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Lehavas David · Parshas Bereishis · Maamar ב

From Tohu to Heaven: Sifting Good from Evil

From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Bereishis 1:1-2
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ. וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.
1“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was tohu vavohu, formless and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.”1 This raises a question. Tohu vavohu, the formless state, came before heaven and earth were created. If the Torah follows the order of creation, should it not have written “And the earth was tohu” first, and only afterward “In the beginning He created”?
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ. וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ וְחוֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹקִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם (א, א-ב). וְקָשֶׁה, דִּלְפִי סֵדֶר הַבְּרִיאָה הָיָה צָרִיךְ לִכְתּוֹב תְּחִילָּה הַפָּסוּק ״וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תוֹהוּ״ וּלְאַחַר מִכֵּן הַפָּסוּק ״בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא״, שֶׁהֲרֵי הַמַּצָּב שֶׁל תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ קָדַם לִבְרִיאַת שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ.
  1. Bereishis 1:1–2. ↩
In shortSince tohu vavohu came before heaven and earth, why does the Torah mention it only after their creation?
2Let us first cite the Midrash: “When the Holy One, blessed be He, came to create Adam HaRishon, the ministering angels split into groups and factions. … Kindness said, ‘Let him be created, for he will do acts of kindness.’ Truth said, ‘Let him not be created, for he is all falsehood.’ Righteousness said, ‘Let him be created, for he will do righteous deeds.’ Peace said, ‘Let him not be created, for he is all strife.’ What did the Holy One do? He took Truth and cast it to the earth. This is what is written: ‘And truth was cast to the ground.’”2 But why did Hashem cast Truth down to the earth, of all places, rather than silence it in some other way? And why was it precisely this that allowed Him, as it were, to prevail and create man?
וְנַקְדִּים אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה ח, ה), בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּא הקב״ה לִבְראוֹת אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן נַעֲשׂוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת כִּיתִּים כִּיתִּים וְכוּ׳ חֶסֶד אוֹמֵר יִבָּרֵא שֶׁהוּא גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים, וֶאֱמֶת אוֹמֵר אַל יִבָּרֵא שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ שְׁקָרִים, צֶדֶק אוֹמֵר יִבָּרֵא שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה צְדָקוֹת, שָׁלוֹם אוֹמֵר אַל יִבָּרֵא דְּכוּלֵּיהּ קְטָטָה, מֶה עָשָׂה הקב״ה נָטַל אֱמֶת וְהִשְׁלִיכוֹ לָאָרֶץ, הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (דניאל ח, יב) ״וְתַשְׁלֵךְ אֱמֶת אַרְצָה״. וְצָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר, מָה רָאָה הקב״ה לְהַשְׁלִיךְ אֶת אֱמֶת אַרְצָה דַּוְקָא, וְלֹא הִשְׁתִּיק הָאֱמֶת בְּעִנְיָן אַחֵר, וַאֲשֶׁר בָּזֶה דַּוְוקָא כִּבְיָכוֹל נִתְחַזֵּק הקב״ה לִבְרוֹא אֶת הָאָדָם.
  1. Bereishis Rabbah 8:5; Daniel 8:12. ↩
In shortWhy did Hashem answer Truth's objection by casting Truth to the earth, and why did that act let man be created?
3Let us also cite another Midrash: “The Holy One, blessed be He, set a condition with the work of creation: If Israel accepts the Torah, well and good; and if not, I will return you to tohu vavohu.”3 Why did Chazal choose the words “I will return you to tohu vavohu”? [At first glance they should have said, “And if not, you will become nothing and naught,” that is, wiped out completely. Tohu vavohu is not complete nonexistence. As is well known, it is a bare, minimal force called koach hiyuli, the power of formless primal matter, as the Ramban explains on these verses.4 So the expression tohu vavohu does not mean total destruction.]
וְנַקְדִּים עוֹד אֶת מַה דְּאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (תנחומא בראשית א) הִתְנָה הקב״ה עִם מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית, אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַבְּלִים הַתּוֹרָה מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו אֲנִי מַחֲזִיר אֶתְכֶם לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ. וְצָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר מַדּוּעַ נָקְטוּ חז״ל הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳אֲנִי מַחֲזִיר אֶתְכֶם לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ׳, [דְּלִכְאוֹרָה הָיָה צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר ׳וְאִם לָאו תִּהְיוּ לְאֶפֶס וְאֵין׳ דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁיִּתְבַּטְּלוּ לְגַמְרֵי, וְאִילּוּ הַתּוֹהוּ וְהַבּוֹהוּ אֵינָם הֶעְדֵּר מוּחְלָט, כַּנּוֹדָע שֶׁתּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ הֵם כֹּחַ כָּל שֶׁהוּא הַנִּקְרָא ׳כֹּחַ הִיּוּלִי׳ (כמבואר ברמב״ן כאן), וְאִם כֵּן אֵין לְשׁוֹן תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ מוֹרֶה עַל בִּיטּוּל לְגַמְרֵי].
  1. Tanchuma, Bereishis 1. ↩
  2. Ramban on Bereishis 1:1–2. ↩
In shortThe Midrash says a world without Torah would return to tohu vavohu; yet that term means formless matter, not total nothingness.
4aMy holy father and teacher, zt"l, connected the end of the Torah with its beginning, “before the eyes of all Israel. In the beginning,”5 through a story. The elder Rebbe of Kotzk, zt"l, once asked the Rebbe of Radzymin, zt"l, “For what purpose was a Jew created?” The Rebbe of Radzymin answered that a Jew was created to rectify the root of his soul. The holy Rebbe of Kotzk replied, “In Peshischa we learned that a Jew was created tzu beigen dem himmel [to bend the heavens].” My holy father explained that “these and these are the words of the living God,”6 for first a person must work on himself and rectify the root of his soul. Once he has achieved this, with Hashem's help, he can bend the heavens and bring them down to earth.
וְהִנֵּה כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה אָמַר לְחַבֵּר סוֹף הַתּוֹרָה עִם תְּחִילָּתָהּ ״לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרֵאשִׁית״, עַל פִּי מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁשָּׁאַל הָרַבִּי הַזָּקֵן מִקַּאצְק זצללה״ה אֶת הָרַבִּי מֵרֶדְזְמִין זצללה״ה, לְאֵיזֶה תַּכְלִית נִבְרָא אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהֵשִׁיב לוֹ שֶׁנִּבְרָא בִּשְׁבִיל לְתַקֵּן אֶת שׁוֹרֶשׁ נִשְׁמָתוֹ, עָנָה וְאָמַר לוֹ הרה״ק מִקַּאצְק, אָנוּ לָמַדְנוּ בִּפְשִׁיסְחָא, שֶׁתַּכְלִית בְּרִיאָתוֹ שֶׁל יְהוּדִי הוּא ׳צו בייגין דעם הימעל׳ [לְכוֹפֵף אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם]. וּבֵיאֵר שֶׁאֵלּוּ וְאֵלּוּ דִּבְרֵי אֱלוֹקִים חַיִּים, כִּי תְּחִילָּה צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לַעֲבוֹד עַל עַצְמוֹ וּלְתַקֵּן אֶת שׁוֹרֶשׁ נִשְׁמָתוֹ, וּלְאַחַר שֶׁבְּעֵזֶר ה׳ מַגִּיעַ לָזֶה, אָז כְּבָר יָכוֹל לְהַטּוֹת וּלְהוֹרִיד שָׁמַיִם לָאָרֶץ.
  1. Devarim 34:12; Bereishis 1:1. ↩
  2. Eruvin 13b. ↩
4bThis is hinted at in the ladder of Yaakov's dream, “a ladder set upon the earth.”7 First a person must rectify himself and his middos, his character traits, which are “set upon the earth.” After that comes “and its top reached the heavens”: he is able to bring about rectification and make the heavens come down all the way to the earth. The same idea is hinted at here, in “before the eyes of all Israel,” for the name Yisrael has the letters of yashar El, “straight to God.” First Israel must straighten itself and rectify the roots of its souls, and after that comes “In the beginning …” As Chazal said, “Heaven and earth were created only for the sake of Israel.”8 In other words, Israel has the power to master heaven and earth, to bend the heavens, as they learned in Peshischa, and bring them down to earth. Those are his holy words.
וְעִנְיָן זֶה מְרוּמָּז בְּמַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב (בראשית כח, יב) ״סוּלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה״, הַיְינוּ שֶׁתְּחִילָּה צָרִיךְ לְתַקֵּן אֶת עַצְמוֹ וְאֶת מִידּוֹתָיו הַמּוּצָּבִים בָּאָרֶץ, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵּן ״וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה״, יָכוֹל לְתַקֵּן וְלִפְעוֹל שֶׁהַשָּׁמַיִם יֵרְדוּ עַד לָאָרֶץ. וְזֶה מְרוּמָּז גַּם כָּאן, ״לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל״, ׳יִשְׂרָאֵל׳ אוֹתִיּוֹת ׳יָשָׁר אֵל׳, הַיְינוּ דְּמִקּוֹדֶם צְרִיכִים יִשְׂרָאֵל לְיַשֵּׁר אֶת עַצְמָם וּלְתַקֵּן אֶת שׁוֹרֶשׁ נִשְׁמָתָם, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵּן ״בְּרֵאשִׁית״ וְגוֹ׳, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (ויקרא רבה לז, ד) לֹא נִבְרְאוּ שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַיְינוּ שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ בָּהֶם כֹּחַ לִהְיוֹת בְּעָלִים עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ, וּלְהַטּוֹת וּלְהוֹרִיד הַשָּׁמַיִם לָאָרֶץ כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל, עכד״ק.
  1. Bereishis 28:12. ↩
  2. Vayikra Rabbah 37:4; in standard editions 36:4. ↩
In shortThe Rebbe's father taught that a Jew must first straighten himself, and only then can he bring heaven down to earth.
5We may explain all this as follows. As is well known, the purpose of man's avodah, his service of Hashem, is to sift the good from the bad: to choose the good and reject the bad. This is what sets human beings apart from angels. An angel is entirely good. It has no inner work to do and no free choice, because the angels were created only to do their Maker's will, not to labor at rectifying and perfecting themselves. Human beings are different: the whole purpose of man's creation is that he should rectify and perfect himself. That is what Chazal meant: “It would have been better for man not to have been created than to have been created; but now that he has been created, let him examine his deeds.”9 [In other words, it would have been better for him not to have been created with his share of evil. But now that he has been created with the evil inside him, he must examine his deeds and sift the good from the bad.]
וּבֵיאוּר הַדְּבָרִים אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר, דְּהִנֵּה נוֹדָע כִּי תַּכְלִית עֲבוֹדַת הָאָדָם הוּא לְבָרֵר הַטּוֹב מֵהָרַע, וְלִבְחוֹר בַּטּוֹב וְלִמְאוֹס בָּרָע. וְזֶהוּ הַהֶבְדֵּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בֵּין הַמַּלְאָכִים לִבְנֵי אָדָם, שֶׁמַּלְאָךְ הוּא כּוּלּוֹ בְּחִינַת טוֹב וְאֵין לוֹ עֲבוֹדָה וּבְחִירָה, כִּי הַמַּלְאָכִים לֹא נִבְרְאוּ אֶלָּא לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן קוֹנָם, וְלֹא בִּשְׁבִיל לַעֲבוֹד לְתַקֵּן וּלְהַשְׁלִים אֶת עַצְמָם. אֲבָל אֵצֶל בְּנֵי אָדָם אֵינוֹ כֵּן, שֶׁכָּל תַּכְלִית בְּרִיאַת הָאָדָם הָיְתָה עַל מְנָת שֶׁיְּתַקֵּן וְיַשְׁלִים אֶת עַצְמוֹ. וְזֶה כַּוָּונַת חז״ל שֶׁאָמְרוּ (עירובין יג, ב) נוֹחַ לוֹ לְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא, וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנִּבְרָא יְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו. [הַיְינוּ שֶׁנּוֹחַ הָיָה לוֹ אִילּוּ לֹא הָיָה נִבְרָא עִם חֵלֶק הָרַע שֶׁלּוֹ, אַךְ עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנִּבְרָא עִם הָרַע שֶׁבּוֹ, עָלָיו לְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו, וּלְבָרֵר הַטּוֹב מֵהָרַע].
  1. Eruvin 13b. ↩
In shortAngels are wholly good and have no choice; man was created with evil inside him so that he would sift good from bad.
6The verses spell this out. “And the earth was tohu vavohu”: tohu vavohu alludes to a mixture of good and evil, as the Tikkunei Zohar teaches.10 The verse goes on to say, “and darkness was upon the face of the deep,” and darkness is evil. After that, God created “the heavens,” which stand for the good. So at the beginning of creation the good was mixed with the bad. The verse then adds “and the earth,” telling us that this is why the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world: the whole aim in creating this world and those who live in it is to sift the good from the bad, “to bring forth the precious from the worthless.”11
וְעִנְיָן זֶה מְבוֹאָר בַּכָּתוּב ״וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ״ דְּעִנְיַן תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ רוֹמֵז לִבְחִינַת עֵירוּב טוֹב וְרַע (תיקוני זוהר הקדמה דף ו, א. תיקון כו דף עא, א) כְּמוֹ שֶׁמַּמְשִׁיךְ הַפָּסוּק ״וְחוֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם״ ׳חוֹשֶׁךְ׳ הוּא בְּחִינַת רַע, וּלְאַחַר מִכֵּן בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת הַטּוֹב, נִמְצָא שֶׁבְּרֵאשִׁית הַבְּרִיאָה הָיָה מְעוֹרָב הַטּוֹב בְּרַע, וּמַמְשִׁיךְ הַפָּסוּק ״וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ״, הַיְינוּ שֶׁלְּכָךְ בָּרָא הקב״ה אֶת הָעוֹלָם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁכָּל עִיקַּר מַטְּרַת בְּרִיאַת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְיוֹשְׁבָיו הוּא בִּכְדֵי לְבָרֵר אֶת הַטּוֹב מֵהָרַע וּלְהוֹצִיא יָקָר מִזּוֹלֵל.
  1. Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction 6a; Tikkun 26, 71a. ↩
  2. Yirmiyahu 15:19. ↩
In shortTohu vavohu is good mixed with evil, darkness is evil and heaven is good; the world was created so that its inhabitants would sift out the good.
7This lets us answer our opening question properly: why did the Torah put “In the beginning He created” before “And the earth was”? Because the whole purpose of creating the world and its inhabitants rests on the existence of evil: creatures were made to sift the good from the bad. So the verse “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” which tells us that creation exists, comes first. Only then does the second verse, “And the earth was tohu vavohu,” explain why the world was formed and what it is for. The goal of creation is to sift out and clear away the evil hinted at in the words tohu vavohu, so that only “heaven,” the good, remains in the world.
וּבָזֶה יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר אֶל נָכוֹן אֶת מַה שֶׁהִקְשֵׁינוּ בְּרֵישׁ דְּבָרֵינוּ, מַדּוּעַ הִקְדִּימָה הַתּוֹרָה אֶת פָּסוּק ׳בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא׳ לַפָּסוּק ׳וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה׳, וְהוּא כֵּיוָן שֶׁכָּל מַטְּרַת בְּרִיאַת הָעוֹלָם וְיוֹשְׁבָיו הוּא מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיֶּשְׁנָהּ מְצִיאוּת שֶׁל רַע, וְנִבְרְאוּ הַבְּרוּאִים עַל מְנָת שֶׁיְּבָרְרוּ אֶת הַטּוֹב מֵהָרַע, לְכָךְ דַּיְיקָא לְאַחַר פָּסוּק ״בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ״ הַמְלַמְּדֵנוּ עַל מְצִיאוּת הַבְּרִיאָה, בָּא אַחֲרָיו הַפָּסוּק הַשֵּׁנִי ״וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ״, לְבָאֵר אֶת עִנְיָן וְסִיבַּת יְצִירַת הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁתַּכְלִית הַבְּרִיאָה הוּא בִּכְדֵי לְבָרֵר וּלְבַעֵר אֶת הָרַע הָרָמוּז בְּתֵיבוֹת ׳תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ׳ מִן הָעוֹלָם, וְלִרְאוֹת שֶׁרַק בְּחִינַת ׳שָׁמַיִם׳ שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הַטּוֹב, יִשָּׁאֵר בָּעוֹלָם.
In shortCreation comes first and tohu vavohu second to show the world's purpose: to clear away the evil and leave only the good.
8With this we can also explain the teaching of Chazal that we cited: when the Holy One, blessed be He, came to create Adam HaRishon, He took truth and cast it to the earth. In this way He showed the angels the good that is found in the world: truth exists on earth. And with this He gave the angels a decisive answer: “Is not the purpose of forming the world, and man within it, to bring out truth in the world and to sift the good from the bad? You ministering angels have no grasp at all of this work of sifting, so how can you claim, ‘Let him not be created’? This work can be done only by those ‘born of woman.’ Only they can sift the evil out of the earth and reach the truth that I have cast to the earth, so that only the good remains in the world.”
וּבָזֶה יְבוֹאַר גַּם מַאֲמַר חז״ל שֶׁהֵבֵאנוּ, אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵת שֶׁבָּא הקב״ה לִבְרוֹא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן לָקַח הקב״ה מִידַּת אֱמֶת וְזָרַק אַרְצָה, וְהַיְינוּ שֶׁבָּזֶה הוֹרָה לָהֶם עַל עִנְיַן הַטּוֹב הַנִּמְצָא בָּעוֹלָם וְהַיְינוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ מְצִיאוּת שֶׁל ׳אֱמֶת׳ בָּאָרֶץ. וּבָזֶה הֵשִׁיב הקב״ה לַמַּלְאָכִים תְּשׁוּבָה נִיצַּחַת, דַּהֲלֹא תַּכְלִית יְצִירַת הָעוֹלָם וְהָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ, לְבָרֵר אֶת מִידַּת הָאֱמֶת בָּעוֹלָם, וּלְבָרֵר הַטּוֹב מֵהָרַע, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁכֵּן אַתֶּם מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם הַשָּׂגָה כְּלָל בַּעֲבוֹדָה הַזֹּאת דְּבֵירוּר טוֹב מֵרָע, אֵיךְ תּוּכְלוּ לִטְעוֹן ׳אַל יִבָּרֵא׳, וַהֲלֹא רַק עַל יְדֵי יְלוּדֵי אִשָּׁה יְכוֹלָה לֵיעָשׂוֹת זוֹ הָעֲבוֹדָה, דְּרַק הֵם יְכוֹלִים לְבָרֵר אֶת הָרַע מִן הָאָרֶץ, וּלְהַגִּיעַ לָאֱמֶת שֶׁהִשְׁלַכְתִּי אַרְצָה, דְּהַיְינוּ לִפְעוֹל שֶׁרַק הַטּוֹב לְבַדּוֹ יִשָּׁאֵר בָּעוֹלָם.
In shortBy casting truth to the earth, Hashem showed the angels that truth lies below, where only humans can sift out evil and reach it.
9In light of this we can also explain the Midrash “If Israel accepts the Torah, well and good; and if not, I will return you to tohu vavohu.” We know that the Torah is the means by which one can fight the yetzer hara, drive it out and destroy it. Chazal put it this way: the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I created the yetzer hara, and I created the Torah as its antidote.”12 Through the Torah, evil can be cleared out of the world. So the Midrash means this: if Israel accepts the Torah, well and good; if not, the world will go back to tohu vavohu. Evil will remain in the world, and the mixture of good and evil called tohu vavohu will stay as it is, with nothing sifted. This resolves our earlier question. Why does the Midrash say tohu vavohu, and not “nothing and naught” or the like, which would mean total destruction? Because the Midrash does not mean that without the Torah the world would be destroyed altogether. It means only that the mixture of good and evil would remain, as we have seen, and for that, tohu vavohu is exactly the right expression.
וּלְפִי זֶה נוּכַל לְפָרֵשׁ גַּם כַּוָּונַת הַמִּדְרָשׁ, אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַבְּלִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו אֲנִי מַחֲזִיר אֶתְכֶם לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ. דְּהִנֵּה נוֹדָע דְּהַתּוֹרָה הוּא הַדֶּרֶךְ וְהָעֵצָה שֶׁבְּכֹחָהּ אֶפְשָׁר לִלְחוֹם עִם הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע לְגָרְשׁוֹ וּלְבַעֲרוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (קידושין ל, ב) אָמַר הקב״ה בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרַע בָּרָאתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי הַתּוֹרָה אֶפְשָׁר לְבַעֵר אֶת הָרַע מִן הָעוֹלָם. וְזֶהוּ כַּוָּונַת הַמִּדְרָשׁ, דְּאִם יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַבְּלִים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו אִם כֵּן יַחֲזוֹר הָעוֹלָם לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִשְׁאַר מְצִיאוּת הָרַע בָּעוֹלָם, וְיִשָּׁאֵר בְּחִינַת הָעֵירוּב טוֹב וְרַע הַנִּקְרָא תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ, בְּלֹא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בֵּירוּר הַטּוֹב מִן הָרַע. וּבָזֶה מְיוּשָּׁב מַה שֶׁהִקְשֵׁינוּ, מַדּוּעַ נִזְכַּר דַּוְקָא הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ׳ וְלֹא לְשׁוֹן ׳אֵין וְאֶפֶס׳ וְכַדּוֹמֶה הַמּוֹרֶה עַל חוּרְבָּן וּבִיטּוּל מוּחְלָט. אָכֵן בֶּאֱמֶת אֵין כַּוָּונַת הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁבְּלֹא הַתּוֹרָה יִהְיֶה חוּרְבָּן מוּחְלָט, אֶלָּא רַק שֶׁתִּשָּׁאֵר מְצִיאוּת שֶׁל עֵירוּב טוֹב וְרַע, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר, וְלָזֶה שַׁפִּיר נָקְטוּ לְשׁוֹן ׳תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ׳.
  1. Kiddushin 30b. ↩
In shortWithout the Torah, the antidote to evil, the world would not be destroyed but would remain an unsifted mixture, which is tohu vavohu.
10On this basis we can explain how the end of the Torah joins its beginning: “before the eyes of all Israel. In the beginning.” The reishis, the beginning, of a Jew's avodah is what the verse describes: “God created the heavens … And the earth was tohu vavohu.” Tohu vavohu, we have seen, is a mixture of good and evil; “heaven” is the good; and the earth was created so that the good would be sifted from the bad. From this a Jew should see and learn the heart of his avodah: to take tohu vavohu and make it into “heaven,” “to bring forth the precious from the worthless,”13 sifting good from bad.
וְעַל פִּי זֶה אֶפְשָׁר לְפָרֵשׁ חִיבּוּר סוֹף הַתּוֹרָה לְרֵאשִׁיתָהּ, ״לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרֵאשִׁית״, פֵּירוּשׁ, דְּרֵאשִׁית הָעֲבוֹדָה שֶׁל אִישׁ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, הוּא כְּמַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב ״בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגוֹ׳ וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ״, וְהוּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר שֶׁ׳תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ׳ הוּא בְּחִינַת ׳עֵירוּב טוֹב וְרַע׳, וְ׳שָׁמַיִם׳ הֵם בְּחִינַת הַ׳טּוֹב׳, וּבְרִיאַת הָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה עַל מְנָת לְבָרֵר אֶת הַטּוֹב מִן הָרַע. וּמִזֶּה יִרְאֶה וְיִלְמוֹד אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁעִיקַּר עֲבוֹדָתוֹ הִיא לָקַחַת בְּחִינַת ׳תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ׳ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת מִמֶּנָּה ׳שָׁמַיִם׳, לְהוֹצִיא יָקָר מִזּוֹלֵל וּלְבָרֵר טוֹב מֵרָע.
  1. Yirmiyahu 15:19. ↩
In shortRead together, the Torah's last and first words teach that a Jew's basic avodah is to turn this world's tohu vavohu into “heaven.”
11There is more. The sefarim explain Chazal's saying “Who is mighty? One who conquers his inclination”14 to mean that a person must take the very forces of the yetzer hara and use them for holy things. Just as he sinned, Heaven forbid, out of the fire of desire, so must he do the mitzvos out of a fire of longing and burning enthusiasm. This too is hinted at in our verse. “The heavens” are holiness, and into holiness one must bring the forces of tohu vavohu, the forces of evil. In other words, a person must conquer the evil and bring it into holiness, as the Torah says a little further on, “And there was light.”15 Out of the evil, the “darkness,” “light” is made, and the evil becomes complete good, with nothing evil left.
וְלֹא זוֹ בִּלְבַד, אֶלָּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתְבוּ הַסְּפָרִים לְפָרֵשׁ אֶת מַאֲמַר חז״ל (אבות ד, א) אֵיזֶהוּ גִּיבּוֹר הַכּוֹבֵשׁ אֶת יִצְרוֹ, הַיְינוּ שֶׁצְּרִיכִים לָקַחַת אֶת כּוֹחוֹת הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע וּלְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶם לִדְבָרִים שֶׁבִּקְדוּשָּׁה, שֶׁכְּשֵׁם שֶׁעָשָׂה ח״ו עֲבֵירוֹת מִתּוֹךְ אֵשׁ הַתַּאֲוָה, כֵּן עַל דֶּרֶךְ זֶה יֵשׁ עָלָיו לַעֲשׂוֹת הַמִּצְוֹות מִתּוֹךְ אֵשׁ שֶׁל חֵשֶׁק וְהִתְלַהֲבוּת. וְגַם זֶה נִרְמַז בַּפָּסוּק כָּאן, ״אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם״ הוּא בְּחִינַת הַקְּדוּשָּׁה, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לְהַכְנִיס בָּהּ אֶת הַכּוֹחוֹת שֶׁל ׳תּוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ׳ שֶׁהֵם כּוֹחוֹת הָרַע, הַיְינוּ שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִכְבּוֹשׁ אֶת הָרַע וּלְהַכְנִיסוֹ אֶל הַקְּדוּשָּׁה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְהַלָּן ״וַיְהִי אוֹר״, הַיְינוּ שֶׁמֵּהָרַע שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת ׳חוֹשֶׁךְ׳ נַעֲשֶׂה ׳אוֹר׳, שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה טוֹב מוּחְלָט בְּלֹא רַע כְּלָל.
  1. Avos 4:1. ↩
  2. Bereishis 1:3. ↩
In shortA Jew must also bring his yetzer hara's forces into holiness, serving with the fire he once gave to sin, until darkness becomes light.
12This is also what my holy father meant by the words we cited, that a person must first work on himself to rectify the root of his soul, and only then can he bring the heavens down to the earth. Bringing the heavens down to earth means that the light of holiness will dwell even in physical things, which are “earth,” and he will make them into “heaven.” This happens when he takes the forces that once served him for evil, brings them into the good, and serves Hashem with them.
וְזֶהוּ גַּם כַּוָּונַת דִּבְרֵי כ״ק אאמו״ר שֶׁהִזְכַּרְנוּ, שֶׁתְּחִילָּה צָרִיךְ לַעֲבוֹד עַל עַצְמוֹ לְתַקֵּן אֶת שׁוֹרֶשׁ נִשְׁמָתוֹ, וְרַק לְאַחַר מִכֵּן יְכוֹלִים לְהוֹרִיד עַל הָאָרֶץ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְחִינַת הוֹרָדַת הַשָּׁמַיִם לָאָרֶץ הַכַּוָּונָה שֶׁאַף בִּדְבָרִים הַגַּשְׁמִיִּים שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת ׳אֶרֶץ׳, גַּם בָּהֶם יִשְׁכּוֹן אוֹר הַקְּדוּשָּׁה וְיַעֲשֶׂה מֵהֶם בְּחִינַת ׳שָׁמַיִם׳, וְהוּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁיַּכְנִיס אֶת הַכּוֹחוֹת שֶׁשִּׁימְּשׁוּ אוֹתוֹ לִבְחִינוֹת הָרַע, אֶל הַטּוֹב, וְיַעֲבוֹד בָּהֶם אֶת ה׳.
In shortBringing heaven down to earth means letting holiness dwell in physical life by turning to Hashem's service the forces once used for evil.
13This avodah, however, is “a difficult service in the Beis HaMikdash.”16 It will be done completely only in the days of Moshiach, when all the evil will be sifted out and everything will be good. That is how the verse ends: “and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters,” which the Midrash explains: “This is the spirit of King Moshiach.”17 For it is then, in the days of Moshiach, that this work will reach its completion.
אָמְנָם הָעֲבוֹדָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת הִיא עֲבוֹדָה קָשָׁה שֶׁבַּמִּקְדָּשׁ, וְיִתְקַיֵּים עִנְיָן זֶה בִּשְׁלֵימוּת רַק בִּימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ, אֲשֶׁר אָז יְבוֹרַר כָּל הָרַע וְיִהְיֶה הַכֹּל טוֹב, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁמְּסַיֵּים הַכָּתוּב ״וְרוּחַ אֱלֹקִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם״, וְאָמְרוּ בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה ב, ה) זֶה רוּחוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, כִּי בִּימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ אָז תּוּשְׁלַם עֲבוֹדָה זוֹ.
  1. Menachos 11a. Chazal use this phrase for kemitzah, the taking of a fistful of flour from a meal offering, one of the hardest services in the Beis HaMikdash. It became a saying for any very demanding service. ↩
  2. Bereishis Rabbah 2:5; in standard editions 2:4. ↩
In shortTurning evil into good is very hard work, and it will be completed only in the days of Moshiach.
14May Hashem grant that this come soon, and may we be privileged to hear the sound of Moshiach's great shofar speedily. Amen.
ה׳ יְזַכֵּנוּ בִּמְהֵרָה לָזֶה, וְנִזְכֶּה לִשְׁמוֹעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָרוֹ הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ בִּמְהֵרָה, אָמֵן:
In shortThe Rebbe prays that this come soon and that we hear the great shofar of Moshiach.
Takeaway

We were not made like the angels, wholly good with nothing to fix; we were placed in a world of tohu vavohu, where good and evil are mixed, so that we would sift them and bring out the truth that is found only here below. The work starts with straightening ourselves, and then even the fire we once gave to desire can be brought into holiness. Hashem gave us the Torah as the remedy for evil, and the work will be completed only in the days of Moshiach.

Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›

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