Parshat Bereshit 5779-Revisiting a famous Rashi comment

בראשית. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק לֹֹֹֹֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא מֵהַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם, שֶׁהִיא מִצְוָה רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בָּהּ יִשׂרָאֵל, וּמַה טַּעַם פָּתַח בִּבְרֵאשִׁית? מִשׁוּם כֹּחַ מַעֲשָׂיו הִגִּיד לְעַמּוֹ לָתֵת לָהֶם נַחֲלַת גּוֹיִם (תהילים קי"א), שֶׁאִם יֹאמְרוּ אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם לְיִשְׁרָאֵל לִסְטִים אַתֶּם, שֶׁכְּבַשְׁתֶּם אַרְצוֹת שִׁבְעָה גוֹיִם, הֵם אוֹמְרִים לָהֶם כָּל הָאָרֶץ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ"ה הִיא, הוּא בְרָאָהּ וּנְתָנָהּ לַאֲשֶׁר יָשַׁר בְּעֵינָיו, בִּרְצוֹנוֹ נְתָנָהּ לָהֶם, וּבִרְצוֹנוֹ נְטָלָהּ מֵהֶם וּנְתָנָהּ לָנוּ

בראשית IN THE BEGINNING — Rabbi Isaac said: The Torah which is the Law book of Israel should have commenced with the verse (Exodus 12:2) “This month shall be unto you the first of the months” which is the first commandment given to Israel. What is the reason, then, that it commences with the account of the Creation? Because of the thought expressed in the text (Psalms 111:6) “He declared to His people the strength of His works (i.e. He gave an account of the work of Creation), in order that He might give them the heritage of the nations.” For should the peoples of the world say to Israel, “You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the seven nations of Canaan”, Israel may reply to them, “All the earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whom He pleased. When He willed He gave it to them, and when He willed He took it from them and gave it to us” (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 187).

Rabbi Shlomo Goren zal gives a masterful interpretation of this Rashi comment in his sefer Torat Hamikra. He points out initially that it is unlikely that R’Yitzchak mentioned here is really Rashi’s father, although it is very appropriate to expect Rashi to give his initial hakarat hatov to his father in beginning his magnum opus. Rav Goren then raises a major question with R’Yitzchak’s comments. Surely there are a number of mitzvoth found in Sefer Bereshit, such as the mitzvah to procreate, Brit Mila, Shabbat, Gid Hanashe (prohibition of sciatic nerve).In which case how could R’Yitzchak suggest that the whole of sefer Bereshit is superfluous halachically? The answer to this question is found in the commentary of the Rambam on Mishna Chullin(7:6):

ושים לבך על העיקר הגדול הנכלל במשנה הזאת והוא מה שאמר מסיני נאסר לפי שאתה הראית לדעת שכל מה שאנו מרחיקים או עושים היום אין אנו עושין אלא במצות הקב"ה ע"י משה רבינו ע"ה לא שהקב"ה אמר זה לנביאים שלפניו כגון זה שאין אנו אוכלין אבמ"ה אינו מפני שהקב"ה אסרו [אותו] לנח  שאברהם אבינו ע"ה מל עצמו ואנשי ביתו אלא מפני שהקב"ה צוה אותנו ע"י משה רבינו שנמול כמו שמל אברהם אבינו ע"ה וכן גיד הנשה אין אנו הולכים אחר איסור יעקב אבינו אלא מצות משה רבינו ע"ה הלא תראה מה שאמרו תרי"ג מצות נאמרו לו למסה מסיני וכל אלו מכלל המצות:

“ There is a major axiom which is derived from this Mishna……every Mitzva we keep today is because Moshe was commanded by God on Mt.Sinai to tells the Jewish people to observe the Mitzva and not because any of the Avot may have observed the Mitzva before the giving of the Torah at Sinai………”

The Rambam is saying that even though the Avot may have kept certain Mitzvot, the obligation upon us is based on the command by God to Moshe and not from the Avot. This is also proven from another statement in Talmud Yoma (T.B.28b) where Tanaim seem to argue about the same issue and it is clear that R’Yitzchak , as quoted by Rashi, is clearly in agreement with the view of Rambam that sefer Bereshit is ‘superfluous’ from a  halachic perspective. It is clear that R’Yitzchak understands the book of Bereshit as a book telling us the history of the creation of the world, and the evolution of the Jewish nation from Avraham through to the descent to Egypt after Yosef dies. However in terms of halacha, sefer Bereshit adds nothing to the halachic imperative.

Rabbi Goren however suggests that R’Yitzchak is revealing a chiddush in the whole discussion of halachic obligation from sefer Bereshit. He refers to the creation by God and the distribution of Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish people. The suggestion is that there is one Mitzvah which does become obligatory upon us from the days of the Avot, and this is the mitzvah of ‘yishuv eretz Yisrael’-dwelling in the land of Israel, which is the equivalent to all the other mitzvoth in the Torah. The main source is found in the Sifre (parshat Ekev: piska 80), as well as in tosephta Avoda Zara (4:3).The Mitzva to live in Israel is established by the Avot,and the land is promised to them(Bereshit:12:7).It is promised also at the Brit Bein Habetarim(15:18) and to Yitzchak in parshat Toledot(26:3).Whenever Eretz Yisrael is mentioned in Torah it is always linked to the Avot (see:Shmot 6:8,Devarim 34:4).The Talmud (Bava Batra 119b,Avoda Zara 53b)) states categorically:

ירושה היא לכם מאבותיכם-‘the Land of Israel is an inheritance from your fathers’.

It is clear that the Mitzva to live in Eretz Yisrael came from the Avot and not initially from Moshe as he did not enter Eretz Yisrael and did not merit to go there even for a short time. Our claim is from the Avot as best presented in the Brit bein Habetarim ,as seen above.

This is essence of Rabbi Goren’s suggestion. If we are to look at sefer Bereshit from the point of halacha and obligation as fixed by Moshe on Mt Sinai, then it is correct to say that we could have begun the Torah with ‘Hachodesh hazeh lachem..’However there is one major halachic imperative which remains obligatory upon us from the Avot, and this is the mitzvah of yishuv eretz Yisrael, which is the essence of sefer Bereshit and its raison d’etre in conveying both the creation of the world and the history of the Avot. The halachic validity is found in the actions of the Avot and this establishes our connection forever to the land and this is what sefer Bereshit is really conveying, according to R’Yitzchak. We must never forget why we are there, and that our connection goes much further back than Mt.Sinai.

This lesson is priceless, especially in a world which constantly seems to try and diminish our claim to the land of Israel. We can respond that the whole of sefer Bereshit establishes this claim for all times, and we as Jews must defend this claim as best we can in all generations,not just as an emotional claim but an actual halachic imperative. How timely this is for us and how important this reminder is , so much so that R’Yitzchak felt that the Torah had to begin with this axiom of our Jewish lives-the eternal bond to the Land of Israel.

I would add the famous comment of the Vilna Gaon who points out that there are 2 mitzvot which we envelope our whole bodies in the Mitzva, 1) sitting in the Sukka and2) living in Israel. As we sit in our Sukka at present, let us be reminded of the other mitzvah which envelops all of us as Jews, the mitzva to live in Israel. This is a yearly reminder of our intrinsic kesher to the land and we must never forget this eternal bond.

Sbhabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.           Cherry Hill NJ              Tishrei 5779