Chazal explain that the Torah served as the blueprint for the creation of
the entire universe. Just like a builder follows an architect’s blueprint as
he puts up a building, so too Hashem looked into the Torah and built the
world according to the Torah’s specifications. Every single detail of a
building is, of course, written into the blueprints. In order to be able to
understand and properly read a set of blueprints one must, of course, study
architecture. To the trained eye, every single line and dot has a meaning.
Only our greatest Chachomim, who spent all their time studying the Torah,
were able to unravel the deep secrets of the universe. They were able to
find the hidden meanings of the letters and words of the Torah and thereby
understand how the world was formed and how things work.
They didn’t have to make any scientific experiments to understand what and
how things happened. All they did was look into the blueprints – the Torah –
and there they found all the answers to what scientists took hundred of
years to discover.
Only our greatest Chachomim, who spent all their time studying the Torah,
were able to unravel the deep secrets of the universe.
The Rambam gives the following moshol: Two people stood from the distance
and watched as some mountain climbers hiked up a nearby mountain. Upon their
backs they carried knapsacks. Every few feet they would put their knapsacks
down and rest for a few minutes before continuing on.
“I wonder what those people are carrying in their knapsacks?” said one of
the observers to the other. “It sure looks quite heavy.”
“It’s full of potatoes.” answered his friend quite assuredly.
“Perhaps not,” answered his friend. “Maybe it’s full of earth or rocks. Or
perhaps it’s apples or pears which they are carrying.”
But his friend was persistent. “No, I’m positive it’s potatoes,” he
answered.
Since they couldn’t settle their argument, they finally decided to chase
after the mountain climbers and see who was right. After finally catching up
with the climbers, this argument was soon settled. The mountain climbers
opened their knapsacks, and sure enough, it proved to be potatoes.
“But how did you know?” questioned his friend.
“Oh, it was quite simple,” his friend answered. “I happened to see them when
they were filling up their knapsacks.”
In this way, too, explains the Rambam, our Chachomim were able to know the
workings of the entire universe. All they have to do is look very carefully
into the Torah. Every little detail can be found there if one only knows how
to look. The Chachomim don’t have to rely on experiments or guesswork. They
actually see it all clearly written in the Torah.
Tosefos tells us in Mesechta Chagiga that the first 42 letters starting with
the word Bereishes contain all the secrets of creation. Our greatest
Chachomim could teach these deep secrets only to the wisest of students and
only to one at a time. Those that knew these secrets were able to bring life
to the dead or create animals, etc. Hillel had eighty students, and even the
least of them had the ability to make the dead come alive. Even if we may
not understand the deep meanings, if we learn the Torah properly in this
world we will be zoche to understand her secrets in the world-to-come.
It was Odom HaRishon who named all the animals, birds, etc. Yet he didn’t
pick the names at random. He was a brilliant person who knew the deep
secrets of creation. The letters he chose matched accurately those letters
which Hashem had used for it’s creation. When he chose to call a lion hrt
that means that these three letters reveal the essence of the lion itself.
Loshon HaKodesh is not a language where words are picked at random. The
words of Loshon HaKodesh contain the deepest secrets. They are like a hidden
code that reflect the very being of each object they name.
The Torah starts off with a “bais” because this letter stands for brocho,
which is the reward one gets for studying it properly. A “bais” also stands
for “house.” The middle letter of “house” is a “yud”, which is the first
letter of Hashem’s Name. To build a proper house one must always realize
that it can only last if one realizes that Hashem is there at all times and
if one follows His Mitzvos. The “tuf” stands for Torah. The Gemorrah says
that a house in which Torah is studied every night can never be destroyed by
fire. There is no better fire insurance than Torah study.
The “bais” is open in front. This is to teach us that our front door must
always be open to welcome the poor and the lonely. If we care and help
others than surely Hashem will care and help us. A proper Jewish home must
be built on chesed, the fear and love of Hashem and the Torah’s teachings.
Only then will our homes be blessed with all G-D’s blessings.