Parshas Vezos Haberachah,
Succos,
and
Parshas Beraishis
The Heart of it All
By: Daniel Listhaus
“Never again has there arisen in Israel a prophet like Moshe, whom Hashem had known face to face; for all the signs and wonders that Hashem sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his slaves and all his land, and for all the strong hand and for all the great awesomeness that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Israel.”
-Vezos Haberachah 34:10-12
“And G-d created man in his image, in the image of G-d He created him....”
-Beraishis 1:27
This last passuk of the Torah discusses one of the most fundamental beliefs of Judaism – the testimony by Hashem, that Moshe was the greatest navi to ever live. The Rambam includes this in his thirteen principles of belief1, and it is paralleled by the seventh verse of Yigdal2. However, beneath the surface of this verse, there is yet another fundamental belief which sums up the whole Torah.
The Kli Yakar3 writes that the reason why the Torah begins with the letter “beis” and ends with the letter “lamed” is because these two letters are the only letters that could form words when combining them with any of the letters of Hashem's name. Hashem's Great Name is composed of the letters “yud”, “hey”, and “vuv”. One could add a “beis” or a “lamed” to any of these letters and get the following words: “bee” (in me), “bo” (in Him), “bah” (in Her); “lee” (to Me), “lo” (to Him), and “lah” (to Her). These are the only two letters in the Torah with this capability.
The Kli Yakar continues to explain that these words which are formed are very significant. Hashem says “bee” - the whole world is dependent in Me. We announce “bo and bah”, declaring that the world is dependent on Him4. Also, Hashem says “lee” - the whole universe belongs to me; while we state “lo” and “lah”, that indeed the whole universe belongs to Him.
These two ideas are intertwined tightly. The whole world is His because the whole world is dependent on Hashem. This is the idea of yichud Hashem – the axiom that Hashem is One. This is the yesod (foundation) of the whole Torah. Perhaps this is further hinted to by the letters “lamed” and “beis”, which form the word leiv (heart). Realizing and appreciating the Oneness of Hashem is the heart of the torah.
The Nefesh Hachayim5 explains that this is why Hashem is called “Elokim”. The word Elokim means – Powers. This Name of Hashem refers to the fact that Hashem is Master and Controller of all Powers. As the Nefesh Hachayim describes, when a man completes a building, he could walk away and the structure will remain by itself. Hashem's creations, however, are existent only because Hashem continuously recreates them every moment. This is something that we say and prove each day in birkas kriyas shema6, “In His goodness He renews daily, perpetually, the work of creation. As it says7, '[Give thanks] to Him Who makes the great luminaries, for His kindness endures forever.' Chazal say that Hashem is consistently recreating the world, as the passuk alludes to by saying that Hashem makes the great luminaries (present tense), instead of writing that Hashem made the great luminaries (past tense).
If in fact the name Elokim refers to this facet of Hashem, we must try to understand the fundamental passuk in Beraishis which describes that Hashem created man “b'tzelem Elokim” (in the image of Hashem [Elokim]). What does it mean to be created “in the image of Hashem”, and why does the passuk specifically use the name “Elokim” to illustrate that man was created in the image of Hashem?
In order to understand why the Torah specifically chose to describe man as a “tzelem Elokim”, we must first realize the power which is contained within humans. The Nefesh Hachayim8 explains that the things which people say and think about have big ramifications in our world and the other worlds. When we say good things about people and think Holy thoughts, we are builders; however, when we, chas v'shalom, speak lashon harah and think bad thoughts, we do more damage than those who destroyed the beis Hamikdash.
Rabbi Akiva Tatz9 writes that words are the building blocks of creation. He points out that in Hebrew, the word for a “word” and the word for a “thing” are the same – “davar”. The reason for this is because words and things are really one and the same, since words create things. We know that Hashem created the world with words; besides for the fact that it says it over and over in parshas Beraishis and is a mishna in Pirkei Avos10, we also declare it every day in davening - “Baruch she'amar ve'haya ha'olam”11 (Blessed is He Who spoke, and the world came into being).
We were created with a balance of a guf (body) and a neshama. The responsibility that comes with this is tremendous. It is our task to ensure that the physical actions in this world will not cause negative ripples in the spiritual realms. We have a power within us which is similar to Elokim; the ability to create things which are dependent on us. We have the ability to create and change things with devarim (words) and machshavos (thoughts).
The chag of Succos is very different from Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur we strive for Holiness like a malach (angel). We do not eat, drink, or get benefit from other physical pleasures. Instead we spend day and night davening to Hashem, declaring His kingship, and asking for forgiveness. Succos, on the other hand, is z'man simchaseinu - a time of joy. Succos is all about taking physical items and infusing kedusha in them. We sit in the succah, shake the lulav and esrog, and sing of the greatness of the Jewish people and the Torah on simchas Torah.
This is why Succos is so special, because it pinpoints and positively feeds this uniqueness of man. It gives us a head start for the upcoming year by allowing us to transport the intangible kedusha into the world, thereby uplifting the world in Holiness.
1Ani Ma'amin #7
2Beginning of Shacharis.
3Devarim 34:12
4The Kli Yakar explains that the reason for both the masculine and feminine terminology is because of kabbalistic reasons.
6In shacharis
7Tehillim 136:7
9Worldmask, page 89
10Avos 5:1
11P'sukei D'zimrah in Shacharis
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