This Shabbat we’ll be commencing the reading of the book of Shemot, which some people call the book of Exodus. Interestingly, the Rambam calls the book Sefer HaGeula, the Book of Redemption, for obvious reasons.
But I find most fascinating the fact that the Baal Halachot Gedolot, calls Shemot by the name ‘חומש שני’, the second of the chumashim.
We know that there are ‘חמשה חומשי תורה,’ five chumashim – the five books of the Torah. But why doesn’t the Baal Halachot Gedolot call Bereishit ‘חומש ראשון’ – the first chumash? Why doesn’t he call Bamidbar, ‘חומש רביעי’, the fourth of the chumashim? Why is it only Shemot which is called the second?
The Netziv, in his masterful work HaAmek Davar, gives a beautiful explanation. The Netziv says as follows. The Baal Halachot Gedolot wants us to know that Sefer Bereishit is incomplete without Sefer Shemot. Sefer Shemot is the continuation of Bereishit, and the reason is because Bereishit is all about the Creation and the first generations on earth, while Shemot is about the prelude to the giving of the Torah, the actual giving of it, and the housing of the Torah in the Tabernacle. The message for us therefore is that the Creation was incomplete without the existence of the Torah
So here, we are reminded yet again about the centrality of Torah in our lives. Without Torah, we are nothing. That’s both at an individual level and also as far as our nation is concerned. In addition, we have a responsibility in all of our deeds and in our teachings to always reflect the values of Torah and ultimately, in this way, we will enhance our environment because we also recognize that the entire world is incomplete without Torah values.
Please join me by praying with all our hearts for the healing of all those injured, for the safe return of those taken as hostages, as well as Divine Protection for our brave IDF soldiers, Police officers, medical professionals, Firefighters, ZAKA members, security personnel and all those citizens protecting us in Israel as well as around the world, and for those who need healing, shidduchim, children or parnassah and may we be blessed to have the most awesome, gorgeous, beautiful, peaceful, healthy, amazing, relaxed, spiritual, safe, quiet and sweet Shabbat.
