בראשית, the reason why the Torah did not commence with the letter א but with the letter ב, is that the universe, i.e. earth, resembles that letter, i.e. it is enclosed from three sides as in the letter ב only the left side being open, i.e. the north side. [I presume that what the author means is that when we read the Torah, and the reader in the synagogue is facing east, as is customary in the synagogues in the northern hemisphere, the open side of that letter is on his left, i.e. north. Ed.] According to tradition, the letter א complained to G–d that it had not been allowed for the Torah to commence with it. What did G–d do? He recompensed that letter by commencing the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai with the letter א, where we read: (Exodus 20,2) אנכי ה' אלוקיך וגו', “I am the lord your G–d, etc.” The word בראשית consists of 6 letters, symbolising the six days of creation; The first verse of the Torah has seven words, symbolising the numbers of days in a week. It contains 28 letters, symbolising the 28 days of the month. [Perhaps the fact that the first letter is in a much bigger font compensates for the slight inaccuracy of the author stating the month has 28 days and not 29. Ed.] We also find the letter א six times in that verse, symbolising the six thousand years this earth [after the creation of man, Ed.] is supposed to exist in the format as we know it. The meaning of the word aleph in Hebrew is “one thousand.” The second verse in the Torah, commencing with the word: והארץ, immediately after the word ארץ, “earth” at the end of the preceding verse, symbolises that the period known as the period of Moshiach, is to last 2000 years. (Talmud, Sanhedrin folio 97) [the last two millennia preceding the arrival of the messianic age. Ed.] In Exodus 13,9 the Torah writes: למען תהיה תורת ה' בפיך, “in order that the Torah of Hashem be in your mouth;” in that verse the letter א occurs twice to serve as a hint that two thousand of the 6000 years that the earth will function as we know it, will already be years in which G–d’s Torah will be studied by many people. [Seeing that the Jewish people began its existence with the birth of the first Jew who was a Jew at birth, Yitzchok, which occurred 400 years before the Exodus, and it is the Jewish people’s task to study and spread the Torah, and Yitzchok’s birth coincided almost exactly with the beginning of the third millennium, this may be why the author of this commentary chose that verse and the two letters א in it, as another example of the letter א being utilised as a symbol of Torah study.

בראשית, Rashi understands the letter ב at the beginning of this word to mean: “on account of, due to, because of the merit of;” the word ראשית, he understands as a reference to the Torah, which elsewhere has been called ראשית. We also find that the Sabbath, the holy covenant, and the circumcision have been referred to by that name. The same is true of the word: אש, “fire,” which near the end of the Torah (Deuteronomy 33,2) has been referred to as the אשדת, “fire converted into religious law.” Rashi further quotes an interpretation by Rabbi Yitzchok, also found in an ancient version of Tanchuma, according to which, if the Torah were only a record of G–d’s laws, it need not have commenced before the 12th chapter of Exodus, where we encounter for the first time a law addressed to the entire people of Israel, i.e. the sanctification of the new moon, and the fact that we count the months of the year according to the moon’s orbit. On the face of it that statement is difficult as such laws as circumcision for Jewish males, as well as the prohibition to eat the gid hanashe, the thigh vein of mammals, has been recorded alread prior to this. We must assume that the Tanchuma referred to legislation given to the people when they had become a nation, something that began with chapter 12 in Exodus. Rabbi Yitzchok basing himself on Tanchuma, argues that everything in the Torah recorded prior to chapter 12 in Exodus has as its purpose to defend the Jewish people against any claim that they had robbed the Canaanites of their land when they crossed the river Jordan.

"let there be light" and there was light: And that which [the Torah] did not write, "and it was so," as with the other [days] is because, when it did so with the others, it was written in order to shorten its words; since had it explained all the arrangements of creation, it would have had to have been more expansive, but here there is no more expansiveness in the word (and there was) light (vayehi ohr) than in the word, (and it was) so (vayehi khen).

And the earth brought forth grass, etc. according to its species: In Tractate Chullin 60a, it interprets midrashically, "that the grasses raised an a fortiori argument (kal ve'chomer) about themselves, etc., [and] the minister of the world opened and said, 'may the honor of God be forever.'" And it is difficult according to the opinion that holds that Chanoch is [the same as] Metatron and that Metatron is [the same as] the minister of the world, since behold, at that time, Chanoch had not yet been created. And some explain, that there were [actually] two ministers of the world [and that here it is the other one, not Chanoch]. And we can also answer that [the understanding that the minister of the world reacted to the grasses here] is not like the opinion that holds that Chanoch is Metatron. And nonetheless, even according to [that opinion,] we can say, that it is true that [Chanoch] was not created, but his soul or 'constellation' was nonetheless created, [and] it said [what it did] about this verse; as we find (Avodah Zarah 5a) concerning 'the Book of the Generations (descendants) of man,' that we interpret midrashically, that [the mention of such a book in Genesis 5:1] teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed [Adam] each generation and its wise men - even though those generations were not [yet] created, nonetheless, He showed him their souls and their 'constellations.'

the two great luminaries: The explanation is that they are both great, nonetheless one is greater than its fellow, as it is written [concerning the sun], "the great luminary." And the rabbis interpreted midrashically [that] in the beginning, they were created equally, but [when] the moon attacked [the sun], it was reduced; and the sun retained its great size, because it heard its abuse and didn't answer. Which is like we say (Yoma 23a), "those that are insulted but do not insult, listen to their abuse and do not answer..., about them the verse is speaking [when it says] (Judges 5:31), 'and those that love Him are like the sun when it goes out in its strength,'" [meaning that they are] like the sun that heard its abuse and didn't answer, and became great through it. And also in the yotzer [prayer] on Shabbat, some have the version, "and He reduced the shape of the moon," and this is its explanation; God, may He be blessed, saw that it attacked [the sun] and He reduced it [to punish it for this]. And for those that have the version, "He saw and formed [the shape of the moon], the explanation is this; God, may He be blessed, saw that in the future, the nations of the world would make the mistake of following the sun and making it into idol worship; [and so] He stood and formed the shape of the moon [after forming the sun], to show them that the sun is not a god; since, behold, there is another sun, fitting and fine [just] like it.

And God blessed them: And so [too] (Genesis 2:3), "And God blessed the seventh day." Behold, you have learned [from this] that one who acquires a new thing should make the blessing of 'shehechianu.'

Be fruitful and multiply: And mules were not included in [this] blessing, as we say (Genesis 36:24), "he is Anah, who found the mules in the wilderness;" and therefore, they do not reproduce and multiply in the world. And even according to Rabbi Yose - who concludes in Chapter Makom She'nahagu, that on the night after the first Shabbat, Adam brought two beasts and cross-breeded them, and from them came the mule - it is not difficult, [since] it had previously been said, "be fruitful and multiply" [and the mule had already been excluded].

And conquer it: [Using the variant spelling that is] missing [the letter] vav, to teach you that it is the way of the man to 'conquer' the female; so that she not be unbridled, to cause a stumbling block for sexual impropriety, as did Leah, when she accustomed her daughter [to be unbridled] and created a stumbling block [for her]. And any [woman] who secludes herself in her home is fitting to marry the High Priest, as it is stated (Psalms 45:14), "All the honor of the king's daughter indoors, [is more than gold checkered clothing] etc," which means to say, that she will marry someone, about whom it is written (Exodus 28:39), "and you shall make checkered [...]." And she is fitting to have High Priests come from her, as it is stated (Psalms 128:3), "your sons will be like olive plantings;" meaning that they will be anointed with olive oil.

פרו ורבו, “be fruitful and multiply!” this blessing did not include mules, as we know from the Torah’s cryptic report that a certain man by the name of Anah had made horses and donkeys mate as a result of which a new species called mules came into being. (Genesis 36,24) (after having cross bred horses and she donkeys) “this is Anah who found the mules in the desert which had been the result of horses and asses being crossbred.” This is the reason why mules do not reproduce their species. According to our sages, he did so, seeing that he himself was a bastard as related in the beginning of the same verse. He had slept with his mother. Even according to the opinion of Rabbi Yossi, in the Talmud tractate Pessachim folio 54, who claims that immediately after the first Sabbath Adam crossbred two mammals, as a resulted of which the species mules came into existence there is no inconsistency here as the blessing to be fruitful and to multiply had been given to man prior to the first Sabbath.

וכבשה, “and subdue her;” the missing letter ו which would signify the plural mode in that word, is to teach us that it is normal for the male to dominate the female in marital relations, she is to reside inside her home and not venture out without a suitable escort, as we know from Leah, Dinah’s mother whose daughter was raped by Sh’chem because she had been allowed to roam unescorted. Dinah’s mother Leah, was also quoted elsewhere as having left her tent unescorted, (Genesis 30,16) [although she had apparently good reason on that occasion; Ed.] Psalms 45,14 teaches that a truly Royal princess finds her glory inside her home, not when on public display. [If Bat Sheva had not displayed her charms when bathing on the roof of her house where David saw this, many problems in Jewish history might have been prevented. Ed.] (Samuel II 11,3-4) According to tradition, any woman who strictly observes this rule of chastity is worthy of becoming the wife of a High priest. The sages derive this from the word: ושבצת, (Exodus 28,39) which is interpreted as the High Priest adorning himself with his tunic, the “tunic” being his chaste wife. [The High Priest’s tunic covered him from neck to toe. Ed.] Such a wife is apt to give birth to sons, who in turn will qualify as future High priests.(Midrash Tanchuma Tetzaveh, 6) Of her it is said (Psalms 128,3: ‘your wife shall be like a fruitful vine ­within your house; your sons like olive saplings around your table.”