Parashat Toldot

Daf 134b (דַּף קל״ד ע״ב)

nd these are the generations of Yitzchak, etc. (Bereshit 28) (וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק וגו׳). Rabbi Ḥiyya opened and said (פָּתַח רַבִּי חִיָּיא וְאָמַר), (Psalms 106): “Who can express the mighty acts of Hashem?” (מִי יְמַלֵּל גְּבוּרוֹת יְיָ), “proclaim all His praise?” (יַשְׁמִיעַ כָּל תְּהִלָּתוֹ). Come and see (תָּא חֲזִי), when Kudsha Berikh Hu desired and arose in His Desire to create the world (כַּד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְסָלִיק בִּרְעוּתָא קַמֵּיהּ לְמִבְרֵי עַלְמָא), He would gaze into the Orayta (הֲוָה מִסְתַּכֵּל בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), and create the world thereby (וּבְרָא לֵיהּ). And for each and every act that Kudsha Berikh Hu performed in the world (וּבְכָל עוֹבָדָא וְעוֹבָדָא דְּבָרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּעַלְמָא), He would look into the Orayta (הֲוָה מִסְתַּכֵּל בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), and from it He created it (וּבָרָא לֵיהּ). This is what is written (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב), (Proverbs 8): And I was with Him [as] a nursling (Amon) (וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן), “and I was His delight day by day” (וָאֶהְיֶה שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים יוֹם יוֹם); Do not read Amon [nursling] (אַל תִּקְרֵי אָמוֹן), but Uman [craftsman] (אֶלָּא אוּמָן). (Some say umon (אֻמָּן)

When He wished to create Adam (כַּד בָּעָא לְמִבְרֵי אָדָם), the Torah said before Him (אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה קַמֵּיהּ): if a son of man is created (אִי בַּר נָשׁ יִתְבְּרֵי), and afterwards he will sin (וּלְבָתַר יֶחטֵי), and You will judge him (וְאַנְתְּ תִּידוּן לֵיהּ), why should the works of Your hands be in vain? (אַמַּאי יְהוֹן עוֹבָדֵי יְדָךְ לְמַגָּנָא), for he will not be able to bear Your judgment (דְּהָא לָא יֵיכוּל לְמִסְבַּל דִּינָךְ). Kudsha Berikh Hu said to her (אָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא): behold, I have prepared Teshuvah before I created the world (הָא אַתְקִינַת תְּשׁוּבָה עַד לָא בָרָאתִי עַלְמָא). Kudsha Berikh Hu said to the world (אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְעַלְמָא), at the time that He formed it and created man (בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּעֲבַד לֵיהּ וּבָרָא לְאָדָם), He said to it: World, world (אָמַר לֵיהּ, עַלְמָא עַלְמָא), you and your law exist only by the Orayta (אַנְתְּ וְנִימוּסָךְ לָא קָיְימִין אֶלָּא עַל אוֹרַיְּיתָא). And for that reason I created man in you (וּבְגִין כָּךְ בָּרָאתִי לֵיהּ לָאָדָם בָּךְ), so that he should engage in it (בְּגִין דְּיִתְעַסַּק בָּהּ). And if not (וְאִי לָאו), behold I shall return you to Tohu vaVohu (הָא אֲנָא אַהֲדַר לָךְ לְתֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ). And everything exists because of man (וְכֹלָּא בְּגִינֵיהּ דְּאָדָם קָיְימָא). This is what is written (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב), (Isaiah 45): “I made the earth” (אָנֹכִי עָשִׂיתִי אֶרֶץ), “and upon it I created man” (וְאָדָם עָלֶיהָ בָּרָאתִי). And the Orayta stands and proclaims before them-sons of man (וְאוֹרַיְּיתָא קָיְימָא וּמַכְרְזָא קַמַּיְיהוּ דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא), that they should engage and labor in her (בְּגִין דְּיִתְעַסְּקוּ וְיִשְׁתַּדְּלוּ בָּהּ), and there is no one who inclines his ear (וְלֵית מַאן דְּיַרְכִין אוּדְנֵיהּ).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי), whoever toils in the Orayta (כָּל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתַּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), he sustains the world (אִיהוּ קִיֵּים עַלְמָא), and sustains each and every act upon its Tikkun as is proper (וְקִיֵּים כָּל עוֹבָדָא וְעוֹבָדָא עַל תִּקּוּנֵיהּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת). And there is not a single sinew in man (וְלֵית לָךְ כָּל שַׁיְיפָא וְשַׁיְיפָא דְּקָיְימָא בֵּיהּ בְּבַר נָשׁ), for which there is not a created being in the world to correspond to it (דְּלָא הֲוֵי לְקֳבְלֵיהּ בְּרִיָה בְּעָלְמָא). For just as man is divided into limbs (דְּהָא כְּמָה דְבַר נָשׁ אִיהוּ מִתְפַּלִּיג שַׁיְיפִין), all of them exist-levels upon levels (וְכֻלְּהוּ קָיְימִין דַּרְגִּין עַל דַּרְגִּין), these above these (מִתְתַּקְנִין אִלֵּין עַל אִלֵּין), and all are one body (וְכֻלְּהוּ חַד גּוּפָא). So too the world (הָכִי נָמֵי עַלְמָא), all the created beings are limbs, limbs (כָּל אִינוּן בְּרִיָּין כֻּלְּהוּ שַׁיְיפִין שַׁיְיפִין), one above the other (וְקָיְימִין אִלֵּין עַל אִלֵּין), and when they are all repaired (וְכַד מִתְתַּקְנָן כֻּלְּהוּ), this is truly one body (הָא גוּפָא מַמָּשׁ). And all is in the likeness of the Orayta (וְכֹלָּא כְּגַוְונָא דְאוֹרַיְּיתָא), for the Orayta is all limbs and sections (דְּהָא אוֹרַיְּיתָא כֹּלָּא שַׁיְיפִין וּפִרְקִין), one above another (וְקָיְימִין אִלֵּין עַל אִלֵּין), and when all are repaired (וְכַד מִתְתַּקְּנָן כֻּלְּהוּ), they become one body (אִתְעֲבִידוּ חַד גּוּפָא). When David beheld this act (כֵּיוָן דְּאִסְתַּכַּל דָּוִד בְּעוֹבָדָא דָּא), he opened and said (פָּתַח וְאָמַר), (Psalms 104): “How manifold are Your works, Hashem!” (מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ יְיָ), “all of them You made with wisdom” (כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ), “the earth is full of Your possessions” (מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ).