In these parshiot hashavua, we have begun the transition between sefer Bereishit and sefer Shemot. It was once pointed out to me that the tone of these two seforim are in a sense mirror opposites of each other. The initial verses of the sefer of Bereishit are among the brightest in the Torah, where the very first creative statement of G-d was ?let there be light?. Sefer Bereishit ends, however, with one of the most dismal verses in the entire Torah: ?And Yosef died? and they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.?
Sefer Shemot, on the other hand, begins most dismally, with the death of the tribes and the bitter enslavement in Egypt. Yet, it ends with one of the brightest verses in the Torah: ?And the (protective) cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and a fire was upon it by night? throughout all their journeys.?
I once heard from a famous darshan say that a major factor to which we can attribute the differing tones of these seforim is the fact that sefer Bereishit ends with the tribes having made their way in Galut. Galut may be bright for a while, especially when it was guided by the towering personalities of Yaakov, Yosef and his brothers, but, in essence, it has no future, and therefore ends in darkness. By the end of sefer Shemot, however, Klal Yisroel is making its way towards Eretz Yisrael. Their sojourn may have had its intermediate difficulties, but it was guided by the fiery light of G-d.
Hence, the sefer, which began so dismally, dramatically changes its tone and manages to end so brightly, with the consistent guidance of G-d throughout the journey.
--------------------------------------------------------
Aloh Naaleh is an organization dedicated to building Aliya motivation among North American Jewry. Torah Thoughts contributed by Aloh Naaleh members appear in the Orthodox Union's Torah Insights publication. Contact Aloh Naaleh at aloh-naaleh@aaci.org.il.
Sefer Shemot, on the other hand, begins most dismally, with the death of the tribes and the bitter enslavement in Egypt. Yet, it ends with one of the brightest verses in the Torah: ?And the (protective) cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and a fire was upon it by night? throughout all their journeys.?
I once heard from a famous darshan say that a major factor to which we can attribute the differing tones of these seforim is the fact that sefer Bereishit ends with the tribes having made their way in Galut. Galut may be bright for a while, especially when it was guided by the towering personalities of Yaakov, Yosef and his brothers, but, in essence, it has no future, and therefore ends in darkness. By the end of sefer Shemot, however, Klal Yisroel is making its way towards Eretz Yisrael. Their sojourn may have had its intermediate difficulties, but it was guided by the fiery light of G-d.
Hence, the sefer, which began so dismally, dramatically changes its tone and manages to end so brightly, with the consistent guidance of G-d throughout the journey.
--------------------------------------------------------
Aloh Naaleh is an organization dedicated to building Aliya motivation among North American Jewry. Torah Thoughts contributed by Aloh Naaleh members appear in the Orthodox Union's Torah Insights publication. Contact Aloh Naaleh at aloh-naaleh@aaci.org.il.