23 Oct Bereishit

The first verse of the Torah tells us that God created the world “Bereishit,” which we generally interpret to mean “in the beginning.” Rashi, however, comments that the letter “Bet” in the word “Bereishit” can also mean “for the sake of,” in which case this verse should be read as, “God created heaven and earth for the sake of ‘Reishit’.” “Reishit” (“the first”), Rashi explains, refers to Am Yisrael and to the Torah, both of which are called “Reishit” elsewhere in Tanach. Thus, according to Rashi, the opening verse of the Torah informs us that God created the universe – the galaxies, the planets, the entire natural order – specifically so that the Jewish people could study Torah.

This message is conveyed later in the Parasha, as well. In concluding the narrative of each day of creation, the Torah mentions the number of that day – “Yom Echad” (“one day”), “Yom Sheni” (“the second day”), “Yom Shelishi” (“the third day”), and so on. In concluding the sixth and final day of creation, however, the Torah refers to that day as “Yom Ha’shishi” (“the sixth day”), adding the letter “Hei” for emphasis. The Torah then writes, “The heavens and the earth and all their array was completed.” The Rabbis explain that the Torah alludes here to the famous “sixth day” of Sivan in the year 2448 after creation, the day on which the Torah was given to Benei Yisrael at Sinai. Only at that point, after this special “sixth day,” was the creation complete. Since the entire purpose of creation is the study of Torah, the process of creation cannot be said to have been completed until the Torah was presented to mankind. The Torah therefore emphasizes that on “Yom Ha’shishi,” on the day of Matan Torah, the heavens and the earth were complete.

Because of this, the Zohar writes that were there to be no Torah study in the world for even a single moment, the world would cease to exist. Since the world was created purely for the sake of Torah learning, the cessation of learning would automatically result in the world’s destruction. Torah is like the world’s oxygen; the universe cannot exist for an instant without it. It is like the gasoline needed for a car engine to run, and the electricity required for an appliance or machine. A car cannot run on an empty gasoline tank, even for a moment, and a machine cannot operate without the constant flow of an electric current. Similarly, the world cannot be sustained for even a single instant without the study of Torah.

The Sages tell us that when God came to give Benei Yisrael the Torah, He suspended Mount Sinai over their heads and threatened to destroy them should they refuse to accept the Torah. If an ill patient needs an oxygen machine to survive, the physician does not first ask him if he wishes to be hooked up to the machine; he enters the room and turns on the machine with or without the patient’s consent. Similarly, God did not give Benei Yisrael the choice whether or not to accept the Torah. Since the survival of the entire universe depended on their acceptance, He forced it upon them.

The beginning of a new Torah reading cycle is an appropriate time to recommit ourselves to the study of Torah, the greatest of all the Mitzvot. Understanding that the very survival of the world and all its inhabitants hinges on Torah learning, we must reaffirm our devotion to learning, to participating in Torah classes and encouraging others to do the same, so that we successfully fulfill the task assigned to Am Yisrael to sustain the world and all its inhabitants through our study of Torah.