The verse in Parashat Bereishit describes G-d’s creation of man as follows: “Hashem Elokim formed man from the dust of the earth; He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (2:7). The straightforward reading of the verse implies that G-d created man in two distinct stages. First, He took from the dust of the earth, and then He blew into man the breath of life. The combination of these two processes resulted in the emergence of a human being. The Ramban explains this process in two ways. First, he suggests that the dust of the earth formed man into an inanimate object; the breath of life then came to turn man into a living creature similar to the animals. Alternatively, the Ramban suggests, man already resembled an animal after the first stage; the second stage afforded him the power of speech, which renders humans unique from other animals.
A basic question, however, arises regarding this two-stage process. What for? Why did G-d not simply create man in one stroke of the “painter’s brush,” if you will?
It has been suggested that through this process, G-d infused man with a unique characteristic: the need to develop. From his very inception, the human being required growth and advancement. This innate desire continues throughout a person’s life. People constantly feel the need for movement and progress, the yearning to achieve and accomplish more and more.
As is the case regarding all instinctive drives within us, the Almighty expects and demands that we channel this longing in the proper direction rather than suppress it altogether. We must, indeed, seek to constantly grow and improve, but primarily within the realm of Torah and mitzvot. If we invest too much time and effort in other pursuits, we could potentially drain our supply of this urge for progress, resulting in spiritual stagnation. Religious growth does not end with the sounding of the shofar after Neilah on Yom Kippur or when we leave the sukkah. We must view it as a lifelong process of work and development.
The Goal of Creation
And Hashem formed man, soil from the earth (2:7).
The Mishnah says (Avos 2:8), R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai accepted (learned Torah) from Hillel and Shammai. He would say, “If you have learned a lot of Torah, do not take credit for yourself, for this is what you were created for (כי לכך נוצרת).”
The question is, how does one measure ‘a lot’ of Torah? If Torah has no end, as the passuk says (11:9), “It (Torah) is longer than the length of the earth,” how does one measure ‘a lot’ of Torah?
This question is answered by the introductory words of this Mishnah. The Mishnah begins by stating that R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai learned Torah from Hillel and Shammai. Hillel and Shammai differed on halachah in many cases. If a person truly understands the depth of reasoning of both sides of the arguments of Hillel and Shammai, he can be very confused as to how to act halachically, since both are rooted in halachah and have proofs and logic to support them. Nevertheless, unlike other students of Hillel and Shammai, R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai always followed the opinion of Hillel. This took great clarity to be able to do. And it is regarding this very concept that R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai taught this Mishnah.
When R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai said, “If you have learned a lot of Torah,” it does not simply mean if you have accumulated a lot of Torah knowledge. It refers to an individual who, like R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai, understood the depth of both sides of the halachah and was still able to decide and act according to the opinion of Hillel. This is considered truly knowing ‘a lot’ of Torah and is considered a great accomplishment. About this, R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai taught that even if a person reaches this level of learning, he should not take credit for himself.
R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai continues, “For this is what you were created for (כי לכך נוצרת).” The term נוצרת is used rather than נבראת. Although they mean the same thing, the word נוצרת hints to the word that the Torah uses in the above-mentioned passuk. In the word וייצר, Hashem formed, there are two yuds. The Gemara explains (Brachos 61a) that whenever a person is about to do a mitzvah, on the one hand, he has to be afraid of his Creator, יוצרו (which begins with a yud), and actually fulfill the mitzvah and not let the yetzer hara stop him. On the other hand, when he does the mitzvah, he has to fear his yetzer hara (יצר הרע), which will fill his head with all sorts of thoughts as to why he shouldn’t do the mitzvah (and possibly thoughts after he does the mitzvah about how great he is for doing the mitzvah).
The reason why this is hinted at in the very forming of man is that the mitzvos were given to purify the person. In fact, the Kavod Chachamim writes that the very reason why the halachah is often unclear and requires toil to properly understand is because the act of toil purifies the person. Therefore, one who reaches this level of being able to sift through all the sides and proofs in halachic arguments like R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai did should not take credit for himself since this is what they were created for (נוצרת). In other words, both the understanding of the halachah and the battle against the yetzer hara to fulfill the requirement purify the person, and this is the goal of creation.
RABBI DAVID SILVERBERG
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