Following this line of reasoning, we will proceed to reconcile the contradiction introduced above: Was the world created with the letter “Beis” or the letter “hei”? Clearly, the passuk that suggests that HKB”H created the universe with the letter “Beis” is the first passuk in the Torah: "בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ". As Rashi explains, this passuk teaches us that HKB”H initially planned to create the world with “midat hadin,” as it will exist le’atid la’vo. Therefore, HKB”H initially created the world with the “Beis” of ב'ראשית, which alludes magnificently to the end of days, as we will explain.
On the other hand, the passuk that suggests that HKB”H created the world with the letter “hei,” appears at the end of the chronicle of creation (ibid. 2, 4): "אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם ביום עשות ה' אלקים ארץ ושמים". They expounded on this passuk in the Gemara: “Do not read the word as (it is actually written) בהברא״ם but rather as בה' בראם (indicating that He created the heavens and the earth with the letter “hei”).” In contrast to the first passuk, this passuk alludes to the fact that Olam HaZeh cannot endure based on the standard of “midat hadin.” Hence, HKB”H prioritized “midat harachamim” over “midat hadin,” as indicated by this passuk. Therefore, at this point, HKB”H created the world with the letter “hei.”
With this understanding, we will now explain why HKB”H created the world with the letter “Beis” when He intended to create the universe with “midat hadin,” whereas He created the world with the letter “hei” when He felt it necessary to prioritize “midat harachamim” instead of “midat hadin.” We will begin by introducing the Gemara (Menachot 29b) that explains the significance of the letter “hei”:
"ומפני מה נברא העולם הזה בה"י, מפני שדומה לאכסדרא שכל הרוצה לצאת יצא "ומאי טעמא תליא כרעיה דאי הדר בתשובה מעיילי ליה."
And why was Olam HaZeh created with the letter “hei”? Because it resembles a pavilion (Rashi: it is open underneath); so that anyone who wishes to leave (go astray) can leave (to lead a life of sin). Then the Gemara asks: And for what reason is the left leg of the “hei” hanging (i.e., it is not connected to the top of the “hei”)? So that if he performs teshuvah, they can bring him back in (through the upper opening between the suspended leg and the top of the “hei”).
Furthermore, consider the nature of Adam HaRishon prior to the sin. In Rashi’s commentary on this weeks parsha, he explains (ibid. 2, 25): "ואף על פי שניתנה בו דעה לקרות שמו, לא נתן בו יצר הרע עד אכלו מן העץ ונכנס בו יצר הרע"—and although man was given the knowledge to name the animals, he was not endowed with a yetzer hara until he ate from the tree; then the yetzer hara entered his being.
The Nezer HaKodesh on the Midrash (B.R. 34, 12) questions this assertion. For, it seems implausible that HKB”H would create Adam HaRishon without a yetzer hara. If that were the case, then what would it have mattered whether or not he abided by Hashem’s mitzvot? Even more difficult to understand is that if Adam HaRishon was not under the influence of a yetzer hara, then what prompted him to disobey HKB”H’s command and partake of the Eitz HaDa’at?
To explain the matter, he relies on a contradiction concerning the yetzer hara. On the one hand, several sources indicate that the yetzer hara exists in man’s heart, as it is written (ibid. 8, 21): "כי יצר לב האדם רע מנעוריו"—since the “yetzer” of man’s heart is evil from his youth. This is supported by a teaching in the Gemara (Berachot 61a): "יצר הרע דומה לזבוב ויושב בין שני מפתחי הלב"—the yetzer hara resembles a fly, and sits between the two gateways of the heart.
On the other hand, other sources indicate that the yetzer hara is a malach. This is supported by another teaching in the Gemara (B.B. 16a): "הוא שטן, הוא יצר הרע, הוא מלאך המות"—he is the Satan; he is the yetzer hara; he is the Malach-HaMavet.
