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Adapted by Rabbi Y. Marcus from Sefer Hamaamarim Melukat 2:99.
"This is the day (zeh hayom) of the
beginning of Your work, a remembrance of the first day for it is a chok
law) for Israel and a mishpat (statute) for Jacob.." (Liturgy of Mussaf Rosh Hashanah,
from the gemarra, tractate Rosh Hashanah 27a)
This prayer from the Rosh Hashanah liturgy serves
as the prelude to numerous discourses discussing the inner dimensions of
Rosh Hashanah. It represents the idea that Rosh Hashanah is more a
celebration of the creation of man than that of the world. Who is man and
why is his creation worthy of celebration?  | | " The ultimate purpose of creation is that man through his divine service reveals G-dliness in the world " | | |
The world was created on the 25th of
Elul. The Hebrew equivalent of 25 is chaf hei, which spells
koh. Koh connotes vagueness. The word zeh, on the other
hand, which means "this", connotes clarity. For example, at the splitting of
the sea the revelation of Divinity was such that one was able to point and
say zeh keili, "this is my G-d." By contrast, the various
revelations through prophecy (excluding that of Moses) are usually reported
with the preface of koh amar Hashem, which is translated as So said
G-d, but is also understood to mean "like this" said G-d, meaning that there
isn't a crystal clear picture.
The world was created in a state of koh,
Divinity was not apparent in its purest form. This state existed until the
sixth day when man was created, whose mission it was to bring about the
revelation of zeh.
This is why Rosh Hashanah, which celebrates the
creation of the world, is celebrated on the first of Tishrei, which
corresponds to the sixth day of creation, the day man was created.
The reason for this is that the ultimate purpose of creation is that man
through his divine service reveals G-dliness in the world--a revelation that
could be pointed and addressed as zeh, "This." This endeavor began on
the day man was created, Rosh Hashanah.
Hence the prayer: "This is the day (zeh hayom)
of the beginning of Your work, a remembrance of the first day...
Hayom (this day), says the Zohar 2:32b, refers
to Rosh Hashanah. [Another instance of the word
hayom in reference to Rosh Hashanah is in the first verse of the section
of the Torah read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, Deut. (29::9): "You stand hayom (today) before
the L-rd your G-d," today referring to Rosh Hashanah when the entire nation
stands together as one "from your leaders...to your water-carriers." See Likutei
Torah Nitzavim (beg.)]
Rosh Hashanah is called the beginning of Your
work, although it is celebrated on the day corresponding to the sixth day of
creation, since the creation of the world is truly celebrated on the day
when its purpose began to be realized: the day man was created. It was on
this day that the revelation of zeh began to be realized; hence
zeh hayom, meaning that each Rosh Hashanah--hayom--we celebrate
the revelation of zeh. | | " Even man was in a sense created on the first day, since he was formed from the earth, which was "created" on the first day" | | |
To appreciate the achievement and advancement of
the sixth day of creation, we must first understand the condition of the
world on the first day of creation.
On the first day of creation, heaven and earth and
all of their hosts were created ex nihilo. The Torah's description of
the "creations" of the subsequent days in truth refers to the revelation
of these creations--their formation and evolvement--not their creation. The
creation of everything--their coming into being, albeit an undefined
one--took place on the first day. (Cf. Rashi on Gen. 1:14 and 24) Even man
was in a sense created on the first day, since he was formed from the earth,
which was "created" on the first day.
(The spiritual world of Atzilut, says the Zohar
(1:32b), was also created on the first day. Thus is explained the first
verse of the Torah: In the beginning, referring to chochma;
Elokim, referring to bina; The heaven, referring to
Zeir Anpin; The earth, referring to Malchut.)
Furthermore, the Midrash writes that on the first
day G-d was alone in the world, He was the only conceivable reality. In
other words, the creation that took place on the first day was of the sort
that demonstrated the exclusivity of G-d's existence.
In addition, up until the sin, the entire world
was on the level of Gan Eden. ( Likutei Torah Korach 52c.) | | " Until the sixth day of creation, only the body of man existed in this world" | | |
Yet despite the superior condition of the world
even before man was created, man's creation brought the world to a higher
level. For the first five days of creation, the world, even in its lofty
state, was still a world--lofty, but limited to the parameters of creation.
What was introduced through the creation of man was the light beyond, the
revelation of the essence of G-d, which transcends any connection and
association with the concept of a world.
How does man have the power to draw and reveal the
Essence? Because of the source of his soul, which is of the essence of G-d.
Until the sixth day of creation, only the body of man existed in this world.
The sixth day is when G-d blew into his nostrils the spirit of life, a soul.
The nature of this soul is defined in the Zohar in its comment on the
imagery of G-d "blowing" the spirit of life into man: "He who blows, blows
from his inside," from his essence. [See Tanya chapter 2.] The soul is thus
called the child of G-d. A child emanates from the essence of the father, a
place that is beyond the manifest capacities of the father. (Thus the child
is capable of surpassing the father since there are capacities that exist
within the father's essence that are not manifest in him but can become
manifest in the child.) So too the soul emanates from the essence of G-d,
beyond His manifest attributes.
This explains the statement of the Holy One
Blessed be He: "My children have been victorious over me."
[With respect to this quotation: ] The Talmud (Bava
Metzia 59b) recounts the following story: Rabbi Eliezer, who had failed
to convince the other sages of his view on a particular law, began causing
miraculous events, but the sages were not impressed. He caused the walls of
the study hall to bend, whereupon Rabbi Yehoshua berated the walls and said:
"What business is it of yours that Torah scholars are vying in halachic
matters?" The walls did not fall in out of respect for Rabbi Yehoshua nor
did they revert to their original position out of respect for Rabbi Eliezer.
Finally a heavenly voice rang out and said that the halacha followed
Rabbi Eliezer, whereupon Rabbi Yehoshua stood up and said: "The Torah is not
in heaven. We do not pay attention to a heavenly voice, for You have already
written in Your Torah 'according to the majority shall the matter be
decided.'" Rabbi Nassan once met Elijah the prophet and asked him what the
Holy One was doing as Rabbi Yehoshua spoke. He answered: He was laughing and
saying, "My children have been victorious over me, my children have been
victorious over me." | | " the soul of man stems from the essence of G-d which is beyond even kodesh" | | |
The term the Holy One blessed Be He,
Hakadosh Baruch Hu, refers to the Ein Sof as it is manifest in the
manner of kodesh and boruch, holy and blessed. Holy, or
detached, refers to sovev kol almin, the transcendent light, while
boruch, which also connotes drawing down, refers to mimalei kol almin,
the permeating and adapted light.
Since the soul of man stems from the essence of
G-d which is beyond even kodesh [since transcendence implies some
level of association with that which is transcended], its halachic ruling supersedes
and is victorious over that of Hakodosh Baruch Hu.
(This idea bears particular relevance on Rosh
Hashanah. The Midrash relates: When the celestial angels gather before
Hakadosh Boruch Hu to say, When is Rosh Hashanah?...Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to
them, Why do you ask me? Let you and I go to the earthly court [and ask
them]. Devarim Rabba 2:14.)
This explains the ability of the soul of man to
effect the revelation of the essence of G-d. That it can also reveal this in
the world--the unification to koh and zeh--is through its
revelation in the body. For the body of man which is created from earth,
which was created on the first day, is on the level of koh. When the
soul reveals the level of zeh within its body, this in turn causes
the revelation of zeh in the entire world.
How does the soul accomplish this? The answer is
found in the second half of the above verse: "...for it is a chok for
Yisrael and a mishpat for Jacob." In other words, the goal of zeh hayom,
the revelation of zeh is achieved through the soul's study of chok,
the Torah, and its fulfillment of mitzvos, mishpat.
[Hence the name Israel (Yisrael) in regard to
Torah, since Yisrael contains the word rosh, head, the part of man
used in Torah study. Yaakov (Jacob) is used in reference to fulfillment of
mitzvos since Yaakov contains the word eikev, heel, alluding to the mitzvos
which are fulfilled with the lower physical aspects of creation.]
Copyright 2001 Chabad of California
Visitor Comments: 1
Jerome ,9/18/2006
the question at the beginning<
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