(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ב) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃ (ד) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃ (ה) וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ {פ}
(1) When God began to create heaven and earth— (2) the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water— (3) God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. (5) God called the light Day and called the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.
(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 אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם לְיִשְׁרָאֵל לִסְטִים אַתֶּם, שֶׁכְּבַשְׁתֶּם אַרְצוֹת שִׁבְעָה גוֹיִם, הֵם אוֹמְרִים לָהֶם כָּל הָאָרֶץ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ"ה הִיא, הוּא בְרָאָהּ וּנְתָנָהּ לַאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁר 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).
(א) משה רבנו כתב הספר הזה עם התורה כולה מפיו של הקב"ה. והקרוב שכתב זה בהר סיני, כי שם נאמר לו: "עלה אלי ההרה והיה שם, ואתנה לך את לוחות האבן והתורה והמצוה אשר כתבתי להורותם". כי 'לוחות האבן' – יכלול הלוחות והמכתב, כלומר עשרת הדברות, ו'המצוה' – מספר המצות כולן, עשה ולא תעשה. אם כן, 'והתורה' – יכלול הספורים מתחילת בראשית, כי הוא מורה אנשים בדרך בענין האמונה.
(1) Moses our teacher wrote this book of Genesis together with the whole Torah from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He. It is likely that he wrote it on Mount Sinai for there it was said to him, Come up to Me unto the mount, and be there; and I will give thee the tablets of stone and the Torah and the commandment which I have written, to teach them. The tablets of stone include the tablets and the writing that are the ten commandments. The commandment includes the number of all the commandments, positive and negative. If so, the expression and the Torah includes the stories from the beginning of Genesis [and is called Torah — teaching] because it teaches people the ways of faith.
Rav Asher Weiss: Minchas Asher:
The Midrashim discuss various reasons for the world’s creation: be it Klal Yisrael in general or those who study Torah in specific. Yet there is one Midrash which suggests another reason that is somewhat surprising:
ובזכות בכורים, ומה טעם בראשית ברא אלהים … ואין ראשית אלא בכורים שנאמר “ראשית בכורי
אדמתך.
Bereishis Rabbah 1:4
The world was created in the merit of bikkurim (the first fruit offerings), as it is written, “Bereishis – for the first and foremost thing – G‑d created Heaven and earth.” The word “first” can refer only to bikkurim, as it is written, “The first fruits of your land, bring to the house of Hashem your G‑d.” Shemot 23:19
What is the unique significance of bikkurim, more than any other of the 613 mitzvos, that the Midrash understood it to be the very reason for creation?
Each mitzva has its own special segulah and its own nurturing influence on human character, which helps us become finer, kinder people.
The influence of bikkurim in particular is to develop the character trait of gratitude, perhaps the most crucial of all traits, without which we cannot possibly hope to develop a healthy relationship with our Creator or with our fellow man.