The purpose of the above commandment is to populate the world, since G–d wishes for it to be populated, as we know from Isaiah 45,18: "for He did not create it a waste; for habitation did He form it; I am the Lord, there is none else." This is a very important commandment around which revolves the fulfillment of all the commandments. Torah was given to man and not to the ministering angels. It is incumbent upon man therefore to leave behind him those who can preserve Torah and fulfil its commandments, who can recognize the existence of a Creator who not only supervises what goes on in the universe but is able to direct history. This opportunity must not be denied to Israel [through failure to procreate Ed.] This is the meaning of Rashi on Genesis 6,9 that עיקר תולדותיהם של צדיקים מעשים טובים, "the most important contribution (descendants) that the righteous make are good deeds." The meaning is that it is incumbent upon someone who wants to deserve the title צדיק to see to it that he begets creatures who keep the commandments and perform good deeds.

If one understands the deeper meaning of this commandment, one also gains an insight into the mysteries of Creation. We find a statement by Rabbi Eliezer in Yevamot 63 that anyone who neglects to fulfill the commandment to be fruitful is considered as having the sin of spilling innocent blood on his hands, the reason being that the Torah says in Genesis 9,6: "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed." Since the Torah goes on to say : "Be fertile, increase, etc.," it is clear that failure to do so is considered a mortal sin. Rabbi Yaakov says: "Failure to try and have issue is a way of diminishing G–d's image in this world, since the Torah (still in verse 6 of this chapter) adds: 'For in His image did G–d make man.' Immediately afterwards follows the commandment to be fruitful." The Rabbis taught in Yevamot 64 that Numbers 10,36 ובנחה יאמר: שובה ה' רבבות אלפי ישראל, "When the ark came to rest, Moses would say 'return O Lord, You who are Israel's myriads of thousands,'" teaches that G–d's Presence is not found when Israel numbers fewer than 22000 souls." If Israel would number 21999 at any time and one of those Israelites failed to perform the מצוה of פרו ורבו, that person would be responsible for preventing the whole people from enjoying the Presence of the שכינה in their midst. We have now had three separate statements on the seriousness of failing to comply with the commandment to be fruitful. A) Failure to try and reproduce is equivalent to committing bloodshed; B) Failure to try and produce issue diminishes G–d's image in the world; C) Failure to fulfil this injunction prevents Israel from enjoying the Divine Presence in its midst. Prior to the statement quoted in the name of Rabbi Eliezer, the same Rabbi Eliezer is on record saying that a person who fails to marry is not an אדם, seeing that the Torah says of man (אדם) that "G–d created him male and female. He called their name Adam." (Genesis 5,2). You should appreciate that the statement of Rabbi Eliezer is to be understood as a general rule, whereas the subsequent statements are פרטים details, i.e. applications of the כלל. We must first understand Rabbi Eliezer.

The author views the creation of the emanations i.e. אצילות [a collective term used by the author of the book פרדס רמונים for all the ספירות. Ed.], as something akin to a "body." This means that the אין סוף (another word for G–d's Essence) needed to "wrap" itself in a spiritual emanation in order to eventually ennoble man through granting him some of the אור הנעלם. If G–d had not done so, man would not have a chance to get to know anything meaningful about G–d. The need for these emanations arises from the fact that without them the effect of the Revelation would be so overpowering that it would simply shatter us, much as noise at decibels that our ears are not attuned to would shatter our sense of hearing. [I have heard this explained as similar to a high voltage transformer which reduces such voltage in order to protect the electrically operated gadgets that we use in our household. If the voltage would hit our gadgets at full strength it would simply destroy them. Ed.]. When G–d said in Genesis 1,26: "Let Us make man in Our image and in Our likeness," this was a plan to create the most perfect creature, a creature that would effectively be the world, i.e. would be enthroned in this physical world much as G–d Himself is enthroned in the Heavens. The communication between man's soul and that soul's origin to the אדם העליון, [a term for the highest of the emanations], would be unimpeded.

Just as כוונה רצון and חפץ were the instruments G–d used to create the עולם האצילות the highest emanation, in order to give man a chance to gain some knowledge about Him, so man in turn must employ כוונה, רצון and חפץ in order to procreate in his own image.

The purpose of such procreation is the same as the purpose of man's own creation, namely to get an understanding of the greatness of G–d, to learn to carry out His will, etc. All this is explained at length in the Pardes Rimonim, in the chapter dealing with אצילות.

This highest emanation, whose essence, i.e. סוד, is the ineffable four-lettered name of G–d ידו"ד, comprises two elements אב ואם and בן ובת. The former represent the first half of that name of G–d, i.e. י"ה. All lower emanations, i.e spiritual realms more and more closely approaching the physical עולם העשיה we live in, are outgrowths of this אב ואם in the highest of the emanations. The system of emanations recognizes "senior" and "junior" emanations. Of the senior ones, חכמה and בינה are viewed as "two faced," i.e. male and female. Among the "junior" emanations תפארת and מלכות are considered "two faced," i.e. male and female, and represent the בן ובת, son and daughter aspect of these emanations. It is important to appreciate that in order to "transform" spiritual power to dimensions that could eventually be comprehended by G–d's physical creature, man, the principle of 'father and mother, and son and daughter' was used.

Since in Hebrew the name for man and woman i.e. איש ואשה each contain one of these two letters of the Ineffable Name, the י-ה, and the tribes of Israel are known as שבטי י-ה (Psalms 122,4), we can understand that man's duty, i.e. the duty of the אדם התחתון on earth, is to parallel G–d's activities. This means that man and woman are obliged to procreate, "in their image," a son and a daughter just as G–d created in His image a human being comprising male and female components. From the above it follows that when man and woman and son and daughter procreate, they perform the essential (סוד) function assigned to them by the Ineffable Name. When they do that they qualify for the appellation אדם, meaning that they do on earth, i.e. אדמה, something akin to what G–d has done in the Heavens. It is interesting that when you spell the Ineffable Name in words instead of in letters, i.e. 6=יוד-20, הא-6, ואו-13. הא, this adds up to the numerical value of the word 45=אדם. We have already pointed out that man is not called אדם except in conjunction with his mate, his wife. It is known that woman is the מלוי of man, i.e. complements him through her pregnancy. [The process of procreation for man would be impossible without this. Ed.] The alternate name for woman, i.e. 19= חוה. When you consider that the difference between the spelling of the Ineffable Name in letters rather than in words is 19, [45 instead of 26] this demonstrates that G–d's name too is made up of a masculine element and a מלוי, a feminine element. As a unit then, man and woman are called אדם.

When looked at separately, each appellation for a human being has a significance of its own. One function of man is to represent to the best of his ability the דמות וצלם אלוקים, the image and likeness of G–d. A second function is to be the instrument that causes G–d's Presence to rest upon Israel. A third function is to cleave to the living G–d by means of the Tree of Life, and not to attach oneself to the alternate choice, the סטרא דמותא, the side of death, or bloodshed. When man endeavors to imitate the ways of G–d, his own appearance reflects the Divine, so to speak, and appellations normally reserved for G–d are applied to him. He is enabled to do this only by means of the Torah and the commandments and by using his freedom of choice constructively. Torah has not been given to the ministering angels but to superior human beings. When man chooses evil, he is merely עפר מן האדמה, dust of the earth, whereas when he chooses to do good he becomes the carrier of the אדם עליון, as we defined the first reduction of G–d's Essence previously.

The Zohar, Parshat Acharey Mot states that there are three levels of existence in the world that can establish close contact with one another, G–d, the Torah and Israel, and that these levels of existence have both hidden and revealed aspects. The author refers to a lengthy explanation of this statement in his treatise תולדות אדם.

The principle involved in that statement is bound up with the word בראשית, which some of our sages (including Rashi on Genesis 1,1) explained as the raison d'etre of the universe, בשביל התורה וישראל שנקראו ראשית, on account of the Torah and Israel which are called Reshit, G–d created the universe seeing that they are a "first," and the appellation "first" does not really belong to anyone but G–d Himself, who did not even have a "beginning, i.e. ראשית.” The meaning of the word Reshit is the "beginning of creation," that the very first thought concerning creation included thoughts of the final product of such a creation, i.e. אדם, Israel and the Torah which Israel was meant to accept. All of this is alluded to in G–d's words when He said: נעשה אדם. The word נעשה distinguished Israel at the time when they accepted Torah without insisting that they first wanted to know its contents (Exodus 24,7). G–d, the Torah, and אדם are entwined with one another. Kabbalists who are deeply immersed in these esoterics described it in these words: "Torah is the imprint (רושם) of Divinity, whereas אדם is the imprint of Torah. The true revelation of G–d's Divinity is through His holy names, and Torah itself is a string of G–d's holy names. It consists of 600,000 letters which represent the 600,000 souls of Israel. Torah also consists of 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments; they represent expressions of G–d's attribute of Mercy and G–d's attribute of Justice respectively. The 365 negative commandments correspond to 365 sinews or tendons in man. Seeing the latter are red, the Kabbalists see in this a symbolism for the attribute of Justice. The 248 positive commandments, however, represent the bones of man, something white, symbolic of the attribute of Mercy.

I will now explain those three concepts very concisely since I have done so more elaborately in my treatise תולדות אדם.

The deeper meaning, סוד, of the relationship between צלם and דמות, image and form, is the relationship between soul and body. The attachment of the Essence of G–d, the אין סוף, -to אצילות, the emanation closest to the אין סוף, -is similar to the attachment of our soul to our body. This is a comparison of a general nature, something we described as דרך כלל. The more detailed explanation of this, which I have given in my treatise תולדות אדם, describes the soul נשמה, as something Divine, originating in the upper regions of the Heavens. I have discussed also the sources of our other spiritual forces such as נפש and רוח in that treatise. Generally, we find those three spiritual forces as being mentioned in the Bible, though on rare occasions the Bible also uses two more names for our spiritual forces, חיה and יחידה. In my treatise תולדות אדם I have also discussed the meaning of such verses as ויהי האדם לנפש חיה, "Man became a living creature" (Genesis 2,7), as well as the verse היא היתה לאם כל חי, "She has become the mother of all living human beings" (Genesis 3,20), and הן האדם היה כאחד ממנו, "Here man has become like one of Us" (Genesis 3,22). The last verse alludes to the deeper meaning of the spiritual force called יחידה. In that connection we have also discussed the significance of דמות, the body. We have explained there that G–d created man with seven facets, the head to correspond to the upper three of the emanations כתר, חכמה, בינה, the two arms corresponding to the emanations, חסד, גבורה. The torso corresponds to the emanation תפארת, the "covenant" with the sexual organ draws the torso towards the emanation יסוד, whereas the two thighs corresponds to the emanations נצח, הוד. Man cleaves to his wife (Genesis 2,24) by means of the "covenant" with his sexual organ. The latter function of the body corresponds to the emanation מלכות. In the treatise בית ישראל, which follows the treatise תולדות אדם, I have dealt with the mystique contained in the various names for other parts of the body.

We have a rule that in case a fire breaks out on the Sabbath, that whenever it is permitted to save the book, i.e. Torah scroll, it is also permitted to save the protective cover that such a Torah scroll is wrapped in together with the scroll (Shabbat 116). The relative importance of the body compared to the soul is similar to the importance in halachah of the ark of the Torah scroll to the Torah scroll itself. This is why in the future when the world will be full of knowledge of the Lord-a spiritual achievement-also physical matter such as the body will benefit through resurrection. It too will be able to absorb such knowledge. This is one of the important aspects in which the present sin-polluted world differs from an ideal world. The inferior status of matter in our world had its origin in Genesis 6,6, where the Torah says: ויתעצב אל לבו, He (G–d) was saddened concerning his (man's) heart. G–d saw that man no longer was using his body correctly, that the only area of spirituality left was man's heart. If man had "seen" with his heart instead of merely with his "eyes," [part of physical matter. Ed.] man's fall could have been avoided. We know from Samuel I 16,7: "for man 'sees' with the eyes whereas G–d 'sees' with the heart." Only G–d sees with His "heart." Man's decline began when the tree of knowledge appealed to Eve's eyes (Genesis 3,6). The purpose of man's creation had been to have the body as perfect as the soul, the body to be the היכל, "Sanctuary," whereas the soul would be the קדשי קדשים, "the inner Sanctuary." Both body and soul would have enjoyed a life of intelligence.

All other creatures on earth would have shared in a "higher" existence; there would not have been any trees that failed to produce edible fruit, for instance. When you look closely at the instruction issued by G–d to the Earth on the third day, you will find that the trees were meant to be edible themselves, i.e. the trunk, not just the fruit (Genesis 1,11). Earth did not comply with G–d's command completely, since it was aware that G–d would have to hide the Original Light due to the eventual emergence of wicked people. This prompted Earth to withhold some of its goodness also. The reason that the tree itself was to taste the same as its fruit is to elevate the קליפה, "peel," exterior, to the level of the essence, i.e. the fruit. When the level of spirituality is such that the קליפה has become insignificant, then the function of the tree of life has been fulfilled, i.e. every tree will be an עץ החיים.

You may well ask whence Earth knew all this, seeing that the original light was not hidden until after the first Sabbath, whereas Earth withheld part of her services already on the third day of creation? We must assume that G–d had certainly revealed this secret to Earth. Anyone who grants a gift planning to withdraw it later must inform the recipient of the gift that it is subject to recall at the time the gift is first granted. Bereshit Rabbah 5,5 states that G–d made a condition with the Ocean that when the Israelites would approach the Sea of Reeds in order to cross it, it would split and let the Israelites pass. The scriptural allusion is found in the words וישב הים…לאיתנו, "the sea returned to its contract" (Exodus 14,27). The word איתנ contains the same letters as the Hebrew word for "condition, contract" i.e. תנאי. We have numerous similar statements throughout the Midrash, all of which refer to G–d having imposed such "conditions" on different elements of the universe in order to have the right to interfere with the laws of nature through the performance of miracles whenever the need arises.

The luminaries, מאורות, were created on the first day, the intention being to provide light for a universe which had not yet been formed. No doubt, G–d had revealed to Earth the secret that these luminaries would be hidden later on, that a different light would be hung in the sky to provide light on earth. This is what is described in the Torah's report of the fourth day of Creation. The power of negative forces in this world, known as קליפות, is due to the diminution of the power of the original luminaries. This situation will continue through to the messianic age. In the present world the קליפה always precedes the fruit, even in the sequence in which man's children were born.

This is the reason that Cain, who represents the קליפה, was born before his brother Abel, who represents the fruit. The former said to G–d (Genesis 4,9) after having murdered Abel: "Is it my function to serve as the קליפה, "husk," for my brother?" Our sages understand this comment as Cain referring to this function in his life, because they understand the meaning of the word שומר to be the same as שומר הפרי, "the protective shell around the fruit." The letter ה in front of the word השומר indicates Cain's ongoing amazement. He cannot get over the fact that the evil urge within him, i.e. the קליפה, so overpowered him. His reaction was similar to ours when we acknowledge having sinned, blaming the evil urge within us.

Let us now get back to the subject under discussion, the reason the Earth did not produce trees whose wood was as edible as its fruit, and how Earth was punished for its failure to heed G–d's instructions. Its very action in disobeying G–d's command caused Eve and Adam to sin, as explained by the Arizal. I shall quote his booklet, adding a few words of my own.

First let me explain a few of the finer nuances in the verses which forbid man to eat from the tree of knowledge. The Torah twice says: ממנו, "from it," ומעץ הדעת טוב ורע לא תאכל ממנו כי ביום אכלך ממנו מות תמות "From the tree of knowledge of good and evil, do not eat from it, for on the day you eat from it you will surely become mortal" (Genesis 2,17). During the conversation between Eve and the serpent, however, the word ממנו occurs only once, i.e. ומפרי העץ אשר בתוך הגן לא תאכלו ממנו ולא תגעו בו פן תמותון, "And from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, the Lord has said 'do not eat from it and do not touch it lest you die'" (Genesis 3,3). Another difficulty in the text is the fact that in the original command by G–d we find the words “2,16) ”עץ…ומעץ הדעת and 2,17), and also the serpent itself refers to "the tree itself" (3,1). Eve, on the other hand, mentioned only a prohibition of the fruit of the tree (3,3). Only afterwards do we read in verse 6 of the conversation between Eve and the serpent: ותרא האשה כי טוב העץ למאכל, "the woman saw that the tree was good for eating." Another difficulty is the fact that surely Eve was an extremely intelligent woman. What could have prompted her to tell the serpent of an additional prohibition, that of touching the tree, when such a prohibition had not been issued by G–d? A further difficulty is that since Eve knew that G–d had not prohibited touching the tree, why did the fact that the serpent pushed her against the tree and she did not die influence her to the extent that she accepted the serpent's argument that just as touching the tree had not proved fatal to her, eating from it would not have fatal consequences either? (compare Bereshit Rabbah 19,3 that the serpent pushed Eve against the tree). How did Eve deduce a prohibition from something that had not been commanded? Yet another difficulty is the wording of the punishment. The Torah quotes G–d as saying to Adam: ארורה האדמה בעבורך, "The Earth will be cursed on your account" (Genesis 3,17). This means that Earth was punished at that time for a former misdemeanour. Why was Earth not punished at the time it failed to produce the kind of trees it had been commanded to produce?

The sin of Adam and Eve in eating from the tree of knowledge was directly attributable to the failure of Earth to respond fully to G–d's command. The reason that Earth had not been punished sooner for its departure from G–d's command was that its intention had been constructive, as we explained earlier. Now, however, there had been fatal consequences of Earth's failure to obey G–d fully; this is why Earth was punished at the same time man too was punished for his sin. This is why the Torah added the words בעבורך when describing its punishment. The very words כי ממנה לקחת, "for from it (earth) you have been taken" (Genesis 3,19), which is part of Adam's penalty, that of forfeiting eternal life, are an allusion to the fact that the sin had been made possible by Earth's behaviour at the time when it did not produce the right kind of trees.

How exactly was the Earth the cause of Eve's sinning? If all the trees in the world would have tasted just as did their fruit, there would have been nothing special about the tree of knowledge, and the serpent would not have been able to seduce Eve by pointing out its special nature. Under the existing circumstances, however, the serpent found a means of sowing doubt in Eve's mind. It is not the nature of the evil urge to at first attack our obedience of G–d's commandments frontally. Only after it has succeeded in convincing us of the irrational nature of certain of G–d's commandments has the way been prepared for it to encourage transgression of the commandment.

It is quite clear that the tree of knowledge responded to G–d's original command to earth, that its trunk was as edible as its fruit. This was because this tree had been planted by G–d Himself, was not the product of the general instruction to Earth on the third day of creation (Genesis 2,8). The serpent alluded to this fact when it said that G–d had only forbidden eating "of the tree of the garden," and made no mention of the fruit of the trees (Genesis 3,1). According to the serpent, man was not allowed to partake of the wood of the trees that G–d had planted. The reason this was forbidden, explained the serpent, was that these trees were supernatural creations. There was no reason however, for Eve to worry that the fruit of the tree was forbidden, seeing that the fruit was something natural, part of the laws of nature. The serpent was astute enough to use the language G–d had used to convince Eve that only the wood had been forbidden.

Eve replied that the prohibition not to eat from the tree included its fruit. We have a rule that when the Torah states something more than once without plausible reason, then the second statement of the Torah can be applied to a related matter (Kidushin 42). In our case the repetition of the word ממנו "from it," was used by Eve as applicable to a prohibition to touch the tree. She reasoned that since the tree itself represented something supernatural, and its fruit must not be eaten, the tree itself must not even be touched.

This gave the serpent a chance to push Eve against the tree and prove to her that touching the tree did not have fatal consequences. The serpent was smart enough to know that the repetition by G–d of the words "do not eat from it, for on the day you eat from it you will die," was not intended to prohibit touching the tree, but was in keeping with the rule that the Torah must state a warning of any transgression which is a capital offence, and must subsequently spell out the penalty applicable if the warning is ignored (Sanhedrin 56). G–d warned man not to eat; then He stated the penalty should the warning be ignored. The wording the Torah uses when issuing a warning and subsequently revealing the penalty for transgressing the commandment is always similar. This is why the serpent was quite sure Eve had misinterpreted G–d's meaning, and that pushing her against the tree would have no consequences The serpent did miscalculate in another direction, however. It assumed that Eve, just as most women, would first offer her husband part of the fruit as a token of her respect for him; the husband would then taste the fruit, die, and the serpent would be free to marry Eve. Once Eve had been proven wrong in her assumption that touching the tree would be fatal, the serpent now urged Eve to become openly rebellious by also eating from the fruit of the tree.

Eve was now ready to accept the serpent's statement that the only reason G–d had prohibited eating from the tree was that He did not want them to know good and evil just as He Himself did (Genesis 3,5). Reflecting on this, Eve saw that the tree was good as food, etc. (3,6).

It is clear that the fact that only this tree was fit to eat (not only its fruit) was what caused Eve to sin. Earth was not punished at once, since it had acted in accordance with the principle תיק הספר כספר, that the vessel containing the book should be of the same importance as the book it contains, i.e. that the body should be on a similar spiritual level to that of the soul. Since G–d had seen fit to withdraw some of the spiritual light, Earth considered itself justified in withdrawing some of the physical comforts for man, seeing that all of physical creation was only for the sake of man. We have now explained the relationship between צלם ודמות, image and form.

Let us next turn to the relationship of man to Torah. We must appreciate that the spirituality of Torah consists of the souls of Israel. Our sages alluded to this in Menachot 99, when they said: "Torah was given in forty (days) and the soul was formed in forty days; anyone who takes care of his Torah has his soul taken care of." I have elaborated on this statement in my treatise on מסכת שבועות, section תורה אור. I have found the following among the writings of the Arizal: The total number of souls is six hundred thousand. The Torah is the root of the souls of Israel. This is why there are six hundred thousand possible interpretations of Torah. Each of these interpretations eventually will form the root of a soul. In the world of the future, each Jew will read and understand the Torah according to the interpretation that resulted in his individual soul being formed. So it had been in גן עדן. Some souls are able to assimilate a number of interpretations. The soul of Moses was able to assimilate all six hundred thousand possible interpretations of Torah. He was thus familiar with all possible interpretations of Torah. When at night our soul leaves our body to ascend to higher regions, it may be able to read the interpretation of Torah that is appropriate to its particular root which resulted in its creation; on different nights, however, man's actions during the preceding day may cause different verses of the Torah to provide different degrees of enlightenment even for the same soul. The Arizal was able to detect on a person's forehead which verse had provided a special understanding for such a person, and he would then proceed to explain Torah to him according to the interpretation appropriate for his soul. He would explain to such a person that if he would read (study) that verse while awake, his soul would ascend to Heaven and there it would have more aspects of Torah revealed to it even though his חומר, body was not used to such revelations. The six hundred thousand interpretations mentioned are all according to the plain meaning of the text; in addition to these there is an equal number of interpretations of a mystical, Kabbalistic nature. There is no soul that is not equipped to understand both פשט and קבלה. So far the quotation from the writings of the Arizal.

Just as there are five books of the Torah, so the soul consists of five sections, נפש, רוח, נשמה, חיה and יחידה. This statement is baffling, seeing that neither in the Zohar nor in most other Kabbalistic writings do we encounter references to more than three parts of the soul נפש, רוח and נשמה. I have elaborated on this in my introduction to the treatise תולדות האדם.

Briefly, the matter is as follows: The last mentioned three parts of the soul stem from the three emanations below בינה, the origin of "two-faced" man being rooted in the emanations תפארת and מלגות respectively, i.e. the conditions applicable to the material world. חיה and יחידה, however, originate in the "senior" emanations חכמה and בינה, which contain the key to עולם הבא. There are only a select few who attain such a high level of spirituality that they may glimpse their עולם הבא already in this life. Those who do also possess the two parts of the soul we have called חיה and יחידה. The souls of Adam and Eve belong to this latter category, and I have explained the verses 2,7) ,ויהי האדם לנפש חיה) and (3,20) וחוה היתה אם כל חי, in my aforementioned treatise.

To come back to the statement that all the souls are the root of Torah. There are two תורות. One Torah which was revealed to us from the "two-faced" region (emanation) of תפארת and מלכות, is both the written and the oral Torah. We find an allusion to these two תורות in Deut. 4,36: מן השמים השמיעך את קלו ליסרך ועל הארץ הראך את אשו הגדולה ודבריו שמעת מתוך האש, "From the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; on earth He let you see His great fire; and from amidst the fire you heard His words." Heaven and Earth in this verse are the reference to the "two faces" of Torah [the written and the oral]. There exists, however, an "earlier" Torah which our sages alluded to when they told us that Torah had been created two thousand years prior to Creation. This Torah was "hidden" together with the original light. Kabbalists have explained that each emanation, ספירה, is equated with the number one thousand, [based on multiplying ten by ten by ten, at which point we return to the original number 1, i.e. אלף, representing G–d's unity, seeing that the letter אלף is identical with the word for one thousand, i.e. Eleph. Ed.] Construction of the material world began with the emanation חסד, in descending order. This is the reason why our sages always say עולם חסד יבנה, "the universe is built on חסד.” (Psalms 89,3) If this is so, we understand the two thousand (years) that the "higher" Torah preceded our universe as referring to the emanations חכמה and בינה which preceded the emanation of חסד [in the process of צמצום, the self-imposed limitations, which the Essence of G–d, אין סוף, imposed upon Himself in order to create the universe and for His creations in that universe to be able to relate to Him Ed.].

The root of the emanations of תפארת and מלכות -the "two-faced" basis of the entire structure of our universe-have their original beginning in the emanations חכמה and בינה. This must be understood within the context of בנין, a structure. In the "hidden" regions of the "senior" emanations חכמה and בינה however, there is another Torah. This is the Torah that preceded the revealed Torah. Our sages had this in mind when they said הנסתרות לה' אלוקינו, "Concealed matters are the Lord's alone" (Deut 29,28). These aspects of Torah have not been revealed to us. The aspects that have been revealed to us, i.e. והנגלות לנו ולבנינו (ibid.) represent the last two letters of the Ineffable Name of G–d, i. e. ו-ה The overwhelming majority of the revealed Torah belonged to the emanations "below" בינה; in those "regions" in which a merger of תפארת and מלכות is possible some people are endowed with נשמה, others with רוח, and still others only with the נפש type of spiritual potential, each according to his individual level. The select few, usually referred to as בני העליה by our sages, are able to penetrate into the regions above תפארץ, since they have also acquired the חיה or even יחידה type of soul, i.e. spiritual capacity. In that capacity they are able to absorb teachings from the תורה הקדומה, that Torah which remained hidden to the rest of us. When the sages of the Midrash have said that the concept of "Israel" was in G–d's mind before He commenced to create the universe, they referred to these בני העליה. The language of the Midrash עלה במחשבה -is a clear allusion to בני עליה.

Thus we can now also understand that the same sages described G–d's original blueprint of the universe as being based on the attribute of Justice. Only when G–d saw that such a universe would not be able to endure for long, did He decide to co-opt the attribute of Mercy (Bereshit Rabbah 12,15, and Rashi on Genesis 1,1). Why do the sages talk about ideas of G–d that were never executed? All that needs to concern us surely is what did transpire, not what could or should have transpired? Another difficulty is whether what the sages describe means that G–d had re-considered? Surely this cannot be; do we not have it on good authority that one of the things that distinguishes G–d from man is כי לא בן אדם ויתנחם, "For He is not human that He should reconsider or regret!" (Numbers 23,19).

When we think about G–d we must appreciate that G–d does not only possess the knowledge of all that has been, is, or will be, but that He also has the knowledge of all that could have been or could be. Having considered the possible outcome of any number of possible activities, G–d sets in motion only those activities that hold the greatest promise of ultimately achieving what He had in mind since the beginning. Our sages had this in mind when they spoke about G–d having considered creating a universe dominated by the attribute of Justice, whereas in actual fact the universe G–d did create was based on a predominance of the attribute of Mercy. There was no change of direction by G–d. Not only must we understand the Midrash Rabbah we have quoted in this vein, but we must also understand the famous statement by Rabbi Abahu that "G–d created many worlds only to destroy them again," in the same vein. G–d toyed with a variety of blueprints for possible universes. The one He actually created was the one that corresponded most to His will, רצון. Rabbi Abahu referred to the careful evaluation of all possible consequences of undertaking certain steps as בנין. When one foresees that certain steps one takes would eventually have negative consequences and one desists from proceeding with such steps he calls this הריסה, destruction (compare Midrash Shocher Tov 34,1 where the statement is attributed to Rabbi Tanchum). This is the way we must explain these statements in the Midrash according to the Peshat.

However, I believe there is a different dimension to the statement quoted, one that permits us to view all the thoughts of G–d as being "alive and well," none having been abandoned. We must understand first the dictum of our sages that G–d is far more exacting with the righteous when He examines their conduct than He is with ordinary individuals. He is described as being so exacting with them that He will measure the thickness of an individual hair. (Yevamot 121). The closer one wants to be to the king, the more refined one has to be. If a person wishes to be close to the King of Kings, to be at home not only in His courtyard but in His palace, he must measure up to higher than ordinary standards. There are numerous steps a person ascends before sitting at the feet of G–d's throne; the more he has ascended the closer his conduct is examined. Chagigah 18b puts this concept into a halachic framework. The Talmud states that the garment of an עם הארץ, an average person, is considered as afflicted with טומאת מדרס (an impurity imparted by a person who suffers from a seminal flux by sitting on a mat, for instance), in his relations with people whose normal status is that of פרושים, a category of people who carefully refrain from contact with ritual impurity. The garments of these פרושים, on the other hand, are considered as afflicted with the same degree of ritual impurity when they come in contact with people whose level of ritual purity is such that they are permitted to eat תרומה, i.e. parts of the harvest allocated to the Priests. The garments of those priests who are of the level of ritual purity that permits them to eat תרומה in turn, are still considered as afflicted with the same degree of impurity when they come into contact with things that could only be consumed within the precincts of the Temple. This only illustrates that just as "ritual purity" is a relative term, so the term צדיקים, is also relative.

One of the thoughts of G–d prior to the creation of the universe focused on those select human beings that would become בני עליה. With such people G–d could afford to be more exacting than with the rest of mankind. As far as they were concerned, G–d had no reason to reconsider creation of a universe dominated by the attribute of Justice. G–d intended the תורה הקדומה for that very category of people.

The meaning of מתחלה עלה במחשבה לברא את העולם במדת הדין, does not mean that G–d thought something at the beginning, and then changed His mind, G–d forbid; it means that G–d was concerned with the root of things, the שורש. The root is the "beginning," from which all other developments evolve. The root is in a domain concealed from us, נעלם. It is the beginning of any further expansion. Things become visible from that point on. G–d was able to apply the מדת הדין to those people whose soul was rooted in the שרש, the hidden domain since they possessed the חיה and יחידה dimension of soul. This approach also explains the answer G–d is reported to have given to Moses to whom He had shown a vision of the life and death of Rabbi Akiva, and who questioned how G–d could allow such a man to be tortured to death (Menachot 29). The words G–d reportedly used were שתוק, כך עלה במחשבה לפני , "Be silent so it suits My plan." Normally, we understand this answer as a warning not to question G–d's ways when these seem beyond our understanding. However, this is not what G–d meant to convey by this answer. G–d simply explained that people such as Rabbi Akiva who are part of the בני עליה can be judged by higher standards than ordinary people, and therefore G–d applied the מדת הדין when judging them.

The Talmud frequently states אדם חשוב שאני "different yardsticks apply to important people." (Berachot 19, Shabbat 51, 142 et al.) It is no more than appropriate that people who desire לחזות בנועם ה', באור הגנוז, of which it is said הנסתרות לה' אלוקינו, "to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord," i.e. the original light which has been hidden, of which the Torah says that the "hidden things are G–d's alone," should be judged according to a different scale of values.

G–d realized immediately (remember that the word in the Midrash used for this is ראה) that the kind of people whose souls (spiritual capacity) are of a lower order, seeing that they are further removed from the שרש, would not be able to survive for long in a universe that was based solely on the attribute of Justice. The word ראה implies a situation of גלוי, that something had already been revealed, was no longer in a realm hidden from all but the highest בני עליה.

When our sages say (Shabbat 10a) that "any judge who hands down a true verdict can consider himself as G–d's partner in creating the universe," they refer to this co-opting of the attribute of Mercy. Tossaphot query why the Talmud repeats the words דין אמת לאמתו and concludes that the Talmud wants to exclude a judgment based on deception. If we follow our approach there is no need to query the repetition of the word אמת. There are two kinds of judgments, both of which are אמת, true. One of these judgments is more true than the other, however. Our sages have commanded the judges to attempt to reconcile conflicting demands by litigants and to arrive at a mutually agreed compromise, before proceeding to adjudicate strictly on the basis of the law. When the judge succeeds in arranging a פשרה, he has performed both חסד and אמת. When he has achieved this he has ensured the continued existence of the world, since we have learned from G–d that our universe cannot endure if the only yardsticks to be applied were to be those of strict justice. On the other hand, a פשרה, can certainly not be termed "strict justice." The Talmud therefore needs to stress that "true justice" i.e. דין לאמיתו is compromise, since the objective of justice is to ensure the continuity of this universe, and that is precisely what is achieved when people agree to compromise. Any judge who initiates such a compromise has earned a share in the credit for the continued existence of our world. When we are told in Psalms 85,12 that אמת מארץ תצמח, "truth has to grow from earth," the idea is that judges on earth have to see to it that truth prevails.

There can however, be a situation when both parties to a dispute are truthful, no one denying the other party's claim or how he presents his case. Both are righteous people, neither one wants to obtain something from the other dishonestly. Both parties however want to know which one of them is legally correct in his demands. When the judge hands down a decision based on such considerations he is דן דין אמת לאמיתו, "he hands down an absolutely true judgment." Although, as we have stated truth "must grow forth from the earth," in order to enable peace and harmony to prevail on earth, the litigants whom we have described last are also interested in a fair outcome. Each one wants the judge to be sure to award to the other litigant no less than he deserves. When the judge, being in the center, gives his ruling, that ruling is described as אמת לאמתו. Such a judge becomes a partner in מעשה בראשית. Before G–d began creating the universe, He already had thought of the need to have judges on earth administer His design for constructive development of the world; this makes those judges His partners whenever they further His design.

When we stated earlier that Torah is the source of all the Jewish souls, we referred both to the revealed Torah and to the Torah that we described as belonging to the domain of הנסתרות לה' אלוקינו.

We have explained earlier that man is the imprint of the Torah, [much as Torah is the imprint of G–d]. When we speak about "Torah" within this framework, we predominantly mean the revealed Torah, referred to by the Torah's statement והנגלות לנו ולבנינו. The בני העליה, of whom there are but a few, are the ones referred to in the Torah as כי אתם המעט, "For there are very few of you." (Deut. 7,7). This is why G–d deals with those few on a different basis i.e. that of the attribute of Justice, seeing that the root of their souls is in the domain of the תורה הקדומה, the Torah that had preceded Creation by two thousand years.

We can explain two apparently contradictory statements of our sages by keeping this point in mind. The Talmud in Kidushin 33 states that if one needs to rise from one's seat when a Torah scholar enters the hall of learning, how much more so must one rise from one's seat when the Torah scroll itself approaches! On the other hand, we find the Talmud in Makkot 22 saying: "How foolish the people who rise from their seats when the Torah scroll is brought in, but fail to rise when the Torah scholars approach! Tosaphot say that the reference is to ignorant people who are unable to arrive at the logical conclusion mentioned in Kidushin. Had they been able to make such deductions, they would not have displayed their ignorance. It follows that those people were aware that one needs to rise when Torah scholars enter. The Ran explains at the end of the tractate of Kidushin that undoubtedly Torah is on a higher level of sanctity than Torah scholars, and one has to rise when a Torah scroll is brought in. The fools referred to in Makkot are simply too ignorant to appreciate that fact. Their knowledge of Torah is limited to what they hear from the mouth of Torah scholars.

Considering the above, we see that both statements in the Talmud are quite true. The level of those people who have access to the תורה הקדומה is superior to the level of the Torah that has been revealed, since they are the people whom G–d had in mind way before He created the universe. Kohelet 1,4 alludes to this when he says והארץ לעולם עומדת. The Midrash on that verse says that Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai quoted Isaiah 65,22: כי כימי העץ ימי עמי, "For the days of My people shall be as long as the days of the tree." We know that "the tree " refers to Torah from עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בו, "For she is a tree of life to all who grasp her" (Proverbs 3,18) [The subject matter in that chapter is wisdom=Torah Ed.]. Who was created for whose sake? Was the Torah created for the sake of Israel, or was Israel created for the sake of the Torah? Torah was created for the sake of Israel. If Torah, which was created for Israel's sake endures forever, how much more so must Israel live forever?" We find a similar statement in Bereshit Rabbah 1,4 where Rabbi Abba bar Kahane is quoted as saying that Torah preceded the throne of G–d. He supports this statement with the scriptural quotation ה' קנני ראשית דרכו, "G–d has acquired me at the beginning of His way" (Proverbs 8,22). Also, Rabbis Hunna and Yirmiyahu say in the name of Rabbi Shmueli bar Yitzchak that Israel was the original concept that G–d entertained in His mind. They explain this by a parable: A king was married to an aristocratic lady who bore him no children. When the king once strolled in the market-place, he instructed his servants to purchase reeds and ink for his son. People who saw this were heard to comment that this was strange seeing the king did not have a son. Upon reflection they concluded that the king must be a great astrologer seeing that the purchase reflected his certainty that he would have a son from his present wife otherwise he would not have given such instructions. The same is true of G–d. He was aware that after twenty-six generations Israel would accept the Torah at Mount Sinai, otherwise how could G–d have written in the Torah such lines as: "Speak to the Israelites," "command the Israelites, etc?" This concludes our second premise that Torah is the soul of Israel.

The third premise is that G–d's Torah is essentially the Torah of אדם, instructing man to shun evil and to do good, teaching man the principle of reward and punishment. It is called "man's teaching," תורת האדם, since man possesses free choice. We know this from Deut. 30,15: "Behold! I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity….. Choose life!" We have discussed these concepts at length in the treatise תולדות האדם, section בית ישראל.

The 365 negative commandments which are inspired by the attribute of Justice, and the 248 positive commandments which are inspired by the attribute of Mercy, are closely intertwined with one another as I have explained in my introduction. This is why the righteous are able to transform matters which emanate from the attribute of Justice into the domain of the attribute of Mercy, whereas the wicked are responsible should the reverse occur. The righteous proceed from their position on the סטרא דימינא, the "right" side of the emanations, whereas the wicked proceed from a position on the סטרא דשמאלא, the "left" side of the emanations. [Picture the diagram of the emanations as displaying חכמה, חסד, נצח in descending order on the right side of such a diagram, whereas the emanations — דין, גבורה, הוד בינה, — appear parallel to the other three on the left side of the diagram Ed.]

I have explained at length that "evil" is distilled from "good,” that it has only been created, נברא, for the sake of the good, i.e. הטוב. Without רע, "evil," there could not have been such a concept as טוב, "good." G–d arranged that people should fear him; this is why the advantage of light is something that is due to the potential power of darkness. This is the deeper meaning of the Torah saying that both luminaries were created equal in size even though the word מארת is spelled defective, without the letter ו indicating the plural. The idea is to tell us that the luminary later described as המאור הקטן, the smaller luminary, is really part of the overall expression "luminaries." The טוב must be understood as the "great luminary," whereas the "small luminary" refers to darkness, חשך. When you look closely at the letters in the word מאורות (when spelled plene), you will find the words for "light" and "death," i.e. אור and מות. The word מות is separated by the letters spelling אור, light. This is a hint that light (the light of Torah) separates or neutralises the power of מות, death. The same does not apply to the Gentiles or to the wicked. They walk in [unbroken] darkness, not in light, and in the language of our sages are referred to as "dead" even while their bodies are "alive" (Berachot 18). For them death is an ongoing experience, not broken or interrupted by light. Of the righteous the Psalmist says (Psalms 116,15): יקר בעיני ה' המותר לחסידיו, "The death of His pious ones is a precious event in the eyes of G—d." Elsewhere I explained the meaning and nature of death at length. The letter מ is an allusion to the angel of death. It is the very letter from the word מפריו from Genesis 3,6 :"ותרא האשה…ותקח מפריו ותאכל ותתן". We have the letter ו and ת four times in that verse plus the letter מ. This is an allusion to Eve having surrounded herself with the angel of death from all four sides. I have written more about this in my treatise תולדות האדם. Anyone who wants a deeper understanding of this must take the trouble to read the entire introduction even though it is lengthy.

To come back to the three views expressed in the Talmud concerning the severity of the sin of failing to procreate. The three sages refer to different elements in the basic interrelationship between G–d, Torah and Israel.

Rabbi Yaakov said that such a person diminishes G–d's image in the world His statement presupposes that Torah is the imprint of G–d, and that Israel is the imprint of the Torah. The scriptural allusion to this state of affairs is: ומבשרי אחזה אלוקה, "but I would behold G–d while still in my flesh" (Job 19,26).

This imprint of G–d is the mystical factor that causes the Presence of the שכינה in Israel since the spirituality of the Torah is represented by the souls of Israel. These souls enable G–d to fulfil His promise ושכנתי בתוכם, "I shall dwell among them" (Exodus 25,8). The Torah refers to messianic times and the revelation of G–d's Presence at that time. Concerning that era we have the prophecy of Isaiah 25,9: "On that day it (the people of Israel) will say: "This is our G–d; we trusted in Him, and He delivered us; this is the Lord in whom we trusted." This whole development depends on the progressive evolution of many souls to higher levels. The Ari zal has explained the verse הקטן יהיה לאלף, והצעיר לגוי גדול, נאום ה' בעתה אחישנו "the smallest shall become one thousand; the least, a mighty nation; I the Lord will speed it in due time" (Isaiah 60,22). The obvious difficulty here is that either the redemption comes at a time appointed by G–d, i.e. בעתה, or there is no timetable for redemption, and G–d is free to bring redemption at any time. Different commentators deal with this problem in different ways. The Arizal sees in the verse an allusion to a statement in the Talmud that אין בן דוד בא עד שיכלו כל הנשמות שבגוף, the Messiah will not come until all the souls of the body have been "exhausted" (Yevamot 62). The meaning is that nowadays, while we are in exile, the existing souls of Israel are mostly revolving around themselves and not progressing to higher dimensions. Once these souls have all exhausted their stay on earth, and "new" souls arrive, redemption will occur, and with it the revelation of the original light that G–d withdrew from this earth after the seven days of Creation. G–d called this "the smallest will become one thousand." It is a process of increasing the Jewish birth-rate so that the "store" of souls that has not yet been placed in bodies will be exhausted sooner. In this way the date for the redemption can be advanced dramatically. There is then no contradiction between the words בעתה, and אחישנה. As a result the Presence of the שכינה is directly related to fulfillment of the commandment to procreate. Even though we have quoted proof from a verse in Numbers 10,36 that the Presence of G–d is possible when there are 22,000 souls present (compare page 2 of this chapter), this was only meant to illustrate that G–ds Presence does manifest itself on earth. The extent to which this is possible when all the souls that have been assigned to bodies have fulfilled their task is beyond our experience, and cannot be compared with what occurred in the desert.

Whereas someone who fails to procreate by not emitting his semen is considered כאלו שופך דמים, as if he had spilled blood, a person who emits semen for purposes other than procreation has actually spilled blood and is guilty of death. This is why the people of the generation of the deluge were condemned to die, as we have outlined elsewhere. The important thing is that even if a person is סור מרע, abstains from doing evil by not wasting his semen and merely not impregnating his wife who is of childbearing age, he is still considered as if he had spilled blood. The reason is that man is to act like the אדם העליון (a facet of G–d), whose very function is the unending dispensation of שפע, abundance, acts of generosity. If, due to our sins, we do not experience this generosity on earth i.e. in the sphere of מלכות, from the emanation תפארץ which channels such שפע to Israel, as hinted at by the words אשר זרעו בו על הארץ [G–d's first command to provide that שפע in Genesis 1,11. Ed.], such שפע is granted to חצונים, unworthy creatures, and results in ותשחת הארץ, corruption of the earth (Genesis 6,11). The word זרעו should be read as 6) ,זרע-ו) since the sixth emanation is תפארת.

Not only is the דמות, likeness of G–d, diminished in the eyes of man, but it actually turns into the blood of death, ד"ם מות, since an additional letter מ which symbolizes the angel of death has become part of that דמות. All of this is the result of the שפע having been redirected to the חצונים, the unworthy recipients. At that point we reach the situation described by Solomon in Proverbs 16,28: ונגן מפריד אלוף, “the quarrelsome one alienates the “אלף.” When the letter א is detached from the word אדם, only דם, blood is left, and Eve surrounded herself with four times ות, and one מ in the center, as we have already pointed out. All this is due to the fact that semen originates in the brain, the area from which our thoughts originate; not using it makes its source dry up. On the other hand, he who uses his semen constructively thereby enhances the צלם and דמות of G–d, provided his intention is to do so as part of his service of the Lord to sire children who will serve the Lord. When man acts in this way he becomes the מרכבה, the carrier of G–d's Presence.

This מרכבה is what we described as the ineffable four-lettered name of G–d which comprises both the elements of אב and אם, as well as the elements בן ובת. Since in the mystical realm of תפארת and מלכות the whole concept of-בנין comprising the "two faced" man-is included (compare page 12), we can understand why in terms of הלכה, Jewish religious law, one has not fulfilled one's duty until one has sired both a son and a daughter (in order to reflect this "two faced" original man). In our "lower" world the "two faced" aspect of original man has been replaced by two sexes of separate bodies. By siring both a son and a daughter, the parents have duplicated — to the extent they are able — the basis of this world's structure which is rooted in the emanations of תפארת and מלכות. The result of such a union of איש ואשה, whose names contain one half of the Ineffable Name, i.e. י-ה, is דעת.

This is why the Torah says: והאדם ידע את חוה אשתו, "man knew his wife Eve." We find a similar description of the union of Elkanan and his wife Chanah, a holy union which resulted in the birth of the prophet Samuel (Samuel I 1,19). Just as the emanation יסוד is the link between the "junior" emanations תפארת and מלכות, through the covenant of circumcision, so “כתר represents the link between the "senior" emanations חכמה and בינה. The inseparable bond between G–d, Torah and Israel is forged in this manner. I have written on these concepts elsewhere at greater length, and will come back to them later.

Concerning this inseparable bond, the Torah says in Exodus 19,5 prior to the revelation at Mount Sinai: והייתם לי סגלה, "You will be My treasured possession." The means by which Israel becomes G–d's most treasured possession is the Torah. The word, i.e. vowel, סגל is comprised of three sounds, i.e. three times the letter י. Between them they represent the ten emanations, the ten commandments and the ten directives by means of which G–d created our universe. The Zohar at the end of Parshat Nasso where the offerings of the princes are described, comments that the verse עשרה עשרה הכף, (Numbers 7,86) "ten, ten the כף" which at first glance seems superfluous, for who does not know that twice ten equals twenty, means that the first ten represent מעשה בראשית, whereas the second ten represent the Ten Commandments when the Torah was given. The Torah wishes to tell us that the creation of the universe was justified only when Torah was revealed and accepted by the Jewish people. Together these "twenty" formed a unit, seeing that when one spells the letter י ten, as a word i.e. יוד, the numerical value is 20, i.e. כ. The inseparable relationship between G–d, Israel and Torah is thus amply documented. Israel is attached to these "twenty," as is mentioned in Deut. 4,4: ואתם הדבקים בה', "as for you who cleave to the Lord etc." The congregation of Israel, עדת ישראל, are ten (i.e. the minimum number of a quorum amongst which a part of the Presence of G–d can be found is ten). This number applies both to the spiritual part of the people, נשמה, as well as to their bodies, since the Talmud Nidah 31 tells us that there are three partners in the creation of a human being, G–d, father and mother. G–d's input is described as comprising ten parts, the soul and its various potentials. Father and mother between them also contribute ten components, the body and the materials it is formed of. This makes man a partner of G–d in the Creation of the universe in a manner of speaking Just as the purely spiritual world, עולם האצילות, had been "born," so now the אדם תחתון, man of the lower world was "born" in order to get to know G–d. This is what is meant by the Talmud Shabbat 119 saying that whoever says his prayers on the Sabbath Eve including the recital of Genesis 2,1-3, becomes a partner of G–d in His work of Creation. It is well known that this is the night our sages especially recommend for man and his wife to cohabit and fulfill the commandment to procreate.

We have discussed earlier the elevated level of those Jews we described as בני עליה, towards whom G–d's planning was directed in the first instance, and whose rank is higher even than that of the תורה במקומה. The position of the תורה הקדומה, however, is on an even higher level than the souls of most Israelites. There is a discussion in Chagigah 12 between the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel as to whether heaven was created before earth or vice versa. The former argued that heaven was created first, citing scriptural proof, whereas the latter argued that earth was created first, also citing proof from the scriptures. The third view held by a group of unnamed scholars maintained that both heaven and earth were created simultaneously. This group of scholars also supported their view with quotations from the Bible. Each group of scholars were correct in their views.

Remember that heaven, - i.e. even the part that is visible to us, - is merely an expansion of a heaven that originates in "higher" emanations as high as the emanation תפארת, origin of the written Torah. The existing luminaries and stars may be viewed as branches of the Torah, as based on Daniel 12,3: והמשכילים יזהירו כזהר הרקיע ומצדיקי הרבים ככוכבים לעולם ועד, "And the wise will shine like the radiance of the firmament, and those who make the many righteous, like the stars, forever and ever."

Midrash Kohelet adds that the ultimate purpose of Torah is that its teachings be performed in practice, as we know from the statements of our sages in Kidushin 9 that "study is great since it leads to performance." Similarly, at the time when the idea of creation was conceived the realization of its ultimate purpose was in G–d's mind. This purpose was the creation of man, not of the ministering angels. The Torah was not given to the latter, seeing that they are not physical creatures. Only someone who is an integral part of this earth is able to perform the commandments of the Torah. The angels themselves admitted this when they are quoted as saying in Psalms 8,2: "O Lord, our G–d, How majestic is Your name throughout the earth, You who have covered the heavens with Your splendor!" [according to the interpretation of the Talmud Shabbat 88 this was said by the ministering angels. Ed.] The same thought is expressed in Psalms 115,16: "The heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He gave over to man." The "earth" referred to in that verse is the Earth of a higher world in which the כנסת ישראל is rooted, since the name of G–d א-ד-נ-י, is the root of Israel; I have explained elsewhere, that the emanation מלכות is the uppermost level of the physical world, beyond which there is only a world of thought. Before creating man G–d took "dust" [raw material Ed.] from all the various worlds including parts which to us are known as "heaven," i.e. Torah, and "earth" i.e. Israel.

If we look at this in this vein, both the school of Hillel, the school of Shammai and the other scholars are quite correct, each group having used the words "heaven" and "earth" in different contexts. My commentary is very similar to that of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero in his treatise on the מיעוט הירח, chapter 3 (chapter 18 of the פרדס רמונים).

Another allusion to this triple concept of G–d-Torah-Israel is found at the very beginning of Bereshit Rabbah, where Rabbi Aushiyah deals with Proverbs 8,30: ואהיה אצלו אמון, ואהיה שעשועים, יום משחקת לפני בכל עת, "Then I was with Him as an artisan; I was His delight daily, always rejoicing before Him." Rabbi Oshiyah says that the word אמון in that verse means both פדגוג, "a male nurse or tutor," a term used by Moses when he complained to G–d how he was expected to play nursemaid to the Jewish people (Numbers 11,12). He also understands the same word to mean something מוצנע, hidden, based on Esther 2,7 describing Mordechai as "hiding" Esther so that she would not have to participate in the Royal beauty contest. Rabbi Aushiyah adds that some understand the word אמון to mean "big." This is based on Nachum 3,8: התיטבי מנא אמון, "Were you any better than No Amon?" which the Targum renders as: הא את מבא מאלכסנדריא רבתא דיתבא בין נהרותא "are you better than the important city Alexandria which is situated between two rivers?"

Let me first explain the difference between two expressions for something that is hidden, i.e. מכוסה, and מוצנע respectively. The former term is used when an object has not been buried, but is in front of us covered by a cloth or something similar in order to conceal it from view. As soon as the cover is removed the object in question is visible to all. This is the meaning of Lamentations 4,5: האמונים עלי תולע, that the people who were used to wear garments made of precious purple, (were now naked), i.e. uncovered. The verse goes on to say that those same people now had to embrace refuse heaps. The term מוצנע, however, describes something that is concealed due to its having been buried, as in the verse describing Mordechai hiding Esther, i.e. locking her up. How are we to understand the expression פדגוג, male nurse, in that Midrash? How does that description fit the Torah? We may say that G–d employed the Torah just as a king employs a tutor to teach and discipline his son. G–d employed the Torah to create through it the means to train and discipline man. G–d appointed the Torah to be in charge of all creatures, as we shall shortly explain, and as has been explained both by the author of קו ונקי, as well as by the רלב"ג.

Nonetheless it is difficult to see how the terms אמון, and פדגוג can be equated. The word that should have been used by the Midrash is אומן, the same word used by the Torah in Numbers 11,12. Posssibly the word אמון means tutor in the sense that the tutor is faithfully carrying out the master's instructions, much as Esther is described as maintaining her loyalty to Mordechai's instructions even when she was in the king's palace by the words כאשר באמנה אתו, "just as when she had still been in the house of Mordechai" (Esther 2,20). We would have to regard the letter ב in the word באמנה as something that could have been dispensed with just as it has been dispensed with in Psalms 45,8 משחך אלוקים שמן ששון, "the Lord anointed you with oil of gladness" (the letter ב in front of the word שמן being conspicuously absent, though implied). Alternatively, we can accept the view of Ibn Ezra that the word is a noun. Ibn Ezra explains that G–d had been Esther's tutor, that the word אתו refers to Him, that Esther's loyalty was to G–d. According to this view we deal with an allusion to the tremendous power of Torah and its exalted position in G–d's scheme of things. [I believe this is a printer's error as I have not found such an Ibn Ezra, and it is not his style at all. Perhaps the author means the קו ונקי, whose text I have not seen. Ed.]

At any rate, Rabbi Oshiyah sees three meanings in the word אמון. The last view he quotes, those saying that אמון means something important, see a fourth meaning in that word. There is no disagreement between the four views expressed. We will demonstrate that all these interpretations are relevant to פרשת בראשית, although the author of יפה תואר writes that any attempts to link these words of the Midrash on Parshat Bereshit are foolish, and that people attempting to do so simply do not understand the reasons the Midrash quotes outside verses, etc. He quotes Rashi as supporting his view. It is my conviction that if one can find an interpretation of this Midrash which also links it to the first verse in Parshat Bereshit, this constitutes a perfectly legitimate exegesis.

Both Targum Yerushalmi and Targum Yonathan translate the word בראשית as meaning "with wisdom' [not in my version of the T.Y. Ed.]. Onkelos however, renders it as בקדימן, and not as we might have expected בקדמייתא. Both translations really amount to the same thing, seeing that they allude to ראשית חכמה, the beginning of planning, and that חכמה consists of 32 paths of wisdom. This is why Onkelos employs a word meaning "multiple" beginnings i.e. "olden days." The meaning of the letter ב at the beginning of the word בראשית, is to tell us that the tool G–d used was "wisdom," i.e. חכמה.

According to Pardes Rimonim, Shaar Eyn Heyn Sof chapter 3, the reason the letter ב at the beginning of this portion is larger than usual is that both the word ראשית, and the ב are descriptions of wisdom. The Torah wanted to indicate that two different wisdoms were involved in Creation, and that is the meaning of the Zohar (page 31 Warsaw edition).

Our author concludes from this that the word ראשית alone means חכמה; otherwise Targum Yerushalmi would have not rendered it בחוכמה, but simply חכמתה. Clearly, the letter ב adds an additional dimension of חכמה to what occurred at Creation. Since the word ראשית normally refers to a beginning, and we therefore could have thought that חכמה represents the beginning, i.e. the highest level of the עולם האצילות, (whereas in fact the highest emanation is כתר), the letter ב had to be appended in front of the word ראשית. The result is that though חכמה is ראשית, it is still only number two in the scheme of the emanations. This then is the meaning of the Zohar saying that due to the fact that there is a second "wisdom," which is called ראשית, the Torah had to start with the letter ב. The question which arises, of course, is: If חכמה is only second, why does the Torah refer to it as ראשית, i.e. "first?" The answer is that from the view of the beholder it was indeed "first," seeing that the real "first" remained hidden, חכמה is the most senior of the emanations which is (capable of being) revealed. Even though it is not appropriate to refer to the emanation כתר as "first" then, it still is the most senior in the system of the ספירות, emanations. Because that emanation is part of the count of the ten ספירות, it is referred to as קדמאה, "first" in the Zohar.

Rabbi Akiva says that when the letter ב is asked: "who created you?" it points with its עוקץ, point, towards the letter א. This means that it is well aware that though it represents חכמה, it knows that it is not the most senior in the ranks of emanations but only follows כתר. The reason the letter ב also has such a point behind it is because if it is asked "were you created by the מאציל, i.e. an original creative force, or by the נאצל, i.e. a secondary force which had itself been created, it could show that it was the second in the string of creations having been preceded by the אלף, the emanation כתר.

The Pardes Rimonim writes in the third chapter of שער האצילות, that Nachmanides explains the reason for the opening word בראשית in a similar way. it alludes to חכמה, etc.

We have several sources for our statement that the גלוי ספירות, the revelation of aspects of the ten emanations begins only with the emanation חכמה downwards.

[The author details aspects of the ten emanations and how different permutations of G–d's name depict different emanations. This is a subject reserved for the more advanced student of Kabbalah. I have therefore decided to omit it. Ed.]

Concerning the Midrash calling the פדגוג, אמון instead of אומן, the reason is that the Midrash understands the word בראשית as alluding to two concepts. One is the תורה הקדומה, which remains hidden, i.e. which is "be-omnah-itto," still attached to Him" [in the sense of Esther 2,20]. This is the imprint of G–d that we have described earlier. It is a reference to the שורש of the soul of the בני העליה we have spoken of as being the mystical concept of the elite of Israel that was first in G–d's mind. The other is the תורה הנתונה, the Torah that was to be revealed, which acts as tutor, פדגוג, for Israel in the sense an אומן does. What is alluded to is the mystique of the number י when referring to G–d and the same number 10=י, when used in the context of Israel. When the Torah describes the creation of man as taking place as בצלם ובדמות, the meaning must be that man of the "lower" regions is to reflect אדם, "man" of the "higher" regions. The only way this can be achieved is through the "light" of Torah that remains hidden with G–d.

We have pointed out the difference between the meaning of the words מכוסה, meaning covered, and the word מוצנע, meaning hidden in the sense of "buried." The latter term is applicable to the תורה הקדומה, a reference to the original light which G–d withdrew. The term מכוסה, refers to the תורה הנתונה, the Torah that was eventually revealed at Mount Sinai. The reason it is called מכוסה, is that it is accessible when we make the effort, when we study it, immerse ourselves in it. When we do make that effort it proves to be our אומן, tutor, guide, nursemaid in life. The three terms “אמון פדגוג, אמון מכוסה, אמון מוצנע," between them reveal the meaning of the word בראשית. Our sages therefore alluded to this when they said that the universe was created for the sake of the Torah and Israel.

When we explained earlier that G–d's "day" comprises the equivalent of one thousand years in our world, and that Torah was created two thousand "years" prior to the universe, this means that two important concepts had to precede the creation of the physical universe.

The fourth definition of the word בראשית that had been mentioned in the Midrash we quoted, (page 25), namely אמון רבתא, is the reference to the emanation כתר, which is above that of חכמה as explained by Nachmanides, and as illustrated by the parable quoted in the name of Rabbi Akiva.

I believe that I can add another dimension to the understanding of this מדרש, and to relate it to the commandment of פריה ורביה, the duty to procreate. I also mean to explain why the Talmud (Megillah 27) says that the only reason one is allowed to sell a Torah scroll is to enable one to fulfill the commandment to get married and to beget children. The Talmud there simply says that the reason for this is the verse in Isaiah 45,18: "He did not create it to be a waste, but formed it for habitation." why does the Talmud not quote the commandment from the Torah which is very specific, and is content to quote an indirect reference from the prophets? The same question can be raised against a statement in Chagigah 2b, where the Talmud also denies a person who is partially a slave and partially free the right not to marry by citing the above verse in Isaiah as its reason. Tosaphot, in addressing themselves to that problem, come to the conclusion that the statement in Isaiah is more compelling than the commandment פרו ורבו. No explanation is offered why this should be so.

Let me try and explain part of the mystique of the story of Creation, and in the process reveal part of the mystery of two of G–d's names, namely the ineffable four-lettered name [the author uses the letter ד in his spelling instead of the letter ה] i.e. א-ד-י-ד and the same name i.e. אדי"ד, with the letter ו added. Rabbi Aushiyah had quoted Proverbs 8,30 at the beginning of Bereshit Rabbah in which this name occurs twice: ואהיה אצלו אמון ואהיה שעשועים, יום יום משחקת לפניו בכל עת. Although the acts of creation described in Proverbs in that chapter clearly refer to the creation of the physical universe, the language implies allusions to the spiritual universe. If the Mishnah in Avot 5,1 tells us that the physical universe was created by ten מאמרות, directives issued by G–d, the same applies to the creation of the Spiritual Universe. Already Nachmanides and Ibn Ezra comment on the Torah's description of גן עדן and the four rivers issuing forth from it which preceded it, that the language of the text also implies what went on in the heavenly regions.

According to Nachmanides the act of creating something out of an absolute nothing, אפס, is called בריאה, and resulted in something he calls יסוד דק מאד, which, though not a substance, is the כח, form of energy that produces all matter. Heaven and earth were created from the same "material".

This original "substance" is called by the Greeks Hiyuli. Having created this, G–d did not "create," i.e. ברא, anything further. All further acts were of the type called יצירה, formation of existing raw material. The Torah calls the original raw material תהו, whereas our sages have called it אבן שתיה. G–d "garbed" this original material to provide it with some form, and the result was the four basic elements. As a result, the original תהו now became בהו. The latter word could also be read בו הוא. In later developments matter was further developed, i.e. what happened now was the development of יש מיש. [The following is a brief summary of the author's description of symbolisms seen in the shape of the letters used to spell the name of G–d. Ed.] All creative directives, i.e. עשרה מאמרות, from that stage on involved the four basic elements. They are all symbolized in the spelling of the letter י as a word, i.e. as י-ו-ד. The letter י symbolizes the original נקודה, or as Nachmanides puts it יסוד דק מאד. The letter ו symbolizes expansion from that נקודה lengthwise, whereas the shape of the letter ד suggests expansion in the other two dimensions, i.e. width and depth. All of this represents the goodness of G–d, who by definition endows the world with His goodness.

A further aspect of this spelling of the letter י is the fact that G–d has set limits to the otherwise ever-expanding universe. These are also alluded to in the shape of these letters. The author deals with such points as whether by definition something called נקודה, point, can be considered as having dimensions such as length width and depth. He concludes that the very definition of matter presupposes that such matter is limited in size in each of those dimensions. He distinguishes between matter that is one-dimensional i.e. a line, matter which is two-dimensional, i.e. an area, and matter which is three-dimensional i.e. a body, גוף. If one strips such a body of its respective dimensions, what one is left with is called נקודה, "point." According to another view, נקודה is a "negative term" describing the absence of dimensions, not the fact that it is a minimal material existence (conclusion arrived at by Rabbi Cordovero in his Pardes Rimonim in his Sha-ar Taam Ha-atzilus.). The "point" then is basically only a figment of our imagination.

Regardless of whether we conceive of the נקודה as something real or as something figurative, the letter י represents that concept, a point from which all potential creative forces proceeded to be translated into actual matter. The letter ו adds the dimension length, i.e. "height," and the letter ד adds "area". When we translate these concepts into the spiritual realm, the letter י represents חכמה, i.e. the letter י of the name of G–d י-ד-ו-ד something the Zohar calls נקודה חדא סתימה עילאה. This beginning of מחשבה also embraces the סוף המעשה, the end product of all that G–d sets out to do. The letters ו and ד symbolise the "two-faced" nature of the spiritual structure תפארת and מלכות which we have described several times. The overall nature of that structure is the emanation תפארת, represented by the letter ו, indicating expansion, whereas the letter ד symbolizes the "area," שטח of that spiritual domain. The emanation which enables the latter two emanations to "expand," is בינה.

The author proceeds to explain that whereas the shape of the letter י symbolizes the concept of G–d creating יש מאין, the letters ד and ו, symbolize by their shape the development of the physical universe.

The four-lettered name of G–d therefore alludes to the whole creative process. Without this name, no physical universe could have come into existence. When we pronounce His name, we do not have in mind the shape of the letters, but that He is the source of all existence past, present and future. Nonetheless, the collapse of the universe, were it to occur, would not detract in any way from His Essence.

We find an allusion to this function of the letters in G–d's name in their use in the first acts of creating the physical universe, i.e. the directive י-ה-י אור ו-י-ה-י אור. The letters of the Ineffable Name, slightly re-arranged, appear constantly again in such statements of the Torah as ו-י-ה-י ערב, ו-י-ה-י בוקר, ו-י-ה-י כן. This list can be expanded- as you are all aware....

The letters of the Ineffable Name spelled in words יוד-הי-ויו-הי, total 72 in numerical value, as does a different kind of spelling called גלגול י-ה-ו-ה י-ה-ו י-ה י. This combination too totals 72. In that combination the first name symbolizes the original Existence, the mystery of G–d's Essence, the second three-lettered name which totals 21 symbolises that G–d created the universe out of "nothing," and the fact that He existed independent of such a universe. The name א-ה-י-ה which also totals 21, being a form of the future tense, tells us that in the future G–d will reveal Himself. The name י-ה, is also used in the past tense in Job 17,6 "ותפת לפנים אהיה," "I have become like Tophet of old." This means that the name א-ה-י-ה i.e. the "three-lettered name י-ה-ו," is a development of the original four-lettered name. The name י-ה is employed to remind us of how G–d guides history and the fate of man through the system of reward and punishment. A typical example is Psalm 130,3: אם עונות תשמר י-ה מי יעמוד? "If You keep account of sins, O Lord, Lord who will survive?" Another well known example of the use of that two-lettered name of G–d is Psalms 118,18: יסר יסרני י-ה ולמות לא נתנני, "The Lord punished me severely, but did not hand me over to death." On the other hand, the same name is used when discussing man's reward, such as in acknowledging Israel's salvation from the pursuit of the Egyptians in Exodus 15,2: עזי וזמרת י-ה ויהי לי לישועה, "The Lord is my strength and might; He is become my deliverance." Another example is Psalms 118,5: מן המצר קראתי י-ה ענני במרחב י-ה, "In distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and brought me relief."

As to the remaining letter י, it is never used as a word; on the contrary it represents something very comprehensive as we have explained elsewhere.

From what we have shown it is clear why only parts of the four-lettered Ineffable Name of G–d appear in the story of creation, seeing that the process of creation was accomplished only by outgrowths, derivatives of that name.

Whereas we perceive the full four- lettered name (when spelled according to the גלגול system) to be totally apart from anything developmental, the sequence of the letters י-ה-ו י-ה, י, (what they represent) are all part of the מרכבה, the part of G–d's visible entourage that is represented by the alphabet, i.e. א-ת, plus the five "final" letters ם-ן-ץ-ף-ך, which gives us a total of 27 letters. The letter י represents (10 אבגד). The letters י-ה represent (15 אבגדה), the letters י-ה-ו of the four-lettered name represent (21 אבגדה) of that part of the מרכבה.

You do not find the number represented by the 4-lettered name, (26), in this Aleph Bet sequence of the letters of the מרכבה. In order to arrive at the number 26 in that constellation, you have to start with the sequences הו-זח (i.e. 26). This is an allusion to the total apartness of the four-lettered Ineffable Name.

Since the word ו-א-ה-י-ה, that we have quoted from Proverbs 8,30 totals 27, i.e. one beyond the 26 of the Ineffable Name, this suggests that all development or ראשית דרכו, as Solomon describes G–d's activity in Proverbs 8,22, commences after the name of י-ה-ו-ה (which totals 26) by resorting to the Aleph Bet as G–d's tool.

It is a cornerstone of the system of Kabbalah that the letters of the Torah are the "bricks" with which the universe was constructed. They can therefore be considered the יסוד, foundation. From this foundation all else developed. The name א-ה-י-ה is that foundation since it alludes to a new existence. The development of that existence is represented by the name א-ל-ה-י-ם. This is why you find the letters א-ה-י which are the three letters that appear in the word א-ה-י-ה in the name א-ל-ה-י-ם.

[The author continues in this vein quoting extensively from the ספר יצירה. Since this is a complicated subject for the uninitiated, I have limited myself to small parts of his commentary. Ed.]

Let us turn our attention to the statement of Rabbi Yitzchak quoted by Rashi in his first commentary on the first verse. Rabbi Yitzchak says that the Torah did not really have to commence prior to the twelfth chapter of Exodus when the commandment to sanctify the New Moon is given to the people of Israel. He goes on: "ומה טעם פתח בבראשית, משום כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו, לתת להם נחלת גוים, "what is the reason that G–d commenced the written Torah with the story of Bereshit?, It is to tell us that G–d revealed to His people His powerful works, in giving them the heritage of nations." (Psalms 111,6) The commentator elaborates that if the nations of the world would challenge Israel's right to the land of Israel accusing Israel as having illegally dispossessed its seven Canaanite nations, Israel could reply that since the earth belongs to G–d seeing He has created it, He is free to give any part of it to anyone He chooses. Since Israel found favor in His eyes, G–d gave that land to Israel. This premise raises a major question, as do the repeated words "when He wanted to, He gave it to them, and when He wanted to, He gave it to us." What kind of justice is it to give someone a gift only to revoke the gift at a later stage, especially when such gift has become a נחלה, an inheritance, i.e. something inviolable?

When one gives as a gift, say, an (unspecified) apartment, this is something abstract, and is not binding in law. When one gives as a gift a particular house, rooms, etc., this is binding since the objects given actually exist. The emphasis on the word בראשית is to remind us that G–d created the world ex nihilo, that He even created the original raw material hiyuli as we have mentioned repeatedly.

This is why Rashi emphasized הוא בראה, "He created it out of nothing." These words are the answer to those who believe that they own something outright. As far as the words "why did the Torah begin with בראשית" are concerned, Rabbi Yitzchak means that if the Torah had started with the words אלקים ברא בראשית we would not have understood G–d's role as the Creator of the ראשית correctly. We might then have concluded that G–d acts arbitrarily, allocating lands to those whom He chooses without due regard for the legalities of the matter.

This fact also explains why the Torah does not commence אלקים ברא בראשית, as this would not have conveyed the idea that He created the ראשית. As far as G–d is concerned, He created something that is not tangible, and that is why the legal rules that apply to tangible property do not apply to Him, and it is perfectly legal for G–d to retain the right of disposal of any part of his Creation. There is no such thing as an absolute ownership of something by any of His creatures. An earthly king is in the habit of announcing plans of what he is going to accomplish etc, before setting out to do so. In other words, he allows his fame to precede him. Not so G–d. He performed first, and only afterwards do we hear who it is that performed all these mighty works. When we read in Deut. 32,4: הצור תמים פעלו וכל דרכיו משפט, "The Rock!-His deeds are perfect, Yea, all His ways are just,” this description is true because He created the "beginning." This is what Rabbi Shimon ben Azzai meant when he said that from the report of the Creation in the Torah we get an idea of G–d's "modesty,” seeing the Torah commences with the letter ב instead of א. (Modesty is mentioned in Psalms 18,36: וענותך תרבני.)

We had raised the question in the introduction to Parshat Bereshit, why the Talmud in Chagigah 2 did not quote the commandment of פרו ורבו in Genesis when it wanted to tell us about the severity of neglecting to fulfill the commandment of procreation, and chose the line from Isaiah about G–d not having created the universe in order for it to remain תהו, in an elementary state. We can now understand this when we consider that the message the Talmud wanted to convey was that someone who fails to heed that commandment is as if he arrested the whole process of creation and its purpose by allowing the universe to remain static, in the state of Tohu, its very beginning.