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"Man"

How frustrating it is - the distance between ideal, pure creation and humdrum, everyday reality. And how vast is this distance, not only for mankind, but for the whole of creation.

Could we not all have been created 'from the outset'? Or was it perhaps 'from the outset' that we were created 'in retrospect'?

This question has exercised the greatest minds for many generations:

"For two and a half years Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel debated this question. These said: It would have been better for man not to have been created than for him to be created. These said: It is better for man to have been created, than for him not to have been created. They concluded: It would have been better for man not to have been created, but now that he has been created - let him examine his deeds." (Eiruvin, 13: 72).

Just as this question was disputed by illustrious thinkers on earth - according to the Midrash - so was it disputed in heaven:

"Rabbi Simon said: When the Almighty came to create the first man, the ministering angels were divided into opposing factions. Some said: Let him not be created; while others said: Let him be created. Whereof it is written: 'Righteousness and truth united; justice and peace embraced.' Righteousness said: let him be created, for he is righteous in his deeds, while truth said: let him not be created, for he is made up of falsehood. Justice said: let him be created, for he behaves justly, while peace said: let him not be created, for he is full of strife" (Bereshit Rabah, 8:5).

On the one hand, he deals in righteousness, but on the other hand - he is made up of lies. On the one hand, he behaves justly, but on the other hand - he is full of strife.

In fact, this dispute also appears in the biblical text: "...God has made man upright" (Kohelet 7:29); but: "...God said in His heart... the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Bereshit 8:21).

Our sages (Hazal) reconcile these two opposites in a most elegant fashion:

"Since when has man been imbued with an evil inclination? From the time of his birth (in other words, he is essentially good) or even before his birth (in other words, he is inherently evil)? R' Yudan says: (he is evil) from his youth (na'arav), from the moment that he first moves (nin'ar) to emerge from the womb of his mother..." (Bereshit Rabah, 34:10).

From this we can deduce that the Almighty created man in goodness, but from the time of his first encounter with reality, man is obliged to reconcile his inner righteousness with the external evil of which he is a part.

What is the point of having goodness within us if it is never revealed? Why must the creation of man come about in such a way?

Before we discuss the creation of man, we must realize that this problem extends to all of creation. The same distance between the ideal and the real is to be found in all creation. As it is with man, so it is with the entire world. In the words of our sages, "Man is a small world" (See Rabenu Behai, Hovat Halevavot, Sha'ar Habehina, Chapter 4).


"The World"

The Almighty sought to create the world in justice, but seeing that the world cannot exist on that plane alone, He also introduced mercy.

The light that God made was the light of creation, but He saw that we are not worthy of such light and therefore he concealed it from us for the time to come. And until then? Until such a time, we will live with "darkness and light intermingled" (Rashi, Bereshit 4), praying only for the new light that will shine upon Zion, may we speedily merit its radiance. (This is the light that has been concealed from us, according to the Rash in Orach Hayim, 59, in his commentary on the meaning of the blessing "Or hadash...").

On the Third Day: God commanded the earth to bring forth the "fruit tree bearing fruit of its kind" (Bereshit 1:11). The Almighty wanted the world to include a 'process' culminating in fruit, rather than the fruit itself, because He desired a world wherein 'the taste of its trees is equal to the taste of its fruit' (Rashi, ibid.).

But the earth sinned, diverting its original purpose, and producing a different world: "The earth shall sprout forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, fruit trees bearing fruit whose seed is in itself, after its kind..."

On the Fourth Day: God created the two great lights, for he wanted the sun and moon to be equal, with "the light of the moon like the light of the sun." However, when the sun transgressed by complaining, the original purpose was diverted, resulting in: "... the great luminary to rule the day and the small luminary to rule the night." Consequently the world must wait a for a long time for that day "Which is neither day nor night..." until the advent of that light "that will illuminate like the day the darkness of night."

Why was the world created in such a convoluted fashion? Why is it so far removed from the purpose to which it should be striving? If the light of creation was concealed and removed at the very time of its inception, why was it ever created? If the earth is not capable of producing trees and fruit in equal measure, why was it commanded to do so?

If the Almighty wants to create us all in a perfect future world - it would be better, but what is the purpose of striving for this from the "outset" and then creating a situation "in retrospect" of aspiring to return to that "outset?"

Haramchal - Rabbi Moshe Haim Luzzato - explains in his 'Da'at Tevunah' how this "outset" of creation can also appear to be "in retrospect." "The worlds were created in a way that enables them to be elevated from the level to which they were reduced at the time of the breaking ('shevira'), so they could rise gradually until they are restored to the level of perfection."

R' Luzzato refers to the Creation as the 'Shevira'. This is an allusion to 'Shevirat Hakelim' - the breaking of the vessels. When a vessel is too small and narrow to hold its contents, it can easily shatter. This may seem to be, on the face of it, a painful and tragic event, but in fact this shattering is part of a profound process, for the purpose of rebuilding. It is a gradual ascent on the ladder of perfection, enabling us to arrive, through our own ability, at the greatest light.

This 'shattering' can be on a personal level, or it can be a crisis that gradually reveals itself as fertile ground for renewed growth and development. The vessel - the individual who was 'broken', and in whose place comes a new vessel - is more suited to its new contents. He is on a higher plane, more steadfast.

The 'shattering' goes hand in hand with creation, but it is not only the 'time of creation' that constitutes the 'time of shattering'. The whole of history is a process of small 'shatterings' and preparedness, making ready for larger vessels, vessels that will contain pure water, so that we can "gradually ascend, until the level of perfection is attained."

If we examine this more deeply - the principle of 'shevira' is in fact 'hesed' (grace) bestowed upon us by the Almighty. He desires us to be worthy by merit rather than by grace, for the great light that is destined to pour down upon us. (It is for this reason that the Almighty praised the nation - and not Moshe - for their understanding, when they sought to approach Mt. Sinai slowly and in fear of the great light they beheld: "... they have well said all they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart always, to fear Me and keep all my commandments..." (Devarim 5:25-26).

The root letters of the Hebrew word 'shevira' are . It has several meanings. On the one hand it means to break or to shatter, but it also refers to finding hope precisely from the ruins - as Jacob told his sons, "I have heard there is corn in Egypt." A crisis is not the end, rather it is the beginning of a beginning.

Now let's turn our attention to the word that concludes the days of creation - - "And the heavens and the earth were finished and all their hosts. " It is no easy matter for the heavens to restrict themselves to the boundaries ordained by the earth. The skies above desire to stretch and expand. The Almighty must 'break' or 'shatter' them to ensure that they can exist together with the earth. As we read in Bereshit Rabah (5:8): "I am El Shaddai - it is I who said to the heavens and the earth 'dai' (enough), for without this, they would continue to stretch and expand until now."

By means of the following wonderful midrash, R' Shimshon Refuel Hirsch explains the word - 'they were finished': "... the word brings together two apparently opposing instructions. On the one hand, it implies 'to bring to an end; to destroy; to cease to exist' as in: 'an extermination wholly determined' (Isaiah 10:23), but it can also mean 'to bring to heavenly completeness' as in 'the house was completed throughout all its parts' (Kings I 6:38), meaning that the house was complete in every aspect."

Precisely at the place where the break occurs - that's where we find the opportunity for advancement and progress. At the very spot where we experienced shattering and ruin - that's where the throbbing pulse of a far deeper harmony comes into being.

This is how the Almighty created His world - the earth would draw its strength from a place that could bring forth 'fruit trees bearing fruit whose seed is in itself'. The earth would aspire to this exalted purpose, but it would begin to function in the place in which it presently found itself, until it would ultimately attain completeness and perfection. The same applies to the 'concealed light' and also to the moon that ceaselessly waxes and wanes. There is completeness that reveals itself for a brief moment before it is concealed. It is not revealed but we know it exists, and we must continually return to it - ascending from one step to the next.

Every creature, including man, embodies this completeness, which appears at the beginning of its life to show us what we must aspire to. Afterwards it is concealed, but from its hidden source it influences us, impelling us to attain it through our own abilities.

Teki'ah, Shevarim, Teru'ah

The Holy Days are behind us, but we can still hear the echoes of the shofar as they rang out on Rosh Hashanah. Did we pay attention to the 'musical principle' underlying the order of the blowing of the shofar?

At first - a plain 'teki'ah' - simple and clear. After that come complications in the form of 'shevarim' - breaks, moans, wails and finally 'teru'ah' - a loud blast. Once we have overcome all these complications, and only then, do we return to the simple, clear 'teki'ah' that culminates it all, the 'teki'ah gedolah'.

If one of the 'shevarim' is too long and sounds like a 'teki'ah' the whole series is flawed. Any attempt to skip the 'shevarim', to avoid the 'shatterings', and to remain throughout our life in a condition of one long, straight 'teki'ah' cannot succeed in our 'shattered' world. We can certainly understand the attempt to circumvent the 'shatterings', the striving to push away the lamenting blast of 'teru'ah', the desire to immediately attain the final, long 'teki'ah', but to do so would invalidate the complete cycle of the shofar. It is precisely on the day the world came into being ("Hayom Harat Olam") that this simple principal - the principal of the blowing of the shofar - comprises the very essence of the day.

This introduction is necessary for us to understand the role played by "complicated" man. He alone was created to guide the world, through the 'shevarim' and the 'teru'ot', from the first 'teki'ah', from that Eden which is not lost to us, to the last 'teki'ah'.

Man - 'that he was good?"

When we compare the creation of man to the rest of creation, we see that the phrase "And G-d saw that it was good" does not appear. True, at the end of the sixth day we read: "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." But this is really a summary of all six days of creation, and does not refer specifically to man.

It would appear that the secret of man's inherent nature lies buried precisely in this omission. In all other places where the phrase "And G-d saw that it was good" appears, it comes to tell us that the undertaking has been completed. For this reason, we don't find "ki tov" ("it was good") at the end of the second day, because the creation of the waters was only completed on the third day - which is why the phrase appears twice in regard to the third day (See Rashi 1:7).

As regards all other creatures, once they were created they were completed. When the sun was created it was a fully functioning sun. The same applied to the flora and fauna - all of creation, in fact. When the earth was commanded to "bring forth living creatures", they were fully formed after their own species. Not so man! The creation of man did not signify his completion, and his "living soul" is continually evolving - "man became a living soul."

There is one explanation for this: all other creatures were formed either from the heavens or from the earth. Man is the only creature that was formed from both: "Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Bereshit 1:7).

Man is neither heaven nor earth - he is both! Dust and soul, good and bad, he is the only creature capable of bring creation down into the dust, but he is equally capable of raising all of creation to the heavens. One man who has abandoned his Godly image can be more dangerous than all the fiercest predators together. Who knows this better than our generation - we who have emerged from the Holocaust, who have bitter experience of this. Yet, on the other hand, all the angels in heaven cannot succeed in connecting heaven and earth, while man is capable of doing so.

It is only when man learns to join these opposing elements, bringing together the profane and the supreme source of holiness - only then can man fulfill his potential.
The Name of God, Man, and Shabbat

The Name of God appears for the first time after "" - in chapter 2 after the story of the creation of man - "... in the day that the Lord God made earth and heavens." Until then, the ineffable Name of God (that which expresses the personal relationship between the Almighty and man) does not appear.

But man's first acquaintance with the ineffable Name really comes even earlier. The description of creation ends with the verse: "And God saw everything He had made, and behold, it was very good; and there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." This is followed immediately by: "And the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them." In Hebrew, the first letters of the words: form the ineffable Name of God. Our sages derived an important precept from this: "And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day - R' Yudan says this is the extra hour added from the profane to the holy, the hour in which the work of the world was finished."

The ability to transfer from the profane to add to the holy, is an ability that belongs exclusively to man. The Almighty rested on the Shabbat and made it holy, defining the boundaries between the holy and the profane. Man has the ability to bring holiness into profanity and to make the profane holy. Once he knows how to do so, he will be able to introduce the name of God into existence.

This is a difficult thing to do, and man had no-one to teach him:

"R' Shimon bar Yochai said: man of flesh and blood, who does not know his preordained time, his minutes and his hours, adds from the profane to the holy. But the Almighty, who knows His minutes, His hours and His time, when it comes to Shabbat He is as precise as a hair thread."

Harav Harlap had an additional comment to make: "And even if the Almighty were to observe the whole Torah, and especially if it is said that the 'addition to Shabbat' is a precept from the Torah - if so, why does not the Almighty observe the 'addition to the Shabbat'? It can be said, that if the Almighty were to observe the 'addition to the Shabbat', finishing His work before the onset of Shabbat, then that would in itself become the onset of Shabbat, and it would no longer be an 'addition.'

This is not merely a brilliant remark. This is the great truth that comes to teach us that the Almighty gave man the concept of 'Tosefet Shabbat' ('addition to the Shabbat'), one thing that only we can do - it cannot even be done in heaven. Precisely because of our weakness, precisely because of this shortcoming, the inability to determine our time and our hours, because so much holiness and profanity, heaven and earth, dust of the ground and living soul, are intermingled in us - it is precisely for this reason that we have introduced this into the world - the addition from that which is profane to that which is holy.

We can receive the Shabbat before time, and from that moment on the profane becomes holy. Work is forbidden, the Shabbat prayers are uttered, we make kiddush - even if it is still Friday according to Greenwhich Mean Time. In the same way we can extend the Shabbat meal at the end of the day and recite the Grace After Meals even if it is Sunday. As long as we have decided that it's Shabbat - it is Shabbat! If we elevate the profane - it becomes holy.

Each Friday evening, when we are accompanied to our homes by the ministering angels, we recite the Kiddush shel Shabbat which opens with the words: "And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their hosts." It is customary to append the end of the previous verse, and to begin by proclaiming "... the sixth day. And the heavens and the earth were finished..." Perhaps by so doing we are reminding both ourselves and the ministering angels of what we but not they are capable of doing, adding from the profane to the holy, while at the same time alluding to the ineffable name of God.

Incidentally, it is worth bearing in mind the secret of "shattering and man" at a time when systems are collapsing and crashing around us. This situation can bring us all to a state of total despair - is this the society for which we prayed? Doesn't our fractured society testify to 'the end of the road'?

It seems to me that a clear look at the State of Israel today plainly reveals the foundations of 'shevirah' - shattering. The content is too deep for the vessels that seek to contain it and to lead it, so it explodes, shattering, breaking, raging. Just as it was during the six days of creation we need - more than ever - a "man!" One who knows how to take from the profane to add to the holy! A man who will not be swept away into worn out vessels and decaying systems, but knows how to sweep them into the great, overall 'contents' - the 'addition to the Shabbat.'

"Go and make yourself small"

Our sages relate the following:

"R' Shimon ben Pazi (noted a contradiction between two verses). It is written, '...the Lord made the two great lights' and it is also written 'the greater light... and the lesser light.' 'The great lights,' signifies that both are great, yet it is also written 'the lesser light.' The moon said to the Almighty, Ribono Shel Olam, can two kings wear the same crown? The Almighty said to her, Go and make yourself small. She said to Him, Ribono Shel Olam, I spoke to you in fairness, why then should I make myself small? He said to her, Go and rule by day and by night. She said to Him, A candle does not shine in the daytime. The Almighty replied, In time to come, Israel will count the days and the years by you. She said, Time is measured by the sun, and it is by time that years are measured, as is written: 'And they will be for signs, for appointed times, for days and for years.' The Almighty replied to her, In time to come, the righteous ones will be called by your name - Ya'acov Hakatan; Shmuel Hakatan; David Hakatan. But when He saw that the moon was not reconciled, He said, Let the blame be upon Me, that I diminished the moon."

The midrash attempts to explain why, despite the fact that the sun and the moon were originally equal in size, the Almighty later reduced the dimensions of the moon. At the end of the dialogue the moon is silent, but God sees that she is still not persuaded, whereupon He - the Almighty - asks her forgiveness (!) for having diminished the moon. Our sages were not satisfied with this, so they added a sentence:

"... Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Why is the sin offering for the new moon different, that we read 'for the Lord'?"

The intention of Hazal is to point out the difference between the sin-offering for the new moon and all other offerings in the Torah. "And one he-goat for a sin-offering unto the Lord..." (Bamidbar 28:15). For all other offerings, the words 'unto the Lord' do not appear. This is why the sages explain: "The Almighty said, This sin-offering will be an atonement upon Me for that I diminished the moon."(Hulin, 60:72 and Shavuot 9:71).

This is not an easy matter. Is it conceivable that the Almighty requires atonement? Does He need the sin-offering? How can the sin-offering of the new moon atone for the lessening of the moon?

If we delve further into this midrash, it will help us understand both the quality and the nature of man, who is required to atone, as it were, for the Almighty's having diminished the moon.

The moon wants to be equal in size to the sun. She complains that God made her smaller because two kings cannot share one crown. In other words - by virtue of Creation the moon deserved to be the same size as the sun, but there is no such provision in the kingdom, and she is therefore required to diminish herself. The Almighty 'acknowledges' that this will diminish her light, in comparison to the sun, but He wants to show her that the secret of her greatness lies precisely in this shortcoming: "He wished to say that lack of size does not indicate lack of importance, for she complained of lack of size. On the contrary..." and goes on to persuade the moon that righteous men are called by her name. In other words, the power of these men does not lie in their natural size, but rather in the fact that they repair (tikkun) themselves and the world precisely through their small stature. The Almighty wants to teach the moon that even if she is correct, and her light is less than that of the sun, this is exactly what gives her the uniqueness which the sun does not attain.

On Rosh Hodesh, when the moon has waned, and is least visible from earth, that's when we are asked to bring an offering as atonement for the moon's smallness. This is the time of atonement and joy for all creatures who are lacking, who are aware that in this very lack lies the secret of their yearning towards their source.

This will help us understand the difficulty with the midrash - the idea that the Almighty seeks atonement for Himself. What kind of atonement is this? Rashi (Bereshit 32:20) says: "I am of the opinion that wherever the verb  is used in association with iniquity and sin and in association with anger, it always signifies wiping away, removing."

The sin-offering of the new year expresses the desire of the Almighty that we will "wipe away" the blame for the moon's lack: "For the smallness of the moon is the lack of light, and this is a shortcoming. When the sin-offering is brought for this smallness - it wipes away the shortcoming."

The moon waxes and wanes, contracts and expands. "At the beginning of the month, when the moon is at its smallest, at the same time the moon is elevated by the 'sin-offering unto the Lord.' This is to say, the sacrifice comes to wipe away the shortcoming in the world which is the lack of light, due to the smallness of the moon. This comes at the beginning of the month, when the moon is at its smallest, and from this smallness the moon derives its grandeur."

Our 'dance' with the moon is not conducted in the middle of the month, when it is at its fullest and most beautiful, but precisely the opposite - on Rosh Hodesh.

Man must discover the moon at the time when its ability to become elevated comes from its very lack: "To the moon He said, you shall be a crown of glory... so they may in the future renew themselves like you and reflect the glory of their Maker." (Sanhedrin, 42, 71). The moon is not alone in the universe in having this 'problem', this 'affliction' - the same is true of man, and for him, too, this is the secret of his strength. The secret of his greatness lies in the fact that he, too, is lacking, and when he lives fully, his destiny is complete. Like the moon, he also receives his light from on high, and it renews itself from moment to moment. His work is not finished. If he so desires, he can damage and destroy, but if he so wishes, he can elevate himself and the entire world to the roots of his soul, to his state of 'in the beginning.'

The Admor of Belz once questioned the midrash: "Is it not possible," he asked, "for two kings to use the same crown? How, then, did the Almighty respond to her complaint 'I spoke to you in fairness, why then should I make myself small?'"

This is his response: There is no doubt that two kings can share a crown - the moon was not mistaken in this. Her mistake was in that she perceived herself to be a queen. Had she seen herself as a servant of the Almighty and a vessel entrusted to do His will, a messenger among all the messengers I the world, she would have known that there is place in the world both for her and for the sun..."

How is the moon required to atone for her sin? "Go and make yourself small..."

It is only he who is aware of the weakness of man who can be aware of his greatness. 'David Hakatan' knew how to sing of his small stature: "What is man, that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that You think of him?" (Psalms 8:5) - but he is equally aware of his greatness: "Yet You have made him but little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor." (Ibid) and was capable of combining both in one psalm. He is aware of the dichotomy of man, and thus he understands the nature of man. From this point he can lead the entire world "a little at a time, until all is restored to the level of wholeness."

"And called their name Adam"

"This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made He him... and blessed them, and called their name Adam in the day when they were created." (Bereshit 5:1-2)

The Torah does not reveal the blessing, but perhaps it was the very fact that He called their name Adam:

"For the greatness of man does not necessarily lie in his present but rather in his future... All the days of his life are like the planting of a seed that is destined to flourish at a future time. This is why he is called Adam, to show his link with the earth ('adamah')... So it is with the man, whatever he produces from the purity of his thoughts and the fitness of his deeds is like a plant, from which new strengths are destined to sprout and flourish, without beginning and without end..."

Man is born lacking. As he progresses he completes himself and the whole world with him. He achieves this by overcoming obstacles, by passing from one crisis to another. Thus, by virtue of his awareness of is weakness and shortcomings, he also knows the secret of his potential strength and completeness. This is why he is called Adam, this is why he was created, this is why he was placed in the Garden of Eden - to give each creature its name, to praise the trees and plants of the Garden, to work the land and master it, to elevate it from its shortcomings - "to serve and preserve it."