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PARSHAS BEREISHIS| 29 TISHREI 5770 | 17 OCTOBER2009

G-d rejected Kayins sacrifice but acceptedHevels offering. Kayin was angry thatHashem found favor in Hevels offering,and remained angry despite Hashemsexplanation. The narrative abruptly turns toa scene which takes place in the fieldwhere Kayin rises and kills Hevel. Whathappened between the time that the twobrothers brought their sacrifices and the

ensuing murder?

The Midrash offers numerous points ofview as to what occurred between Kayin(Cain) and Hevel. One opinion offered bythe Midrash is that Kayin and Hevelstruggled over land ownership. A secondopinion maintains that the two brotherswere quarreling over who would have theBais HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, built intheir territory. A third opinion posits thatKayin and Hevel disputed the right to marry

Chava, Adams first wife. This presupposesthat Adam had subsequently married asecond woman named Chava. The fourthand final opinion cited in the Midrash isthat the first Chava had already died andKayin and Hevel were arguing over whowould marry the extra sister that was bornto Hevel. What is troubling about theMidrash, however, is that all the opinions

appear to ignore the original cause forcontention. Kayin was upset because G-dhad rejected his offering and preferred hisyounger brothers offering over his. Wouldthis not have been sufficient reason forKayin to kill Hevel?

A rabbi once related that when he was firsthired by a synagogue, he ambitiously tookon the issue that seemed to be the mosttroubling issue in the community at thetime. For many years, two of the wealthiest

members of the community were not

speaking with one another. Unexpectedly,the rabbi summoned the two adversariesto his office with the intent of getting to theroot of their dissention. The rabbiquestioned each of them as to what theythought the catalyst had been that led tothe long-standing feud. To the rabbissurprise, neither man was able to recall theexact point in time when the feud began.However, they both insisted that such afight only could have occurred if there hadbeen good reason for it.

Sadly, people often have fallouts in theirrelationships because of something that

happened long ago, but have a hard timeexplaining why it had such terriblerepercussions. While the Torah omitted theactual dispute that occurred between Kayinand Hevel, the rabbis in the Midrash,debated the nature of the quarrellingbrothers discussion. It would seem that theBiblical omission and the sages elaborationdemonstrate the idea that one can easilybecome embroiled in a dispute overtrivialities. Clearly, something occurredbetween the brothers that instigated thetension. Nonetheless, they allowed thedispute to escalate to the point where the

origin of the debate was irrelevant.

This incident is a lesson in how to maintainharmonious relationships with friends andrelatives. While differences and disputesare sometimes inevitable, it is essential torecognize that what unites us is moreimportant than what divides us.

Rabbi Adler can be reached at:rabbiadler@partnersintorah.org

Kayin spoke with his brother Hevel. And it happened whenthey were in the field, that Kayin rose up against his brother

Hevel and killed him. (Genesis 4:8)

This weeks parsha discusses the creation of the world, and mostimportant, the creation of man. The Torah describes the birth ofAdam and Chavas (Eves) two sons, Kayin and Hevel (Cain and Abel), and the ensuing battle between them. The incident between them

began rather innocuously, when Kayin offered a sacrifice to G-d, albeit aninferior offering, from the flax that he had cultivated. Hevel, however,offered a choice sacrifice, from the first born and the choicest of his sheep.

Parsha Perspectives RABBI BINYOMIN ADLER

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B E R E I S H I S Talking Points RABBI ELAZAR MEISELS1. FROM GOOD TO VERY GOODAnd G-d saw all that He had made, and behold it was verygood. It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.1:31

It was very good At the conclusion of each of theother days of creation it only says, And G-d saw that

it was good. Why at the end of the sixth day does it refer to the creations of that day as very good?Until the end of the sixth day, each creation was only

one part of an incomplete whole. Independentlyeach was good, but no more. Upon the conclusionof the Six Days of Creation, when all was completed,

it was appropriate to comment on the entirety ofcreation and state that it was very good. -Rabbeinu Bachya

It was very good Although it referred to all priorcreations as good, it referred to the creation ofman as very good. This is because man is the

pinnacle of creation and the reason for all the othercreations that were only created to assist him in his

mission to serve his Creator. Their creation was onlymeaningful if there would one day be human beingswho could utilize them for his ultimate purpose.Once man was created, their existence was validatedand now their creation too, attained a status of very

good.- Kli Yakar (Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Lunshitz)HaEmek Davar (Rabbi Naftali Zvi YehudaBerlin) adds that the words very good, referto the fact that all the created works of G-dcomplement each other perfectly and worktogether in perfect harmony. Rather thancompete with one another, each lendssupport to the others in an area where one isdeficient. Thus, each creation is good, buttogether, the strength of each is magnified andthey are deserving of the label, very good.

2. OFF WITH HIS HEADAnd Hashem said to the serpentAnd I will put hostilitybetween you and the woman, and between your offspringand her offspring. He shall strike you on the head, and you

shall strike him on the heel. 3:14-15

I will put hostility The serpent intended for Adamto die by eating first, and then he would marry Eve.

In response, G-d placed enmity between the serpentand the woman and foreclosed any such possibility

for generations. Rashi

I will put hostility A serpent has no greater enmitytoward mankind than any other reptile. Rather, theverse intends to convey that the serpent had a

special affinity for Eve and engaged her inconversation often. She responded toward hisovertures and thus, was ensnared in his plot to

murder Adam. G-ds solution was to remove this special affinity and replace it with the standardenmity that these beasts had for mankind. ToldosYitzchak [Rabbi Yitzchok Karo]

He shall strike you on the head, and you shallstrike him on the heel When he is a head [i.e.a leader because of his observance of Torah and

Mitzvos], then he will succeed in striking andeliminating you. However, when he is a heel [i.e.

lowly and disrespected because of his abandonmentof Torah andMitzvos], then you will be able to strikeand eliminate him. Or HaChaim (Rabbi Chaim benAtar)

The commentators explain that He will strikeyou Rosh [on the head] can also beunderstood as a technique to successfullyvanquish the evil inclination as represented bythe primordial serpent. If we refuse to engagehim in conversation or even contemplate hissinister suggestions, then we will swiftlydispatch him and be rid of his influence. Thisis called striking Rosh,i.e. first, before he hasa chance to penetrate our consciousness. Ifhowever, he is allowed to peddle his waresamong us and we do not banish himimmediately and only seek to rid ourselves ofhim once hes well-ensconced, then victorywill be his. He will strike us from the heel i.e.when his threat is only dealt with in delayedfashion.

3. SUFFER NOAH LONGERLemech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and had ason. He named his son Noah, saying, This one will bringus rest from our work and the anguish of our hands, fromthe soil which G-d has cursed. 5:29

This one will bring us rest from our work Priorto Noahs time they had no agricultural tools and he

invented such tools for them. Furthermore, the earthhad been producing thorns and thistles when wheat

was sown as a result of Adams curse. This sorrystate ceased in the days of Noah. Rashi

This one will bring us rest from our work - Werethey prophets that they knew that this child wouldaccomplish this in his lifetime?

They did not call him this name at the time of his birth. Rather, this was the name that was given to him when they saw the ground change its habitsduring his lifetime time. Aderes Eliyahu (RabbiEliyahu ben Slomo Zalman The Gaon of Vilna)

When Adam was cursed, the Almighty said to him,The soil will be cursed because of you. In sorrow you

shall eat from it all the days of your life... until youreturn to the ground The first child born after thedeath and burial of Adam was Noah. Thus, it wasobvious that the birth of this child heralded the

removal of the curse of Adam. Rivah

Until the birth of Noah, all men were born withtheir fingers fused together in web-like fashion. Noahwas the first one born with separate digits. This left

him too weak to plow the ground using his hands.

Forced to innovate, he invented the plow, which inturn, made life easier for all of mankind. RavYehudah HaChossid

When Adam was cursed by the Almighty, heinquired how long the curse would be in effect. The Almighty responded that it would continue until achild is born circumcised. Noah was the first child

born circumcised so they knew that he must be theone who would herald the new era. MidrashRabbah

Sforno offers an explanation more basic thanall of the above. The name given Noah wassimply a prayer offered to the Almighty askingthat this child spell relief from the agony theyhad encountered until his time. The Almightysaw fit to grant their request and the curse ofAdam was lifted. Such is the power of aheartfelt prayer that it can eradicate the mostserious of decrees.

Rabbi Meisels can be reached at:rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org

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Grace,

Your excellent question is the subject of adiscussion in the Talmud [Tractate BavaKama 82a] which explains that aftertraveling three days in the desert withoutdevoting time to studying Torah, the Jewishpeople found themselves spiritually weak. Inresponse, the prophets among them aroseand decreed that from then on, three dayscould not pass without a public Torahreading which would ensure that this would

not occur again. The designated days wereShabbat, Monday, and Thursday. Either oneperson would read three verses, or threepeople would read three verses each,corresponding to the three classes of Jews:Kohanim, Levites, and Israelites.

Much later, Ezra, who led the return of theJewish people to their homeland to rebuildthe Second Temple, instituted that tenverses would be read by three individuals.This number corresponded to the ten publicservants who spent their days immersed inTorah study in the synagogue and ensuredthat a minyan (quorum of 10 men) would

always be present.Indeed, in Mishnaic times, it is clear thatthese public readings were already standardpractice including many others such asthose for festivals and fast days.

The custom of reading an entire parshawasnt always universal either. The Talmud[Tractate Megillah 29b] makes reference tothe people in the west [i.e. Israel] whowould complete the entire Five Books inthree years. Rashi comments that their

practice was unlike ours which is tocomplete the entire Torah in one years timeand restart on the Shabbat followingSukkos.

Already in the times of Maimonides it wascommon practice to complete the entireFive Books in one year as he writes, Thecommon custom throughout all of Israel isto complete the [reading of] the Torah inone year. The cycle is begun on the Sabbathafter the Sukkos festival, reading the sidrah,Bereshis. On the following Sabbath, Eileh

toldot; on the third, Vayomer Hashem elAvramWe continue reading according tothis order until the Torah is completed,during the Sukkos festival. There are thosewho finish the Torah reading in a three-yearcycle. However, this is not a widely acceptedcustom.

More recent Halachic authorities [ShuTRemez, Perach Shoshanim etc.] have ruledthat we must abide by the widely acceptedpractice to complete the Five Books eachyear and may not opt to adopt the customof doing so over three years.

Initially, the reading was done by theindividual who was called up to the Torah.Over time, the situation deteriorated to thepoint where not all were capable of readingfrom the Torah, and it became standard toappoint a permanent reader who wouldread on behalf of all who were called to theTorah. They, in turn, would recite theappropriate blessings. [Note: In order toserve as the reader on behalf of thecongregation, the reader must be obligatedin the mitzvah as well. This effectively

disqualifies a minor from serving in thiscapacity. To symbolize his transition into theworld of adulthood, it has becomecustomary for a Bar Mitzvah to read fromthe Torah, something unavailable to himheretofore.] Furthermore, unlike today, thereading was accompanied by a translatorwho would translate the Hebrew into thelanguage spoken at that time which was

usually Aramaic. The translation was called,Targum,and the translator was called, theMeturgamon.Eventually, this practice too,was discontinued.

Since the Five Books are broken into 54sections, it was necessary to combine someportions and read two together on oneShabbat. During a leap year, this is notalways the case because of the additionalweeks that are added.

Aside from the weekly reading, there arespecial readings that occur on Festivals anddesignated Shabbatot. Some of those have

their origin in the Torah, such as ParshasZachor, wherein we recall the mitzvah todestroy the wicked Amalek.

May we celebrate the completion of thisTorah-reading cycle together with all of Israelin a rebuilt Jerusalem!

Rabbi Elazar Meisels

Rabbi Meisels can be reached at:rabbimeisels@partnersintorah.org

KRIYAT HATORAH RABBI ELAZAR MEISELSDear Rabbi,

As we embark upon another year of reading the Torah beginning fromBereishis, I was hoping you could give me some background on howthis custom developed. Thank you so much for your help!Grace B.

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The Torah relates that at the end of the 6th dayof creation, And G-d saw all that He made andbehold it was very good. (Bereishis 1:31) At thenear conclusion of the worlds creation, thestatement is made that the world is suddenlyvery good. Why is the all of creation calledvery good when each of the previousindividual days creations were merely good?One answer would coincide with the popularnotion that the whole is greater than the sum ofits parts (see explanation of HaEmek Davar inTalking Points #1). The Sages of the Midrash,however, take a different approach. Good bytheir definition, refers to the Yetzer Tov, thepositive inclination, and very good to theYetzer Horah, the negative (or evil) inclination!Alternatively, very good, according to theMidrash , refers to death.) hy would the introduction of thenegative inclination transform a worldwhich was (only) good to very good?) ow would the introduction of deathsimilarly alter the world to being verygood?) t this point Adam and Chava (Eve) hadnot yet violated the commandment not toeat from the tree of the knowledge ofgood and evil, and hence, were not yetdestined to die. How then is death evenrelevant at this point?Rabbi Lam can be reached at: rabbilam@partnersintorah.org

TABLE TALKFOR DISCUSSION AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE

RABBI LABEL LAM

Soul TalkThe Mishnah in Avos (5:1) states that theworld was created with ten ,utterances. Based upon this, R Yochananadduces the obligation of reciting the verseof, kingship, in the Rosh Hashanahservice (Rosh Hashanah 32a). Noting thatthere are only nine utterances, the Gemaraexplains that the word , itself isconsidered an utterance, for the creation ofheaven and earth mentioned in the verse came

about through speech, as indicated in theverse, ' , By the word ofHashem, the heavens were made (Tehillim33:6).

R Itzele of Volozhin (Peh Kadosh) wonderswhy, in fact, the Torah did not use thestraightforward form of ', And Hashem said, Let there bereishis (of heaven and earth). Why is thedeclarative form avoided?

He explains that the answer lies in the correctunderstanding of the Midrash cited by Rashithat , means for the sake of the Torahand Israel, both of which are called .

Beginning with an allegory, he likens this to afather who hired an outstanding and expensivetutor to educate his son. Furthermore, he tookcare of all his sons needs in the best mannerpossible, as to allow him to focus on hisstudies, unencumbered by any worries. Whenthe son showed only mediocre results, thefather admonished him severely, saying,Everything that I have expended on yourbehalf has been for naught! The son, however,responded, Why are you rebuking me? Do Inot study and pray like any good Jew? The

final retort in this easily imagined dialogue isthat of the father, who explains, What you sayis true, and indeed, even if you were to sin youwould be called a Jew. But the goal that I wasworking for and seeking from you wasexcellence in Torah study and service ofHashem, not mediocrity and complacency!

In a similar vein, when Hashem created theworld for Israel and for Torah, the idea wasnot that it would be sufficient for each Jew to

perform a mitzvah from time to time, or tostudy some subject of Torah on occasion. Theintent was that all Jews would engagethemselves in the study of Torah andperformance of mitzvos to attain a levelof - pre-eminence, elevation, anddistinction. Just as Hashem cares for all ourneeds unstintingly, He expects that we too willuse all our resources and talents in observingthe mitzvos and attaining knowledge of theTorah, and not be satisfied with levels that areadequate or acceptable.

In this light, it is understandable why the versecould not say ' , forthis would be tantamount to an absolute

declaration that there would be only excellenceand perfection in the world, and it would thusbecome an integral and natural part of mansconstitution. However, the will of Hashem isthat man have free choice to perform good orevil, and to attain mediocrity or excellence. Thisaspect of creation is thus presented in a waythat is understood as His Word, yet still leavingits fulfillment and attainment in the hands ofman.

With permission from Artscrolls Daily Dose