Parashat Bereshit 

Parashat Bereshit focuses on creation, and specifically the creation of man. Man is the only creation in the world that has a shirah, as explained in Perek Shira. In order to understand our shirah we must learn our nature. 

Hashem created man from the dust of the earth and breathed into him a neshama. And we further learn that Hashem created woman from the side of man, further defined as the rib, because a man cannot be alone. 

I was recently reading a beautiful idea in the book “Kindness in Marriage”. The book discusses a beautiful insight from the Zohar. Man has been put on this earth to fulfil his many missions, to evaluate decisions, overcome the Yetzer Hara and further become the best version of himself. 

The women have a different mission. The Zohar explains that a woman’s role is to, yes, be the best she can be here. However the Jewish woman’s true growth happens in Olam Haba, this is the special time she has to work on herself. A woman has this opportunity as opposed to the man who has to get all his work done in Olam Hazeh in order to enter Olam Haba.  

And so where does this leave a man and woman, how does being different make us one, if we are evidently from the same body? 

The woman who already has a ticket into Olam Haba, is here to help the man work on himself and get all the merits he needs here in order to enter Olam Haba. The woman has her husband in Olam Haba to help her accomplish whatever needs to be done there.

Each role is different, while each being important and helping each other. When Hashem created us , he knew we were a giving natured people. Our literal nature/shirah is to help each other out.

He creates the reality in the most basic way, between man and woman. While we are entering this shabbat, the first parsha of the year, let us remember the mashal of Shabbat’s match! Shabbat comes to Hashem and says, “I am all alone! Sunday has Monday, Tuesday has Wednesday, Thursday has Friday, and I have no match!” Hashem responds “Do not worry Shabbat! Your match is the most beautiful of them all! Your match is Bnei Yisrael”. 

In order for Shabbat to bring in her holiness and beauty to this world, we have to keep Shabbat, accept Shabbat, and love Shabbat! We need to be there to support her and be her match as she is ours.  May we enter this Shabbat loving our match, and enter this year understanding that we are all here to help each other and complete each other!

Shabbat Shalom.