Bereishit Review - בראשית as an extension of the ימי הדין, and particularly as an extension of סוכה. We came to understand that the פרשה itself is a סוכה, not only in the sense that it is מרמז to a סוכה. It is a סוכה in the sense of its ability to define the nested spaces—and that that is what makes it unique as a פרשה—that is literally has no meaningful linear expression. In its nesting it creates a completely different vision of what it means to talk about the local. Therefore it describes הקב"ה first as a ישמח ה' במעשיו and afterwards in ויתעצב אל ליבו, as part of what it is to have the presence within מעשה בראשית itself. This becomes now the לויתן of the סוכה that is מלוה us. Which becomes the קו of יקוו המים, which becomes the לישועתך קיויתי ה' in the actual בי"ת which is the סוכה of בראשית and the מקום of בריאה itself, and provide, just as it is with the closing רש"י, in the same way that the מין understands, that if there is a reason to participate in a higher space—for whatever reason he is reproducing, then there is a reason to participate in the local as well. This theme is seen throughout: in terms of the relationship of זכר ונקיבה in the first story and the second story of creation; in terms of the relationship of שמש וירח in the first storey and the final story which is the relationship of שבת to ראש חודש; The relationship of מינות to מלכות; and of אדם in his original place and ויקחהו and being מניחהו בגן עדן; All in all, this presents us with a vision of a קו that allowed penetration of the space which is החכמה מאין תימצא; not only wouldn’t it be a contradiction life – local life, with all of its emotional presence which seems to have no connection to חכמה, not only does it allow us that, but it actually enhances it—just as it does in the life of דוד המלך—in that the totality of a דוד מלך ישראל חי וקים becomes that which is so completely connected in the literal מלאך sense, the emotional sense—the translation of חכמה into בריאה, that he provides not only guidance, but a real קו for any individual throughout the דורות, to be able to be מתחבר to the particular aspects of his own life in that moment.
---
Parsha Bereishis is a continuation of Sukkot, not in the sense that the parsha is an allusion to sukkah, but that it is a sukkah in its very essence. Meaning - just as the sukkah provides a nested structure for existence (i.e., God creates the world while sitting in a sukkah, the beis of Berishis and thus the world is a sukkah, the tevah of Noah is a sukkah, the Mishkan delineates the measurements of sukkah...) - so too does parsha Bereishis establish reality in a nested form. Hence, the stories of the parsha are not related linearly, but each one subsumes the other. Moreover, the parsha defines conceptual space in terms of sukkah; the separation of the waters, the two narratives of Creation, the Etz HaChayim and the Etz HaDa'at, etc., present two levels of spatial reality - the holistic and dualistic. There is the risk of becoming trapped in the latter and falling into minus, where there seems to be no reason to rejoice in a Creation that has failure and death built into it. David HaMelech provides an answer to the cold, intellectual approach of the min. David’s emotional attachment to the Bria is the basis of a relationship with it that forms a bridge between these two spatial entities, and provides a constant connectedness that accompanies him (levui) throughout a world of process. Therefore, the most fundamental link between the parsha and sukkah is the Levyasan. We see it only once – in the upper story of Creation – and then it seems to disappear. Though hidden, it follows us along on our journey, and reappears in the simcha of the ultimate Sukkah. Thus, there is a line between the local world in which we struggle, and the original vision of Bereishis – and that line is tikvah, hope.

Ver todos los episodios