The Beginning Is Connected to The End!

Last Night in The Nesivor Shalom!

In our regular Nesivor Shalom class our Teacher (also our host who provided some nice home cooked kosher to nosh on) was giving over a section regarding the upcoming Parsha-Noach.

Suffice it to say by way of introduction that our Holy Torah gives an account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. Many details are given, many things (including living things) come to exist before Adam Rishon (the first man on the earth).

The entrance point of this particular maymar (I usually just ry to pronounce the words correctly-spelling to be checked later) is from the perspective of the three major pillars that support the earth which are:
Torah, Avodah (service to G-d) and Chesed (acts of kindness), Gemara is cited for the source of the pillars which the earth rests upon, although not a specific book or page (I believe Chagigah page 11, 12 or 13).

Additionally the maymer explains that darkness preceeds the light (with all its metaphoric interpretations). The well documented example is: Vayihi Erev (darkness) Vayihi Voker (day) Yom Echod! (Day One!)
Bereishis 1:5

Additionally that maymer stated that the Klippot (another kabbalsitic concept-a shell-a negative thing) precceds the fruit-(goodness) of the Eytz. In other words the concept of the darkness (negativity/evil/absence of light/) preceeds the light. The pop culture melody would be: They say, they say..... the darkest hour....., ..is always...always.., always..before the dawn. (Crosby,Stills,Nash, and Young)- By the time we got to Woodstock?

The Maymer did not go into an extended discussion of Tohu and Bohu Bereishsis 1:2), nor did it comment on Yihi Or (let there be light) Bereishis 1:3), for these ideas were germane to the topic at hand.

A source from the Holy Zohar was used to explain how there is a connection to the Sphierot of Chesed to Avraham, Yakov to Tiferet, and
Yitzchak to Gevurah. The word Tikkune was also read which our host translated as "fixing" and also the concept of Tikkune Olam (the fixing or correction of the World) was brought out, I believe from our Holy Zohar ( A primay Kabbalistic source).

Readers Digest type synopsis:

The sin of Kayin (Cain) killing his brother Abel, had its foundation in Envy. Kayin was jealous that his brother's offering was accepted and not his. The sin which was crouching at Kayins door was that of envy. It was brought out that envy can even rot the bones. Suffice it to say that envy is a very serious negative quality, which is capable of taking a person out of this world!