Jan 29/05 — Shabbat Yitro

Commentary by Rabbi Alan Green

The first letter of the first word in the Torah, B’REISHEET, which describes the creation of the universe, is Bet, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first letter of the first word of God’s revelation to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai, ANOCHI, which means, “I am,” is Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Logically, it seems that the creation of the universe—the beginning of all beginnings—should have begun with the letter Aleph. Moreover, one could argue that the creation of the universe was far more important an event than whatever it was that happened at Mt. Sinai. Why then, should the creation story not have been honored by beginning with the letter Aleph, rather than the secondary letter Bet?

The answer is that this is the Torah’s subtle way of saying that revelation at Mt. Sinai is actually a far more significant event than the creation of the universe. This is possible from the point of view that the act of creation hides God and the unity of God; while the act of revelation reveals God, and the unity of God. This is underlined by the presence of the Bet of B’REISHEET. The moment that it is possible to say, “In the beginning,” the quality of Bet—duality—is already present. God’s unity is already hidden. Also, according to the rabbis, the very structure of the Bet, closed as it is on the three sides that face what precedes it, reminds us that the very nature of creation is to hide the reality of God; as if to say, once creation has happened, whatever is prior to creation cannot be known by ordinary human means.

But the Aleph of ANOCHI, the first word of revelation, reveals that which is prior to the Bet of creation: the Aleph of infinite possibility, and lively silence. Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is the lively source of all possible sounds. It is the position assumed by the breath and the palate, just before any sound comes into being. It is the breath of vocal anticipation; that moment when silent thought stands ready to burst into speech. Presumably, it is the position God, as it were, assumes, just before he speaks the Big Bang of creation into being. To the extent that we ourselves learn to speak the Aleph of ANOCHI, “I am,” and know it through our engagement with Torah, we come to know God, the unity of God, and the process and purpose of creation.

Creation, and the study of creation through science and philosophy, can only reveal so much. While the information explosion created by the scientific revolution has taught us much about our universe, this knowledge can only answer the questions, “What?” and “How?” All the scientific knowledge and philosophical speculation in the world cannot begin to answer the question, “Why? To answer that question—increasingly, a question upon which our survival as a species depends—a different, and far more complete knowledge is required: the knowledge of the revelation at Mt. Sinai, when God revealed Himself as “I am” to the Jewish people, and to all humankind.