BREISHIS – In the beginning… HASHEM created the heavens and the earth. (Breishis 1:1)
The Torah is not only a teaching book that is teaching us profound life lessons, but it is also teaching us how to teach and it is modeling the best pedagogical methods. A good lesson plan requires a definable goal so 1) to help keep students focused 2) so they know what will be expected 3) that gives a feeling of continuous accountability. 4) so students feel secure knowing what to expect 5) when the objective is achieved, students will feel accomplished and 6) that that feeling of success will breed motivation. That primary goal should be stated clearly and posted prominently at the very beginning of the class, “TYWL – Today You Will Learn”.
So, we can see that right from the very first word the goal of creation is stated; “Breishis”. The first Rashi in Chumash tells us that “Breishis” does not mean, “In the beginning”. The Torah is not a cosmology book, informing only what came first and what came second. Rather, again, it is a teaching book, and the letter “BAIS” is a prefix meaning, “FOR”. The very first letter is introducing “For What Purpose” the universe was created. Using the rest of Torah as a self-referential dictionary Rashi identifies two items called “REISHIS”. It is for the sake of these two that the world was created; for the sake of Torah and for the sake of Yisrael, both of whom are called “REISHIS” that HASHEM created Heaven and Earth. That is the beginning of everything.
While it may sound awfully ethnocentric and self-serving, let us take a moment to explain so it doesn’t sound like some mindless party line. The world has a goal. The world is a learning universe, like a school, and by implication a teaching universe. Like any school, there must be an intended student body, a special faculty, and a neatly designed curriculum to justify all the brick and steel to be invested. The school is not there for the building, the building, the physical structure is there for the school.
Who are the students? The primary students are the Children of Israel. With help from HASHEM and the giving of the Torah they will provide the faculty and educators from generation to generation.
What is the special curriculum that justifies a world? The Torah? The Torah contains the wisdom of and is an expression of the deepest wishes of the Creator Himself. His most profound desire is to allow for the possibility of humanity to have a real and everlasting bond and relationship with Him. Living with the AWE of realizing the presence of HASHEM is also called REISHIS, and it is a clear purpose and ideal of creation, as King Dovid writes, “REISHIS Chochmah Yiras HASHEM!” – “The Primary Wisdom is Fear of HASHEM!”
The primary goal of the lesson should be stated clearly and posted prominently at the very beginning of the class, “TYWL – Today You Will Learn”. To that end, and with this GOAL in Mind, HASHEM created the Heavens and Earth. This GOAL is not a secret! It is being spelled out, literally, from the very beginning. How so?
Many Jewish communities are on high alert and security has become a top priority. Nobody just walks into a Shul these days. There is a lock on the door that requires a code to enter. Not everybody is expected to remember the code of every synagogue they enter, so, as strange as this sounds, the code is written right there on the door in most places.
That should set off immediate alarm bells. It would seem to defeat the purpose of the lock with a special code to keep out intruders. It is written in code. They are usually spelled out with Gematria of Hebrew letters. The likelihood of a hostile character understanding that system and figuring how to enter is very unlikely. It precludes those who don’t get it and invites those who do.
So, it is with the Oral Torah. We can go back to the message scripted on the blackboard of the Master Teacher, “Today you will learn…”. The message for whatever reason is for the eyes and hearts of the students. It is written in a special internal code that only they can discern. It is not meant for the janitorial staff or the secular minded English teacher who enters the class afterwards and might misinterpret what is being stated here. However, for the willing student it is spelled out clear as day in the beginning, “This is the goal of the lesson!”