Bereishis Haftarah: G-d Gave Us The Land of Israel

The Haftarah is the main theme Of Every Parsha

Why Haftarah?

הפטרה

The etymology of the word “haftarah” comes from the Hebrew פטר, meaning to conclude. Because this section of the Navi concludes the Torah reading.

The origin of the Haftarah has several theories:

• The Haftarah is read on the specific Shabbos that this prophesy was revealed.

• The Haftarah is a response to the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes, which preceded the Maccabean revolt. During this era the Torah reading was prohibited.

• The Haftarah was instituted against the Samaritans, who denied the canonicity of the Prophets (except for Joshua), and later against the Sadducees. 

• The Haftarah it was instituted after some act of persecution in which the synagogue Torah scrolls were destroyed or ruined. Thus is was forbidden to read the Torah portion from just any scroll; but rather must be read from a ritually fit parchment scroll. There was no such requirement about a reading from Prophets, which was then substituted as a temporary expedient and then remained. 

• The Talmud Megilla 31a mentions that a Haftarah was read in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, who lived c.70 CE. By the time of Rabbah (the 3rd century), there was a “Scroll of Haftaros” (Talmud Gittin 60a).

בראשית Bereishis

Rashi lived in France from 1040 C.E. to 1105 C.E. He died at the age of 65 on the 29^th of Tammuz. His formal name is Rav Shlomo ben Yitchak. He had a job working as a wine merchant. One of his grandsons was known as Rabbeinu Tama and another one was known as the Rashbam.

The first Rashi on Chumash sets the theme for the entire purpose that we read the Parsha every week. To remind us that G-d gave us Eretz Yisrael and that he wants us to know that this land is ours; therefore, we must live here.

Hashem started the Torah with the story of Bereishis (creation of the world) in order to teach us that He created the world and that He (G-d) specifically  gave Eretz Yisrael to us . This demonstrates His greatness.

תהילים קיא:ו

כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גוים.

The power of His acts He told His people, in order to give them the estate of nations. (Tehillim 111:6)

Rashi predicted that in the future, the nations of the world will say to the Jews “you are bandits”, ליסטים אתם, or in modern terms “you are occupiers committing genocide”.  We are accused of stealing Eretz Yisrael. Rashi instructs us say to other Jews and the nations that “The whole earth belongs to G-d, He created it and He gave it to the Jewish people. By His wish He gave Eretz Yisrael to us ונתנה לנו  , and by his wish we took Eretz Yisrael away from the seven nations who were in the Land of Canaan.

According to the Kuzari, the first argument between men was over the ownership of the land of Israel. This was the actual argument between Kayin and Hevel.

The Jewish people read the Torah to know the Truth. We need to educate ourselves and other Jews that Eretz Yisrael is ours and that G-d wants us to live here. Unfortunately, about half the Jewish people still refuse to move here and insist on remaining in Chutz LaAretz.

Eretz Yisrael is the spiritual and physical center of the world.

בראשית 2: י-יב

ונהר יצא מעדן להשקות את הגן ומשם יפרד והיה לארבעה ראשים. שם האחד פישון הוא הסובב את כל ארץ החוילה אשר שם הזהב. וזהב הארץ ההוא טוב שם הבדלח ואבן בשהם.

A river issues from Eden to water the garden and there it is divided and becomes four headwaters. The name of the first [river] is Pishon, the one that encircles the whole land of Havilah, there the gold is. The gold of that land is good, the crystal is there and the shoham stone. (Bereishis 2: 10-12)

Bereishis Rabbah explains that “the gold of that land is good” is a reference to Torah knowledge. Thus, gold is Torah and the gold of that land is good, is specifically the Torah learned in Eretz Yisrael. The Sifrei specifically states that this is the source that the actual Torah is found in Eretz Yisrael.

For this reason, Rav Dessler writes in Michtav MeEliyahu (volume 3, page194) that it is easier to learn Mussar in Eretz Yisrael. There is a special personal spiritual assistance from G-d Himself here called “SiYata DishMaya.

The Midrash Tehillim states that if one wants to actually see The Shechina in this world, he should study Torah in Eretz Yisrael.

According the Zohar (Kabballah) the Holy four letter name of G-d (י-ה-ו-ה)  can be written and many ways. Our job in this world is to unite the lower world ((י”ה and the upper worlds (ו”ה) with Hashem’s name or the י-ה  with the ו-ה. One of the Holy names if G-d is made up of 42 letters or מ”ב.  For this reason every column of the Torah is composed of forty-two lines. Every column of the Torah begins with the letter vav ו. However, there are six exceptions and they spell out “with yud-heh His name” בי”ה שמ”ו.

The world was created with the Ten Sefiros.

Keser is the first pasuk, בראשית (In the beginning of G-d’s creating the heavens and the earth).

Chochama is the third pasuk,  ויהי אור (and there was light).

Bina is the sixth pasuk, יהי רקיע (let there be a firmament between the waters).

Chessed is the ninth pasuk,  יקוו המים (let the waters be gathered).

Gevurah is the eleventh pasuk, תדשה הארץ (let the earth sprout vegetation).

Tiferes is the fourteenth pasuk, מארת ברקיע (let there be lights in the firmament…to separate between the day and the night).

Nezach is the twentieth pasuk,  המים שרץ נפש חיה(the waters teem with swarming beings of living soul…and fowl that fly…)

Hod is the twenty-fourth pasuk, הארץ נפש חיה (earth bring forth living soul).

Yesod is the twenty-sixth pasuk, נעשה אדם (let us make man in our image).

Malchus is the twenty-ninth pasuk, נתתי לכם את כל עשב…על פני כל הארץ ואת כל עץ … (I have given to your all herbage…that is on the surface of the entire earth and every tree…).

The man of G-d was created on the sixth day, אדם. There is a hint to the completion of the man of G-d is to serve Him by keeping the Shabbis and all the laws of the Torah in Eretz Yisrael.  The pesukim (1:31, 2:1,2 describing the completion of the sixth day of creation spell out the word “Israel” ישראל  if start with the letter yud and skip every seven letters.

בראשית א: לא, ב: א,ב

וירא אלקים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאוד, ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום הששי. ויכולו השמים והארץ וכל צבאם. ויכלא לקים ביום השביעי מלאכתו אשר עשה, וישבץ ביום השביעי מכל מלאכתו אשר עשה.

Siman for the Parsha: There are 146 Pesukim, אמצ-י”ה יחזקי-ה”ו.

These were two kings of the land of Yehuda. Each one succeed his throne at age of twenty-five years old. In addition, each did what was proper in the “eyes” of G-d and was thus called ישר. Each one was attacked in 14^th year of his reign. King Amazia was attacked by actual enemy soldiers. Whereas, King Chezekia was attacked by illness. Each king ruled for twenty-nine years.

אמץ חזק  both mean strength or power. The word אמץ is in the name אמציה and the word חזק is found in the name יחזקיהו. This phrase חזק ואמץ means that the source of all power is G-d and thus G-d is my strength.

In this parsha we see that G-d created the world from nothing. We also see that after creating the universe, He has and active role in the history of the world see from the stories of Adam and Chava, Kayin and Hevel,Tubal Kayin, Lamech, and Noach.   G-d’s power is called אמצ-י”ה . Whereas, His involvement in each individual in this world is called י-חזק-י”ה-ו.

Haftarah Bereishis

Yishayahu 42:5 – 43:10.

This Haftarah explains to us the purpose of Bereishis or creation of the world. This world was created for man אדם who is both physical and spiritual גשמי ורוחני. The world was created for the Jews to live in Israel and from there to bring the ultimate Redemption or גאולה with the era of Moshiach.

The Navi states (42:5) that Hashem gives a soul נשמה and a spirit רוח to the people of the world. We know from the Zohar that the lowest level of our spirit is called נשמה and it dwells in the world of Assia עשיה, which is Chutz LaAretz. Whereas, the next higher level is call רוח and it dwells in the higher world of YeZira, which is Eretz Yisrael. Thus, the Navi teaches us that G-d gives a Neshama to all of the world נשמה לעם. However, those who follow Hashem and walk in His ways in Eretz Yisrael are elevated to Ruach ורוח להלכים בה.

This Navi is one of the most misquoted pesukim in the Torah. There is no such command from G-d to be “A light unto the nations” or a אור לגוים. These are clearly misquotes and wrong.

Instead that Navi instructs us to be a “light for the nations”, we go TO the light (42:6) לאור גוים. The source of this light can only be created by the Jews living in Eretz Yisrael and keeping the laws of the Torah. In this manner, creation is renewed daily in Eretz Yisrael. The purpose for the Jewish nation existence is to lead by example, in the Land of Israel and thus guide the world in proper service of G-d.

By the Jewish Nation living and serving G-d in Israel, we demonstrate the greatness of Hashem. Hashem desires for the sake of its righteousness that the Torah be made great and glorious (42:21); ה’ חפץ למען צדקו יגדיל תורה ויאדיר. G-d gives us merits when we are known as “Israelis” ישראל ; that is why he gives us the Torah and Mitzvos, to be performed in Eretz Yisrael.

משנה מכות ג: טז

רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָא בֶּן עֲקַשְׁיָא אוֹמֵר: רָצָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ הִרְבָּה לָהֶם תּוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת, שנאמר (ישעיהו מב: כא) “ה’ חָפֵץ לְמַעַן צִדְקוֹ, יַגְדִּיל תּוֹרָה וְיַאְדִּיר”:

Just as G-d created the world בראשית, so too Hashem created Yakov בראך יעקב , which is our potential (Chutz LaAretz). However, when we live in Israel we are ויצרך ישראל; we are achieving our purpose (43:1).

Do not fear, for Hashem Himself redeems us and brings the Geula (42:1), . אל תירא כי גאלתיך We are currently living in the era of  the redemption from all the four corners of the globe, קיבוץ גליות.

ישעיהו מג:ה,ו

אל תירא כי אתך אני ממזרח אביא זרעך וממערב אקבצך. אמר לצפון תני ולתימן אל תכלאי, הביאי בני מרחוק ובנותי מקצה הארץ.

Fear not for I am with you, from the East will I bring your offspring and from the West will I gather you. I shall say to the North, “give back” and to the South, “do not withhold, bring my sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth.” (Yeshayahu 43: 5, 6)

With these words of G-d who are we not to make Aliyah? G-d wants every Jew and Rabbi to return here to Israel. There is not Rabbi or Jewish leader who has the authority to go against the will of G-d Himself and prevent bringing Hashem’s sons and daughters home to Eretz Yisrael.

When the Jewish people are living and serving G-d in Eretz Yisrael, this is testimony עדות, that the words of G-d, The Torah are true. Here in Israel we know G-d through דעת, practical knowledge and demonstrate our belief אמונה in the One true G-d who created the universe.

ישעיהו מג:י

אתם עדי נאם ה’  ועבדי אשר בחרתי למען תדעו ותאמינו לי ותבינו כי אני הוא לפני לא נוצר אל ואחרי לא יהיה.

You are My witnesses, the words of Hashem, and My servant, whom I have chosen, so that you will know and believe in Me and understand that I am He, before Me nothing was created by a god and after Me it shall be. (Yeshayahu 43:10)