The Ohr Hachaim brings multiple explanations for this Possuk; we will try and quote some of them.
Chazal explain the possuk, as quoted in Rashi, that the ב' of the first word denotes – for the sake of. The world was created for the sake of ראשית, which has multiple explanations.
The Torah itself is called ראשית. The world was created for the sake of the Torah. Someone who learns Torah and lives according to its principles is permitted to use the world. However, someone who ignores the Torah and shirks its responsibility from his shoulders, may not derive any benefit from the world. The world was not created for him, and he is like an uninvited guest at the meal.
Another ראשית quoted in Chazal is Klal Yisroel. The world was created for Klal Yisroel’s purpose. This is not an alternative explanation to the first one, but rather another level of depth in that statement. Klal Yisroel are the nation that keeps the Torah and the world was created for their sake. Not for their personal pleasure, but in order that they can keep, learn, observe, and remember the Torah. The difference between Klal Yisroel and everyone else is the Torah that Klal Yisroel owns and keeps.
The Medrash also has Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov included in the ראשית, but all for the same purpose. Our forefathers were so beloved and cherished on High because they kept the Torah and followed Hashem’s rules.
The Gemara tells us that יראת שמים – fear of Heaven, is considered ראשית. As the possuk says רֵאשִׁית חׇכְמָה יִׁרְאַת ה' - The fear of Hashem is the beginning of wisdom. This too is considered ראשית, but that is no contradiction to the first pshat. The purpose of the Torah is to achieve Yir’as Shamayim. When a person learns Torah as he is supposed to, his soul is filled with Yir’as Shamayim and he appreciates Hashem’s presence in the world. And Yir’as Shamayim is the warehouse of Torah, which allows Torah to be stored in a person’s soul.
The Ohr Hachaim has another explanation in the ב' of this word.
The possuk writes וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן וָאֶהְיֶה שַעֲשוּעִׁים יוֹם יוֹם מְשַחֶקֶת לְפָנָיו בְכׇל עֵת - then I was a little child by his side. I was a delight day by day, always playing before him. Chazal read the possuk to mean אומן – a craftsman. The Torah is the blueprint and plan for the world, setting its parameters and limits. The first word of the Torah already tells us this. בראשית – with the Torah (which is called ראשית), Hashem created the world. The correct way to live is with the Torah, and without learning Torah we will never know how to live in this world.
Someone who ‘owns’ Torah, i.e. a Talmid Chacham who possesses the wisdom of Torah in his head, is someone who understands the world and can use it for his purposes.
This is why a Talmid Chacham is called a builder. The Gemara says אָמַר רַבִׁי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר רַבִׁי חֲנִׁינָא: תַלְמִׁידֵי חֲכָמִׁים מַרְבִׁים שָלוֹם בָעוֹלָם, שֶנֶאֱמַר: ״וְכׇל בָנַיִׁךְ לִׁמּוּדֵי ה׳ וְרַב שְלוֹם בָנָיִׁךְ״. אַל תִׁקְרֵי ״בָנַיִׁךְ״ אֶלָא ״בוֹנָיִׁךְ״ - Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Chanina said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said: “And all your children [banayikh] shall be taught of Hashem, and great shall be the peace of your children”. If all the children of Israel are taught of Hashem, there will be peace for all. The Chachamim interpreted this verse homiletically: Do not read your children [banayich], but your builders [bonayich]. Torah scholars are those who build peace for their generation.
The Ohr Hachaim is now offering another reason that the Talmidei Chachamim are called builders. Seeing as they are the ones who know the plans of the world, they can be considered the builders of the world.
Another explanation is based on the Zohar. The Tikkunei Zohar writes that there are two kinds of fear of Heaven. One is the fear of punishment - every person knows that if he does an aveira, he is liable for punishment. Hashem has many strict punishments in His arsenal, and fear of Divine retribution should prevent a person from doing an aveira. Another type of fear is ‘fear of the exalted’. When a person realizes his own puniness and limitations, as compared to a great and holy Creator, he will be filled with fear and awe as he approaches Him.
Hashem prepared these two kinds of fears in the world. He created the world with a ב' – two kinds of fear.
The possuk indeed alludes to both of these fears. First, the name אלוקים is mentioned. This is the name Hashem uses when He sits on His throne of Divine judgment. Divine judgment can cause a person to suffer terrible decrees. There are any number of illnesses and pain that can visit a person, and a person who does not do aveiros out of fear of Hashem’s judgment is acting with this level of Yir’as Shamayim.
The second fear is alluded to in the words את השמים ואת הארץ. The possuk in Tehillim says - כִׁי אֶרְאֶה שָמֶיךָ מַעֲשֵה אֶצְבְעֹתֶיךָ יָרֵ חַ וְכוֹכָבִׁים אֲשֶר כוֹנָנְתָה. מָה אֱנוֹש כִׁי תִׁזְכְרֶנוּ וּבֶן אָדָם כִׁי תִׁפְקְדֶנוּ - When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have established; what is man, that You are mindful of him? And the son of man, that You think of him?
When a person sees the Heavens and the firmament, he is aware of his own puniness, how a human has nothing to feel proud about. This is the ‘fear of the exalted’ that is the second type of fear.
The Ohr Hachaim then explains this in a slightly different way. He divides שמים and ארץ into the two types of fear. Indeed, the שמים – Heaven – alludes to the fear of the exalted that enters a person’s heart when he observes the Heavens and its inhabitants. The word ארץ alludes to the fear of punishment that is common to all of us. This has nothing to do with Hashem’s lofty level, it is equal to the earth. Everybody on earth attempts to minimize the pain he may experience, and this fear is an earthly one.
The Ohr Hachaim continues to explain the possuk in this vein – that ראשית is referring to Yiras Shamayim. The Navi tells us that Yiras Shamayim is the warehouse of the Divine light. When a person is filled with fear of Heaven, he can attach himself to Hashem and His light. He becomes a resting place for the Shechina. בי"ת ראשית – the house of Yiras Shamayim, ברא אלהים – is the creation of G-dliness in a person’s heart.
The Ohr Hachaim adds another source to this. Chazal tell us that the sword and the Sefer Torah were intertwined when they descended from Heaven. בראשית – with the Torah, Hashem created אלוקים – the Name of strict judgment, that is symbolized by the sword. The Torah and the sword were created together.
The Ohr Hachaim offers another explanation. In the introduction to the Zohar we find that Hashem created one thousand worlds before He created this one. They are called ‘the worlds of yearning’. At the creation of this world, Hashem started His second thousand. Indeed, the א' was the first letter of those worlds, as it deserves, being the first letter of the Aleph-Beis. Now that the second thousand is beginning, the Torah used the letter ב' to begin.
