat or Yom Tov, and likewise all food or drink for medicinal purpose is allowed.
(4) One who is thirsty and one who is hungry are considered to be ill. If one has the ability to focus one's mind, one should pray. If not, if one desires, one should not pray until eating or drinking.
(א) בראשית אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק לֹֹֹֹֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא מֵהַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם,שֶׁהִיא מִצְוָה רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בָּהּ יִשׂרָאֵל, וּמַה טַּעַם פָּתַח בִּבְרֵאשִׁית? מִשׁוּם כֹּחַ מַעֲשָׂיו הִגִּיד לְעַמּוֹ לָתֵת לָהֶם נַחֲלַת גּוֹיִם (תהילים קי”א), שֶׁאִם יֹאמְרוּ אוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם לְיִשְׁרָאֵל לִסְטִים אַתֶּם, שֶׁכִּבַּשׁתֶּם אַרְצוֹת שִׁבְעָה גוֹיִם, הֵם אוֹמְרִים לָהֶם כָּל הָאָרֶץ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ"ה הִיא, הוּא בְרָאָהּ וּנְתָנָהּ לַאֲשֶׁר יָשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו, בִּרְצוֹנוֹ נְתָנָהּ לָהֶם, וּבִרְצוֹנוֹ נְטָלָהּ מֵהֶם וּנְתָנָהּ לָנוּ:
(1) בראשית IN THE BEGINNING — Rabbi Isaac said: The Torah which is the Law book of Israel should have commenced with the verse (Exodus 12:2) “This month shall be unto you the first of the months” which is the first commandment given to Israel. What is the reason, then, that it commences with the account of the Creation? Because of the thought expressed in the text (Psalms 111:6) “He declared to His people the strength of His works (i.e. He gave an account of the work of Creation), in order that He might give them the heritage of the nations.” For should the peoples of the world say to Israel, “You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the seven nations of Canaan”, Israel may reply to them, “All the earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whom He pleased. When He willed He gave it to them, and when He willed He took it from them and gave it to us” (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 187).
Also... Pesach is the real beginning and law is the real beginning. See below.
We may push back against this and say actually, the preparation is itself a beginning -- let's play that one out too.
(1) החודש הזה לכם ראש חדשים, from now on these months will be yours, to do with as you like. [you have My authority to organise your own calendar. Ed.] This is by way of contrast to the years when you were enslaved when you had no control over your time or timetable at all. [Freedom, i.e. means being able to formulate one’s own timetable. Ed.] While you were enslaved, your days, hours, minutes even, were always at the beck and call of your taskmasters. Therefore, this is the first of the months of the year, since this begins your time of freedom.
Now let's put ourselves on the other side of the equation -- maybe we aren't the ones preparing, maybe things are being prepared for us. How does that change things? Is it comforting? How?
What does it say about existence that it needed to "rest on" these things, that they were necessary ingredients(?) for it? Compare that R Nachman about birthday being the day God saw the world couldn't exist w/o you.
(א) וַיְהִי בָּעֵת הַהִוא וַיֵּרֶד יְהוּדָה מֵאֵת אֶחָיו (בראשית לח, א)...רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן פָּתַח (ירמיה כט, יא): כִּי אָנֹכִי יָדַעְתִּי אֶת הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹת, שְׁבָטִים הָיוּ עֲסוּקִין בִּמְכִירָתוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף, וְיוֹסֵף הָיָה עָסוּק בְּשַׂקּוֹ וּבְתַעֲנִיתוֹ, רְאוּבֵן הָיָה עָסוּק בְּשַׂקּוֹ וְתַעֲנִיתוֹ, וְיַעֲקֹב הָיָה עָסוּק בְּשַׂקּוֹ וּבְתַעֲנִיתוֹ, וִיהוּדָה הָיָה עָסוּק לִקַּח לוֹ אִשָּׁה, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הָיָה עוֹסֵק בּוֹרֵא אוֹרוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, וַיְהִי בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיֵּרֶד יְהוּדָה. (ישעיה סו, ז): בְּטֶרֶם תָּחִיל יָלָדָה, קֹדֶם שֶׁלֹא נוֹלַד מְשַׁעְבֵּד הָרִאשׁוֹן נוֹלַד גּוֹאֵל הָאַחֲרוֹן.
"At that time Judah went down from his brothers..." (Genesis 38:1)...Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman cited "For I [God] know the thoughts [that I have for you are positive]" (Jer. 29:11). While the tribes were busy selling Yosef into slavery, and Yosef was busy with fasting and sackcloth [mourning his sale] and Reuven was busy with fasting and sackcloth [mourning Yosef's sale and his lost birthright] and Yaakov was busy with fasting and sackcloth [mourning his lost of Yosef] and Judah was busy taking a woman for himself, the Holy One Blessed Be He was busy creating the light of the Messiah. "At that time Judah went down" (Genesis 38:1)..."before the labor pains began" (ISa. 66:7). Before the first one [Yosef] became enslaved, the redeemer (Messiah's forbear Peretz] was born.
The verse describes when the rest of the events of the Megilla occurred: “After these events did King Ahasuerus promote Haman” (Esther 3:1). The Gemara asks: After what particular events? Rava said: Only after the Holy One, Blessed be He, created a remedy for the blow and set in place the chain of events that would lead to the miraculous salvation was Haman appointed, setting the stage for the decree against the Jews to be issued. Rava explains: As Reish Lakish said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, does not strike at the Jewish people unless He has already created a remedy for them beforehand, as it is stated: “When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered” (Hosea 7:1). But this is not so with regard to the nations of the world. With them, God first strikes them and only afterward does He create a remedy, as it is stated: “And the Lord shall smite Egypt, smiting and healing” (Isaiah 19:22).