Adapted from
Sefer HaSichos 5751, p. 62

Purpose and Its Realization

When a person is sent to accomplish a task, the goal should be clearly outlined. Sometimes, however, only an allusion is given; the person charged with the mission is not given explicit instructions. Instead, he is left to discover its purpose on his own.

Why would someone choose to issue instructions in such a manner? When the intent of the exercise is not only the accomplishment of the mission, but also the spiritual growth of the agent. Were the purpose of the mission spelled out, the agent would be denied the opportunity of self-discovery, and thus his efforts would lose much of their value. His vision would depend on someone else’s light. When, by contrast, the agent comes to the realization of the goal on his own, it arouses more than his sense of duty; the revelation rings deep within him and becomes part of his own thinking.

Similar ideas apply with regard to G‑d’s creation of the world. When the Torah describes creation, its first words are not “Let there be light.” Instead, it speaks of “void and darkness.”1

Why? Our Sages explain2 that G‑d’s motive in creating the universe was “a desire for a dwelling in the lower realms.” A dwelling means a home, a place where one’s essence is manifest. The term “lower realms” refers to our material universe, in which G‑dliness cannot ordinarily be perceived.

G‑d wants His dwelling to be part and parcel of these lower realms. His intent is not to nullify the limitations of our material existence, but rather to manifest Himself within those limitations.

Where Opposites Meet

Had G‑d begun creation with light were He to have created a world that recognizes Him effortlessly all existence would have been one with Him; there would have been no “lower realms.” This was not His desire.

G‑d wants man to exist in a universe which by its very nature seems to separate creation from its Creator. And the intent is that man realize the connection for himself, and develop it until the world proceeds to the state of ultimate fulfillment: “The world will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the ocean bed.”3

For mortals to reach such heights requires a fusion of opposites, and it is in such a fusion that G‑d’s essence is revealed. For He is neither light nor darkness, neither finite nor infinite. No worldly quality nor its antithesis can define Him. When, however, we see two apparently contradictory qualities joining, we can appreciate that this is possible only because He has manifested Himself.4

Precisely such a manifestation will characterize the Era of the Redemption, when it will be revealed that the physical world has indeed become G‑d’s dwelling.

Two Beginnings

To ensure that the “lower realms” would be capable of transformation into a “dwelling” for Him, G‑d embedded two distinct elements within creation from the outset. Thus, with regard to the Torah reading, Bereishis, Rashi comments:5

It is as if this word [בראשית (bereishis, “In the beginning”)] begs: “Extrapolate upon my meaning!” [The word can be read as ב׳ ראשית (“two entities which are called ‘beginning’ ”).] As our Sages commented: [Creation is] for the sake of the Torah which is referred to6 as “the beginning of His path” and for the sake of the righteous,7 who are referred to8 as “the beginning of His crop.”

In a similar context, our Sages state9 that both the Jewish people and the Torah predate the world. This is not to say that there was a precedence in time, for time like space did not exist before creation.10 Rather, the concept of precedence highlights the unique spiritual potential of the Jewish people and the Torah.

As opposed to the world at large, which appears to exist independent of its G‑dly source, “Israel, the Torah, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.”11 Every Jew’s soul is “an actual part of G‑d,”12 and the Torah is G‑d’s will and wisdom.13

Since the Torah and the Jewish people are one with G‑d, observance of the mitzvos by the Jews expresses the purpose of creation. “A mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah, light.”14 By the light of Torah, Jews can thus reveal the G‑dly intent with which the world is imbued, and demonstrate that it is G‑d’s dwelling.

Partners in Creation

The above emphasis on Torah and the Jewish people is not explicit in the word Bereishis. On the contrary, the simple meaning of the word is “In the beginning,” indicating that creation is only the first phase in an ongoing process.

This highlights the importance of man’s contribution. For man is intended to be G‑d’s “partner in creation,”15 helping G‑d realize His desire for a dwelling. G‑d created the material world, but left to man the task of revealing the spiritual within it.

So it is that man begins in a world of darkness, and endeavors to endow it with light. And each glimmer of light kindles others, for “a little light banishes a great deal of darkness,”16 and leads to the ultimate light of Redemption, when it will be openly revealed that the world is G‑d’s dwelling.17

The Tzemach Tzedek used to say:18 “According to the stance one adopts on Shabbos Bereishis, the entire year follows.” For every year19 is a renewal of the cycle of creation. The Zohar20 states that “G‑d looked into the Torah and created the world. Man looks into the Torah and maintains the world.” As we begin the study of the Torah anew on this Shabbos, we have the potential to renew creation, and bring it to its ultimate goal.