It is essentially the same Sefer and therefore does not have its own unique name. He instead refers to it as Chumash HaSheini – the second book. The sefer Baruch Yomeiru deals with this in detail (Shemot), and you should feel free to check out what he has to say on the subject. But there is an additional reason I’d like to bring forth here.
The previous book – Bereshit – did not end for a reason, and that reason is brought out in the fourth chapter of Shemot:
וְאָמַרְ תָּ אֶל־פַּרְ עֹה כֹּה אָמַר ה' בְּנִי בְכֹרִ י יִשְׂרָ אֵל׃ ַח אֶ ת־ שׁ ַ ל וָאֹמַ ר אֵ לֶיך׃ בְּכֹרֶ ךְְחוֹ הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי הֹרֵ ג אֶת־בִּנְךּבְּנִי וְיַעַבְדֵנִי וַתְּמָאֵן לְשׁ ַל׃
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: Israel is My first-born son. I have said to you, “Let My son go, that he may worship Me,” yet you refuse to let him go. Now I will slay your first-born son.’
Moshe was instructed to deliver the above message to Pharoah, and Rashi says: with these words Hakadosh Baruch Hu set His seal to the sale of the birthright which Yaacov had purchased from Eisav (Bereshit Rabbah 63:14). Until now, it had been hanging in the air for hundreds of years, even generating controversy and a hullabaloo during Yaacov’s burial when Eisav showed up to contest ownership of the plot. It was only put to rest in the above declaration Moshe relayed to Pharoah.
But why? Why did it have to wait so long? Let’s dive in.
This week, we’ll finish reading Sefer Bereshit which begins, according to Rashi, with Hakadosh Baruch Hu declaring the world was built for two purposes: Yisrael and Torah. When did these two entities enter the world? The Torah in year 2248, and Bnei Yisrael either just prior or back in the year 2000 if according to the arrival of Avraham Avinu. Either way, two thousand years (or more) lapsed where the world was in existence but without its purpose. The world just hung there, spinning round and round, but for what reason? Because two thousand years later its purpose would arrive, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu would declare Bnei Yisrael His firstborn.
In Kabbalat Shabbat, we sing: סוף מַעֲשה בְּמַחֲשבָה תְּחִלָה – The end of creation and first in thought. If I plan on opening a store, I first have to rent space, plan it out, build shelves, buy merchandise, and more. There is lots of preparation ahead of the ribbon cutting ceremony and the first customer who enters to make a purchase. Hakadosh Baruch Hu opened two stores, one called “Bnei Yisrael” and the other “Torah”. It then took over two thousand years of preparation before the “Open for Business” sign would be hung on the doors. Why this way?
When the world was created, every nation was there. Can’anim Plishtim, Kaftorim, and even Houthim – anything that ended with a mem and caused trouble could be found. Why was the world created for them. Seventy nations were around before Bnei Yisrael were born – as the Ba’al HaTurim points out, Yaacov’s birth was described as: כֵן יָצָא אָחִיו וְ אַ חֲ רֵ י, and the numerical value of כֵן is 70. Only after seventy nations did Yisrael arrive! Why? Because the groom does not walk into the wedding hall when the floors are being washed, nor when the chairs are being unstacked or the plates and cutlery set. He arrives when everything is ready.
The same is true for Bnei Yisrael. Take the Chinese for example. They grow and export rice, and just imagine what it would be like if Israel had to do that for itself. A one-kilo bag, produced by a lovely family of eight in a beautiful moshav in the Sharon, which only sees rain a few months each year but pays water tax and Arnona all year round, would cost one hundred and eighty shekel instead of five! We’d be eating the grains one by one, savoring them and extending that one bag for weeks on end. Thankfully, China is there for us. And the same is true for coffee and Brazil. Had we had to produce it from start to scratch, its cost alone would keep you awake all night! Everyone serves a purpose, even the Houthis, who make wind with all their stuff flying around in the sky!
And what do we do? What’s our purpose? Why are we here? For Torah! To learn Torah and live Torah. We’re here to perform Mitzvot. That is what we call סוף מַעֲשה בְּמַחֲשבָה תְּחִלָה.
Yaacov Avinu was in his mother’s womb, together with Eisav who was ready to exit first. Yaacov grabbed onto his heel though, and said, “Not so fast.” How long was he planning on holding on? At some point he’d surely need to let go, so why grab on in the first place? Yaacov grabbed on as a sign of protest! He informed Eisav that despite exiting first, he was in no way the bechor – the firstborn. Yaacov explained there are three firsts: רִ אשׁ וֹן לַמַּחֲשׁ ָבָה, רִ אשׁ וֹן לִיצִירָ ה, רִ אשׁ וֹן לִיצִיאָה – first in intention, first in creation, and first in exit. Eisav may have exited the womb first, but Yaacov entered first and was both רִ אשׁ וֹן לַמַּחֲשׁ ָבָה and רִ אשׁ וֹן לִיצִירָ ה. Despite Eisav’s claim that he was naturally the firstborn due to being minutes older, Yaacov made sure he understood that being first to exit meant nothing. The Halacha, as we know it today, holds that first to be born is indeed the firstborn, but Yaacov lived prior to Matan Torah, and declared the law to follow the first conceived and first created. He pointed to בְּרֵאשִׁית as the moment the concept of Yaacov came to be, for the world was created for Yisrael.
That debate of how to rule a firstborn hung in the air, too, for many years, until Hakadosh Baruch Hu spoke to Pharoah through Moshe and was crystal clear: Yisrael is His firstborn.
Pharoah was puzzled, just like Eisav, as to how that worked exactly. Pharoah pointed to the existence of Mitzrayim – from the sons of Noach – even well before Avraham was born. The answer was simple though – in מַחֲשָׁבָה, Bnei Yisrael were first: בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ. The world was created for Yisrael and Torah, even if Mitzrayim and Eisav were born first. Only after the giving of the Torah do we follow who was physically born first.
When Yaacov said to Yosef that his two sons would now enter the realm of tribes, Rabbeinu Bachya says he elevated Yosef to firstborn, evidenced by the double portion given to Menashe and Ephraim. After giving him the bechora, he then crossed his hands during the bracha and said, “I am giving you more than your brothers, because I took the birthright from Eisav through my Tefillot.” Yaacov davened that any slight semblance of a claim Eisav might have on the birthright would also become his. There should be no doubts whatsoever. Unlike two neighbors uselessly concocting such a transaction, it was possible for the birthright to be transferred only between brothers, and now, there was no way Yaacov Avinu would do anything that deviated from Emet – Truth, in transferring the birthright from Reuven to Yosef. He told Yosef, “You’re standing here surprised how I can transfer the birthright to you, pointing to what we learn in the Torah regarding two mothers and two sons. But that is after Matan Torah. Prior to the Torah being given, it is the מַחֲשָׁבָה that determines birthright.” Yaacov proceeded to recount stories from his wedding day, explaining that Rachel – Yosef’s mother – was his intended bride, and he believed it was her the entire time until being stunned in the morning to find Leah. As a result, Yosef was first in thought, and thus the firstborn.
After explaining to Yosef how he was firstborn, he continued to explain how Menashe and Ephraim were from the same pregnancy. According to Seder HaDorot, they were twins. וּלְיוֹסֵף יֻלַד שְׁנֵי בָנִים has both plural (שְׁנֵי בָנִים) and singular (יֻלַד) within, indicating two sons from one pregnancy, according to the Radak. Who was born first? Menashe. Who was created first? Ephraim. When Yosef placed Menashe on the right of Yaacov Avinu, it was to indicate that Menashe exited first, but when Yaacov then placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it indicated he was first in מַחֲשָׁבָה and יְצִירָה. Yaacov then said to Yosef, יָדַעְתִּי בְנִי יָדַעְתִּי and reminded him – via the reference to Shechem and his own assumption of the birthright, and via the story of his wedding and Yosef being first in thought – how the classification of firstborn was to be determined. Maskil Lishlomo adds, all of this is preparation for next week, when Moshe will stand in front of Pharoah and present to him who is the real firstborn.
We can now go back and understand our chapter of Tehillim very well. כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ הודוּ לה' כִּי טוב – we go line by line through Creation and then jump over the Avot and straight to Egypt because Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world for Yisrael and Torah. What can we do, there are those who were born first in the interim, well before the physical manifestation of Yisrael and Torah. Seventy nations were born first. But they are to be eliminated. How? לְמַכֵּה מִצְרַיִם בִּבְכוֹרֵיהֶם – by smiting Egypt and their firstborns. We jump straight to that action because immediately afterwards, with no imitation firstborns around as distractions and detractors, Yisrael and Torah appear.
Let’s proceed forward with one more thought. Zera Bareich asked about the language used when Yaacov summoned Yosef. Namely, why are we told לְיוֹסֵף לִבְנוֹ, which implies two individuals were called. He answers that Yaacov indeed called two people – both Yosef and Reuven. Bowing at the head of his bed, we learned, refers to Yaacov being thankful his eldest son performed Teshuva. But we asked how Reuven suddenly found himself inserted into this story, and the answer is, Yaacov called them both. He spoke to them both rather than transferring the birthright behind Reuven’s back. That is the connection between Reuven and this moment at the head of Yaacov’s bed, and it is also the answer to Yosef’s challenge as to how Yaacov could once again go this route this after everything they went through in the past due to Yosef being selected over his brothers. Yaacov explained it all to Reuven, including what occurred on his wedding night and how the birthright is determined by מַחֲשָׁבָה. And Reuven went along in complete agreement. This was Reuven’s Teshuva! He had sinned by switching the beds of his father based on his (mistaken) understanding of who was first and who was of higher priority. He then repented for that act, and this was the opportunity for tikkun. This was his chance to act differently, and he did, accepting Yosef as firstborn, with no protest or objection. Yaacov was thus thankful.
With these understanding, we can now begin to learn the Parsha! The final words of the section we’ve been learning are the words: אֲשֶׁר לָקַחְתִּי מִיַּד הָאֱמֹרִי בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּי. Pay attention. The Gemara (Sotah 14a) says:
תּוֹרָה תְּחִלָתָהּ גְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים, וְסוֹפָהּ גְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים
With regard to the Torah, its beginning is an act of kindness and its end is an act of kindness.
The Torah begins with Hakadosh Baruch Hu proving clothing for Adam and Chava after they sinned and ends with Hakadosh Baruch Hu burying Moshe Rabbeinu. If it starts with chesed and ends with chesed, it is a sign that the entire Torah is based upon chesed. Similarly, Bereshit, from start to finish, is based upon Tefillah. It began when Adam HaRishon davened for the rains to come down so growth would begin in the world. It continued with Noach’s Tefilla, or lack thereof, which brought about the flood. Then Sarah had a claim against Avraham, that he did not include her in his Tefillot for a child and thus Yishmael came along through Hagar. Avraham then davened for Sedom, followed by the Avot establishing our three daily Tefillot through their own. More examples are found, including davening for children, salvation, protection, righteous offspring, forgiveness, sustenance, and mercy. The power of Tefillah all builds up to the final words אֲשֶׁר לָקַחְתִּי מִיַּד הָאֱמֹרִי בְּחַרְבִּי וּבְקַשְׁתִּי. Everything we will obtain will be through Tefillah. When we are challenged, Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants us to turn to Him and daven. He wants us to turn to the Heavens and scream, just like Bnei Yisrael did as they reached the sea with armed Egyptians on their tail. The Ben Ish Chai says, Yaacov told his children that indeed they battled in Shechem, just as they were required to do, but without the Tefillot of Yaacov it would have been for naught. Never abandon Tefillah. Whoever is not heroically fighting on the front lines must show up for Tefillah and must scream like never before.
This war is nearly three months old, and we can unfortunately see how our Tefilla has begun to wane. Instead of responding to the line of Tehillim, people respond with Tefillat HaDerech! What is being asked of us? Brave young soldiers are shedding blood and giving their lives for us, and we cannot stay an extra ten minutes? We can’t attend one more shiur? We can’t focus on a few extra lines of Tehillim? We cannot abandon Tefillah!
We’ll all say חֲזַק חֲזַק וְנִתְּחַזֵּק together. May it be His will that the families of those fallen are given the strength to deal with their challenges and pain. May those recovering from injury be given the strength for a full and speedy recovery. And may those being held in captivity, and their families, be given the strength to fight through this physical and emotional ordeal until all loved ones are reunited in embrace. ◊
