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"Today the World was Born"
Rosh HaShanah recalls the creation of the world, as we see from the prayer,[1] "Today the world was born."
According to our Sages,[2] however, the world was created on the 25th of Elul, so that Rosh HaShanah actually marks
the sixth day of creation, the day on which G-d created man.
Why do we commemorate the creation of man and not the creation of the whole world? This is especially strange,
given that the creation of the world demonstrates G-d's absolute power in His unique ability to create something
from nothing.[3] Only G-d's essence, free of all limitation, can bring about being from utter void.[4]
The 25th of Elul, the first day of the world's existence, is further distinguished by being referred to in the
Torah[5] as yom echad ("one day"), rather than yom rishon ("the first day"). The Torah thus
indicates that on the first day of creation, G-d was "alone in His world."[6] Though the entire created
world already existed, it was not separate from its Creator; the world was one with G-d.
Conscious Acceptance of His Sovereignty
Despite its uniqueness, the 25th of Elul is eclipsed by Rosh HaShanah. This is because the creation of man opened
up a new and deeper relationship between G-d and the created world.
Of all the beings in the physical and spiritual realms, man alone can choose to accept
G-d's sovereignty. Only his relationship with G-d stems from conscious decision and free will.[7] Though G-d creates
and regulates all the other beings in the universe, they do not consciously accept this relationship. Their link
with G-d flows from G-d's creativity; it does not result from their own decision.
With the creation of man, G-d introduced the potential for voluntary acceptance of His unity and active consent
to His will. Chassidic thought[8] illustrates the difference between G-d's relationship with man and His relationship
with the remainder of creation by contrasting two forms of absolute rule, tyranny and sovereignty. A tyrant exercises
dominion without his subjects' consent, by virtue of his might; the subjects of a king, even if he is an absolute
ruler, may willingly accept his authority and seek his sovereignty.
Unlike every other created being, man has the choice of acquiescing to G-d's dominion or rebelling against it.
He alone has been empowered to acknowledge the unity of G-d through his own thought processes, and to relate to
Him as his sovereign.
Making G-d Part of Our World
Why must G-d's sovereignty be consciously perceived by man? From G-d's perspective, His unity with the world encompasses
every facet of creation. Man is rarely able to conceive of G-d's unity from this perspective. Why, then, should
mere man's awareness and recognition be of such importance?
Our Sages[9] teach that G-d created the world because He "desired a dwelling
place in the lower worlds." In order for this desire to be completely realized, the establishment of a dwelling
place requires not only that G-dly energy be extended into those lowly realms, but also that those realms be aware
of the G-dliness in their midst and accept it. Only then is G-d's dwelling place in the lower worlds complete.
Before man's creation, G-dliness and the world appeared to be opposites; the world, from its own perspective, did
not relate to the G-dly potential with which it is invested. Only with the creation of man did the possibility
for an internalized awareness of G-d come into being.
G-d's Partner in Creation
Man was created not only for the purpose of expressing unity with G-d in his own life; he was also given the potential
to suffuse the entire world with an awareness of G-d's unity. Adam, the first man, gave expression to this potential
on the first day of his existence by addressing all of creation:[10] "Come, let us bow down; let us bend the
knee before G-d our Maker."[11]
By imparting his superior relationship with G-d to the entire world, man becomes
G-d's partner in creation[12] and contributes a necessary element to the world's existence - a conscious union
with G-d. This uniquely human perception of G-d's pervasive unity makes Rosh HaShanah, the day of man's creation,
eclipse the 25th of Elul, for the potential for oneness with G-d that came into being with man's creation overshadowed
all previous levels of creation.
Diverse Plateaus of Existence
The question, however, remains: Why do our Rosh HaShanah prayers proclaim that the world was formed on that date?
Even if it is acknowledged that Rosh HaShanah takes precedence, it was on the 25th of Elul that the world was created.
This question can be answered by reference to a point of Talmudic law... [an] object
cannot be said to have [fully] come into being until it has been completed.[13]
Certain objects may be thought of as complete at any one of a number of stages. Animal hides, for example, can
be used at one stage as covers or blankets, or they can be further treated and refined and made into clothing....
The Mishnah[14] rules that the status of the hide is dependent upon its owner. If the owner would be expected to
be content with the hide as a cover, the hide is [completed]. However, if the owner is a tanner who would ordinarily
consider the hide to be unfinished at this stage and would be expected to further refine it in order to make a
garment, it is [considered unfinished].
This halachah (Torah law) lends us a conception of the status of creation before the advent of man. The
25th of Elul and the following days of creation revealed awesome G-dly powers. These powers were, however, totally
eclipsed by the creation of man, which revealed a deeper purpose of creation and a higher aspect of G-dliness,
just as the animal hide can be transformed into a garment by a skilled tanner.
The revelation occasioned by man's creation caused the world's prior existence to be considered unfinished. Through
the creation of man, G-d established a new definition of existence, and according to this new definition, the world
did not previously exist. The anniversary of man's creation can therefore be considered the anniversary of creation
as a whole.
"As the Waters Cover the Ocean Bed"
The ultimate state of unity between G-d and the world will be expressed in the Era of the Redemption, when "the
world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the ocean bed."[15]
This will be accomplished through man's efforts. The revelation of G-dliness in the Era of the Redemption depends
on our present endeavors to perceive and express the G-dliness invested within the world.[16] By developing a conscious
bond with G-d and extending that relationship into every element of our existence, we bring closer the time when
that connection will blossom forth into complete fulfillment in the Era of the Redemption. May this be realized
in the immediate future.
Notes:
1) Mussaf service of Rosh HaShanah, based on Rosh HaShanah 27a.
2) Vayikra Rabbah 29:1; also Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer 8:1 and other sources.
3) Ramban on Bereishis 1:1.
Creation of this nature took place only on the 25th of Elul. As Rashi (on Bereishis 1:14) explains, on the first
day of existence G-d created the entire universe ex nihilo, bringing all the components of heaven and earth into
being from absolute nothingness. On the following days, the days on which the Torah describes various entities
as coming into being, G-d merely "formed" them, making new entities from existing substance by giving
them distinct characteristics and locations.
4) Cf. Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 20.
5) Bereishis 1:5.
6) Rashi, loc. cit.; Bereishis Rabbah 83:8.
7) See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah, ch. 5.
8) Likkutei Torah, Rosh HaShanah, p. 55b ff.
9) Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Bechukosai, sec. 3; Tanya, chs. 33 and 36.
10) Zohar III, 107b.
11) Tehillim 95:6.
12) Shabbos 10a; see Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XV, p. 95 ff.
13) See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Kelim 5:1.
14) Kelim 26:7-8.
15) Yeshayahu 11:9, quoted by the Rambam at the conclusion of his discussion of the Era of the Redemption in the
Mishneh Torah.
16) Tanya, ch. 37.
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