The Four Faces of Genesis – Sod
Created Six; Six What?
And finally on the level of Sod, the word Breishit is translated as if the word were a composite of two words “Bara” and Shis.” Meaning that G-d “created six.”
What does the Torah mean when it says that G-d created six? Six what? If it means six days of the week, one does not need the first word of the Torah to teach us this secret when it is mentioned explicitly in the following verses.
This is why, Kabbalah cannot be understood or even known by just looking at the text and translating it a certain way. There is other information that one must access to understand this translation. One must have the “treasure map” to use in navigating the paths that lead to the discovery of Sod.
Six Emotional Attributes
According to the Zohar, the six refers to the six emotional attributes of G-d. When G-d created the world, He employed His emotional attributes.
This echoes the comment of the Zohar on a subsequent verse: For six days G-d made heaven and earth..” The Zohar observes, it does not say “In six days, G-d made heaven and earth, but “six days.” This refers to the six Divine attributes that were instrumental in creating the heaven and earth. The six days of the week each correspond to the six attributes.
Parallel Six Millennia
According to Nachmanides, these six days parallel the six millennia that have existed since creation and which correspond to these six attributes.
Accordingly, we may translate and amplify this first Biblical verse as: “With six attributes – that parallel the six days of creation – G-d created heaven and earth that will last for six millennia [before it is transformed into a Sabbatical form of physical existence]”. It is interesting to note that the first verse of Genesis contains seven words, each corresponding to one of the six attributes and one that corresponds to the Shabbat, the final millennium and Divine attribute.
With Wisdom: a More Complete Picture
Another interpretation of the word Breishit according to the level of Sod is: “with chochma-wisdom. [G-d created heaven and earth]. According to this interpretation the word Breishit means “with reishit,” or the first Divine attribute, which is chochma.
With this interpretation we get a more complete picture of the process of creation. There are actually two components to G-d’s attributes: His intellectual attributes and His emotional attributes. The intellectual component consists of three levels, the first of which is chochma and the emotional attributes comprise six levels, the first of which is chesed or kindness.
For G-d to relate to the “outside” world, which is the definition of creation, His “active” instruments are the emotional attributes, because as with human emotions they are interactive. It takes one’s emotional characteristics to communicate and relate to another.
On the other hand, just as one’s emotions cannot be expressed without an intellectual backing, G-d’s essential instruments of creation are His “intellectual” attributes, the first of which is chochma. But these intellectual attributes are not felt within the creation. Thus, the word for wisdom in Hebrew is also Alef, which is very likely related to the English word aloof, because the intellectual aspects of G-d are above and beyond the realm of creation.
Torah Preceded Creation by 2,000 years
Translating this idea into more down-to-earth terms, when we look around at the creation we see G-d’s love for us that He created a world and provides us with our needs. When we see suffering and pain we come face to face with G-d’s attribute of gevurah, severity, and so on. To access G-d’s inner faculties of chochma, one cannot find it within nature; one must study Torah to find G-d’s wisdom.
This concept is alluded to in the rabbinic saying that “The Torah preceded creation by 2,000 years.” Before creation there was no time and space. Thus, precedence here must be understood in terms of importance.
The Hebrew word for 2,000 is “alpayim,” the root of which is aleph which means wisdom. Thus the phrase “The Torah preceded the world by 2,000 years,” means that the Torah transcends creation, inasmuch as the Torah represents the transcendent characteristic of chochma that is not inherent in the sphere of creation.
Corollary to this is the notion that together with our appreciation for the aloofness of Torah is also the realization that the basis of creation – G-d’s midot, emotional attributes – is actually the Torah – G-d’s intellectual attributes. Torah, while it transcends the world, it also controls it.
In summary, the four levels of Torah interpretation as it applies to the very first word of Breishit contains a wealth of information. Each level contributes to a deeper level of appreciation for what the Torah has to offer. When we consider the fact that there are infinite teachings within each of these four levels, it magnifies our appreciation for the Torah.
From the book Safe Kabbalah, Part Two: The Fourth Dimension by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
