Parashat Bereshit - some mekorot / Algumas fontes

(1) בראשית, at the beginning of time; this is the first moment which is indivisible into shorter periods.. There had not been a concept “time” previous to this, i.e. there had only been unbroken continuity. (The author perceives “time” as one of the creations. Ed.]

(2) ברא, He had converted “nothing” into “something.” There had been no need to invoke “time” in order to accomplish this.

(3) אלוקים, The expression “elo-ha” refers to something enduring, eternal. This is why Moses (Deut. 32,17) refers to demons, שדים, as לא אלו-ה, seeing that they are not eternal, are subject to death as our sages taught (Chagigah 16) The reason that the term “elo-ha” here appears in the plural mode, i.e. “elo-him,” is to teach us that G’d is the origin of all the various visible and invisible manifestations in the universe. This is what the prophet (Isaiah 6,3) has in mind when he described G’d as מלא כל הארץ כבודו, “the entire globe is a manifestation of His glory.” There is no other existence unless it has emanated from His existence. This is what Nechemyah 9,6 had in mind when he said ואתה מחיה את כלם, “You provide life for all of them.” When speaking of “appearances,” every phenomenon which is abstract as distinct from being tangible, is described by the generic term אלוקים. Professional, i.e. expert judges are called אלוהים, as they are able to pronounce judgment בצלם אלוקים, reflecting Divine wisdom. Their very profession is testimony to something enduring, divine in nature.

(4) את השמים, the word שם refers to a place which is distant, as opposed to the word פה, which means “here.” Every plural mode when accompanied by an accented penultimate syllable vocalised with a patach signals 2 of something which are equi-distant from all sides. This is something possible only in connection with an orbiting planet. This is something which is not possible, i.e that two points are equidistant from the center unless they are part of an orbiting spherical planet. The Torah therefore says that G’d created the phenomenon which at this time is far distant from us in such a way that all its sides are equi-distant from us, in other words the phenomenon is a planet, something spherical.

(5) ואת הארץ, and the center which is orbited by the planet.

(10) Rabbi Yonah said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Why was the world created with a "bet"? Just as a bet is closed on all sides and open in the front, so you are not permitted to say, "What is beneath? What is above? What came before? What will come after?" Rather from the day the world was created and after. Bar Kappara said: "You have but to inquire about bygone ages that came before you [ever since G-d created humanity on earth]" (Deuteronomy 4:32). "Ever since G-d created them" you may speculate, however you may not speculate on what was before that. ["From one end of Heaven to the other"] on this you may speculate and investigate, but you may not speculate and investigate 0n what was before. Rabbi Yehudah ben Pazzi explained the Creation story according to Bar Kappara. Why was the world created with a "bet"? To teach you there are two worlds: this world and the world-to-come. D'var Acher: Why with a "bet"? Because it is the language of "blessing." And why not with an "aleph"? Because it is the language of "cursing."

(1) "in the image of G-d" - behold, the word G-d (E-lohim) is said by way of comparison with any entity which is intelligent in actuality, perfect/whole, non-material and therefore necessarily eternal. Therefor it [the word] is said regarding G-d, may He be blessed, and regarding His angels, and similarly it is said regarding judges in respect to that intelligent element that is fitting for them. Indeed, seeing that even though human intelligence is acquired without any material tools, and extends over abstract notions, and over future [i.e., hypothetical situation], and is not weakened by extensive intellectual activity, nor in old age, but rather gains strength, and all of these [features] make it clear that it is doubtlessly non-material, for indeed, the opposite of all these befall the bodily, material powers, nevertheless, before he gains wisdom [lit. - ponders], being then lacking in all the perfections awaiting him, he is not called g0d, rather he merely called "in the image of G-d" until he acquires perfections, especially that wisdom through which he acquires love and awe of G-d and, for then he will be an fully-realized intelligent entity, perfect, non-material, and then he will be necessarily eternal, and will continue to exist also after the death of the body. Now since it is the choice of man whether to acquire this perfection through his effort to ponder the wisdom mentioned previously, it will therefore become clear that when he prevents himself from this, his intellectual potential will remain merely a potentiality, lacking in all actualized perfection, like it was from the beginning, and he will amount to nothing and be lost, as it says, "man is honored, but if he will not understand, he is compared to mere beasts" (Psalms 49:21). G-d, may He be blessed, taught all of this with two words, "in the image of G-d".

(1) In the image of God: All of nature was included in him. And from the time that it arose in the thought and word [of God] that there should be nature, then the Omnipresent, may He be blessed, was called by the name, God. And since all of nature is included in man, behold, he is in the image of God. But this is not [the case] except in the man of stature, as [Adam] was before the sin. Afterwards...

(2) Male and female, He created them: The verse here is not coming to explain about this species that it was more male and female than any of the [other] creatures, but rather to teach us that they are two [separate] creatures like is explained later. And because the male of this species is not at all similar in his character to the female of this species, and as was stated by Kohelet (Ecclesiastes 7:28), "One man out of a thousand I have found, and one woman, etc.," meaning that a man of stature, similar to his Creator, with the image of God, is found one in a thousand. Which is not the case, with women, who only fit the second description of man who is called man.

(1) ויכל ביום השביעי, by the time the seventh day had started, all G’d’s work had been completed so that there was no creative activity left for G’d to perform on the seventh day. It is therefore technically correct to state that the meaning of the words is that G’d’s work had been completed, and completion of work cannot be termed “work.” The meaning of the words אשר עשה, therefore is that “all the creative activities which G’d had performed during the preceding six “days” had been terminated with the advent of the seventh day, so that there was nothing left to be done on that day.” We have similar constructions in the Torah, for instance in Exodus 12,16 ביום הראשון תשביתו שאור, which means that on that day leavened things should be in a state of having been destroyed, banished. (compare Pessachim 5) וישבות, He discontinued, what He had completed (שבת).

(2) מכל מלאכתו, this means that after the sixth “day” G’d did not “create,” ברא, anything new. When the Torah used the expression וישבות, which gives the impression that G’d “retired” into inactivity, this is not accurate; the Torah used terminology that we humans can relate to. There is of course, no such things as יגיעה, fatigue, exhaustion, in connection with G’d. He is, by definition “tireless.” Compare Isaiah 40,28 who describes G’d as לא יעף ולא יגע, expressing exactly these sentiments. Creating the universe was not something tiresome for G’d. Another way of understanding the word וישבות, would be ויפסק, “He stopped, terminated.” This would also fit with Exodus 12,15 תשביתו שאור, “terminate leavened things!”

(1) ויבן ה' אלוקים את הצלע, the word צלע here has to be pronounced on the last syllable. The Torah says, in effect, that G’d “integrated” this צלע to be an integral indistinguishable part of Chavah’s other limbs and organs. She became basically a creature similar in all respects to Adam himself, except for her specifically female features.