The Letter 'Bet' – The Beginning of Creation

The shape of the letter Bet expresses the essence of the shape of a house: a roof at the top, a foundation (which is always wider than the roof) at the bottom; a wall on one side, and an opening on the other side.

We must understand why the wide foundation protrudes to one side, towards the letter Alef, and does not come out equally on both sides of the letter. A wonderful explanation for this can be found in the words of the sages:

"They ask Bet: Who created you?

And it points upwards with its tip and says to them, 'The One above created me.'

And what is His name?

And it points with its tip behind it [pointing towards the Alef that follows it] and says, 'Hashem is His name, the Master is His name.'

In other words, Bet, which symbolizes creation, replies to its inquisitors that the Supreme God, exalted above all our concepts and perceptions, is the creator who made it. The deep meaning here is that the creation testifies to its creator, and the plan testifies to the planner, from their very existence and from the intelligent design within them. As the sweet singer of Israel said: "The heavens declare the glory of God." And as Job testified: "And from my flesh, I perceive God." And the prophet Isaiah proclaims: "Lift up your eyes on high and see who created these! He who brings out their host by number, He calls them all by name." This is the testimony of Bet, which is creation, testifying about its Creator. And when they subsequently ask it about His name, that is, His essence, as the Hebrew names express the essence of a thing, Bet replies by pointing to the preceding letter, indicating that He is the Aleph of the world, the absolute Master whose Unity is hinted at by Alef: one, without a second or semblance in His oneness. After all, He was not created by another, and is not comparable to the details we are accustomed to seeing in the world of the created. In the created world, there is a beginning for every creation, and therefore there is someone who precedes us and all that surrounds us. However, the Creator, who precedes everything and was not created, was always, is present at all times, and will be for eternity. This is "Hashem is His name, the Master is His name."

It turns out that in summarizing, the letter Bet in its shape:

Arouses contemplation and understanding (Bet – Binah),

Because creation in all its many details (Bet – Creation and Multiplicity),

And with all its spiritual and material inner layers (Bet – Pnimiyut),

Proclaims and testifies to the one Creator.

This wonderful contemplation, by the power of human understanding, is explained in the words of the sages in the Talmud about the letters Alef and Bet:

"Alef Bet, Alef Binah."

This means, Bet from the language of understanding. It is the ability to deduce one thing from another. And to build a new idea from details of information.

In the holy Tikunei Zohar it is explained that initially, when the letter Bet was emanated, its form was closed on all sides. Since it is the sealed point that includes the plan of creation with all its future details. But during the revelation and emergence of the worlds from it, an opening was made on one of its sides (in the shape of the letter Vav) like a door, in the mystery of "Open to me, my sister, my bride, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is filled with dew."

And when we delve further into the spiritual dimension of the letter Bet, the letter of division and creation, we see wonders. 'Creation' means bringing forth from potential to actuality, in the aspect of something from nothing. As is known, according to the order of the descent of the four worlds – Emanation, Creation, Formation, Action, the world of creation is the second world, descending from the pure world of Emanation, considered in the aspect of nothing, and it is the mystery of the letter Alef. Thus, the very existence of the second world, the world of creation, is truly in the aspect of multiplicity resulting from an exalted division, whose outcome is the creation of something from nothing. All of this, as stated, is contained in the mystery of the letter Bet.

And also, in the fourth and last stage of the universe's formation, after the descent of the third world, the world of formation (which is also spiritual, but where the concepts of quantity and form began), from it descended the fourth world, the world of action which begins with relatively low illumination and ends in the physical universe, hence there is again an aspect of creation something from nothing. Therefore, in the four letters of Hashem's name that correspond to the four worlds Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, Assiah, the world of creation, the second world, corresponds to the letter He, and also the world of action, the fourth world, corresponds to the last letter He, in the secret of "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created – with the letter He they were created" (and see further explanation below about the creation with the letters Bet and He; that in the letter Bet the potential division is contained in the aspect of the embryo's creation, while in the letter He the emergence from potential to actuality in the aspect of birth; and see further detailed explanation contained in the letter Bet according to the secret).

Indeed, it is explained in the Talmud that the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is named because the world was founded from it. According to the plain meaning, it means that this stone began to appear during the creation of this physical world, and the world expanded around it like a cell dividing and growing, until the Creator said enough for His world, and ceased to expand. As the sages said about the verse: "I am El Shaddai" – "I am the one who said enough to my world". It is wonderful that the size of the world is most suited to human life. If the world were as large as Jupiter, the gravitational force would be so great that a person would not be able to lift their foot. If the world were as small as the Moon, the gravitational force would be weak and make fine actions like fixing a watch difficult. From now on, in light of the revelation of the significance of the world's current exact size, it is understood, according to the plain meaning of things, the necessity of the statement said by the Blessed Lord to His world, "Enough", at the precise stage, for the benefit of the creatures. Therefore, this stone is called the "navel of the world", meaning its center – even though a sphere has no middle – because from it developed and rose Mount Moriah and around it all the world.

Regarding the creation of the world from the point of the Foundation Stone on Mount Moriah, it is explained in the Talmud that this is what is stated in Psalms "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth" – all the beauty of the world was created and perfected from Zion. See the words of Ramban that from the Foundation Stone in Jerusalem come out kinds of 'veins' in the earth to all the world's corners, like the veins that come from the heart to the whole body. King Solomon, who was adept in these earth veins, would plant all kinds of plants and fruit trees in Jerusalem which were unique to each place in the world, each plant on the specific vein reaching the place where that plant grows in its best quality. And so various plants and excellent and exquisite fruits would grow in Jerusalem as in the places unique in the world for those plants and fruits. The explanation for this, as stated above, is that the Temple location is the "gate of heaven," and therefore the spiritual sustenance that gives life and acts in the physical world descends from above first to Jerusalem, and from there goes out to the entire world. This is what Solomon meant when he said, "And I planted in them every kind of fruit tree."

Prayers said throughout the world converge at this point, and from here they ascend above, through the invisible gate. Therefore, it is ruled in the Shulchan Aruch according to the Talmud:

"When one stands to pray, if he is standing outside the land, he should turn his face towards the Land of Israel and also direct his face to Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Holy of Holies. If he is standing in the Land of Israel, he should turn his face towards Jerusalem and also direct it to the Temple and the Holy of Holies."

In the Talmud, they learned all this from verses in the Torah and expounded the verse: "Your neck is like the tower of David, built in tiers" – "A tower [– referring to Temple Mount] to which all mouths turn."

It turns out that both the spiritual worlds and the physical world were created by division and multiplication, in the mystery of the letter Bet. It is one of the secrets of the word "Bereishit" – B' (Bet) reishit. Because the letter Bet is the beginning of creation.

Bereishit

Besides being hinted at in the first word of the Torah, "Bereishit," that the letter Bet is the start of creation, it is further hinted there: "Just as this Bet is closed on all its sides and open before it, so you have no permission to say what is below, what is above, what was before, what is behind, but from the day the world was created and onwards."

That is to say, the Bet is closed on all its sides and open on only one side, and that is the side that faces the continuation of the text. To teach anyone who comes to study Torah and delve into its understanding and the understanding of creation, that they must know their ability to comprehend is limited, and therefore should not concern themselves with lofty questions beyond their ability to engage in. Rather, set your face towards the continuation, first learn the text of the Torah and what exists since creation, and proceed from here on until you come to study the act of creation and the act of the chariot, and even this only according to your ability to comprehend. For who is the one who will merit to reach the level of Rabbi Akiva who entered the orchard in peace and left in peace. "Four entered the orchard. One gazed and died, one gazed and was harmed, one gazed and cut in the plants, one entered in peace and left in peace.

Ben Azzai gazed and was harmed. For him, the scripture says: 'If you find honey, eat only what you need.'

Ben Zoma gazed and died. For him, the scripture says: 'Precious in the eyes of Hashem is the death of His righteous ones.'

Acher gazed and cut in the plants. Who is Acher? Elisha ben Abuyah.

Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace. For him, the scripture says: 'Draw me after you, let us run.'

The Rambam explains:

"...and the matters of these four chapters ... are what the earlier sages call 'the orchard,' as they said four entered the orchard. And although they were great men of Israel and great sages, not all of them had the strength to know and grasp all things thoroughly.

And I say it's not right to walk in the orchard unless one's belly is full of bread and meat. And bread and meat is to know the explanation of the permitted and prohibited, and similar things among the commandments. And although these matters were called small by the sages, for they said, 'the great thing is the act of the chariot, and the small thing is the discourses of Abaye and Rava,' nevertheless they deserve to precede them. For they settle a man's mind initially. Moreover, they are the great goodness that the Holy One, blessed be He, has influenced for the settling of this world so as to inherit the World to Come. And they can be known by all: great and small, man and woman, one with a wide heart and one with a short heart."

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