Parashat Beresheet 5782
When the Holy One, Blessed be He, created man, the Attribute of Mercy said: “Let him be created, because he will dispense acts of loving kindness.” The Attribute of Truth argued: “Let him not be created, for he is made of falsehood.” The Attribute of Justice said: “Let him be created.” The Attribute of Peace said: “Let him not be created, because he is full of strife.” What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He took the Attribute of Truth and cast it down to the ground. (Bereshit Rabbah 8:5)
When the Attribute of Truth was cast down to the ground, the Attribute of Peace remained the sole voice objecting to man’s creation, with the Attributes of Mercy and Justice both in favor of the decision to make man. Why did the Lord choose the Attribute of Truth, rather than that of Peace, to be cast to the ground?
Because not even a majority vote can stand up against the Truth. Even if both Justice and Mercy had favored man’s creation, arguing that man would practice justice and mercy, Truth would have proved that even his acts of justice and mercy would be full of shame and falsehood. Peace, on the other hand, which argued that man would be full of strife, could easily be made to give way to a majority combination of Justice and Mercy. Hence, Truth, rather than Peace, was “cast to the ground.”
Chapter 3;v.14
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים | אֶל־הַנָּחָשׁ כִּי עָשִׂיתָ זֹּאת אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכָּל־הַבְּהֵמָה וּמִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה עַל־גְּחֹֽנְךָ תֵלֵךְ וְעָפָר תֹּאכַל כָּל־יְמֵי חַיֶּֽיךָ:
And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life
Rabbi Bunim was asked: “Why did God put such a strange curse upon the serpent? Why did He decree that the serpent eat dust? When God endowed the serpent with the ability to live on dust, it seemed to be a blessing rather than a curse, for the serpent can find its food anywhere!”
Rabbi Bunim replied: “God told the man that he must eat his bread by the sweat of his brow, and, if he has no bread, he can pray to God for help. To the woman, God said she was to bear children in pain, and, if the birth is very difficult, she can pray to God to ease her pain. Both remain bound to God, and they still have access to Him. To the serpent, the source of evil, though, God gave everything it requires, so that it would never have to ask Him for anything. Being disconnected from God is the greatest curse of all.” (Chasidic tale)
What do we learn from this Parasha?
What are the 3 basic questions we need to ask from this Parasha?
- What was so special about at the “Etz Hadaat Tov Ve-Ra
- Why were they clothed with fig leaves after eating from the forbidden tree ?
- How did the snake “Ha-Yetzer Ha-Ra convince Chava to eat from the forbidden tree?
The answer to question #3 is that the Yetzer Ha-Ra was always there. But it was in an outward state. It was not built into the human body. The moment Adam and Chava ate the fruit from the forbidden tree the Yetzer Ha-Ra became an integrated part in the human body.