בס"ד
Article for the Month of Tevet
Secrets of Chevron – The Cave of Machpelah - Its Importance
and Connection to Every Jew (3 chapters)
Chapter 2: Adam and Eve[1]
Adam was created circumcised[2] , innocent, perfect. The
moment he ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, his perfection was damaged by
the growth of his foreskin and he passed this on to his descendants until the
end of time.
The covenant that G-d made with Abraham was on the condition
that Abraham and his offspring would accept upon themselves the mitzvah of
circumcision[3] to return to the perfection of the body and at the same time to
work on the perfection of the soul through observance of the mitzvos of the
Torah, to rise to the spiritual heights of Adam when he was in the Garden of
Eden and to return the brightness of the upper lights with which he was
created.
G-d created Adam and Eve individually and granted them and
their descendants the power of reproduction in order to plant in them the
connection of parents to children and children to parents. Indeed, the greatest
urge and desire of every man and woman is to be a parent, like the desperate
cry of Rachel Imeinu “Give me children, or else I die”, and in this manner one
can understand and feel more strongly the significance of our connection to our
Father in Heaven. And G-d hints to us that the blood covenant with him in the
circumcision is meant to remind us that the entire process of the continuity of
generations shall be in accordance with His laws and mitzvos in holiness.
Eve: It seems that her rush to taste of the fruit of the Tree
of Knowledge stems from the fact that she did not hear the prohibition directly
from the Al-Mighty and at the same time that she tasted of the fruit, her
bodily perfection was damaged in her womanly cycle, now accompanied by difficulty
in raising children, the pain of pregnancy and childbirth, that was henceforth
passed on to her descendants for all generations.
An opportunity for women to return the heavenly light that
was faded and secreted in the Garden of Eden, is by observance of the three
important, unique mitzvos of the Jewish woman:
1. Separation of challah 2. Lighting candles 3. Family purity
1. Separation of Challah:
G-d “separated challah” from the batter from which he created
the world and from the “challah” he created Adam.
When Adam was in the Garden of Eden the ministering angels
grilled meat and chilled wine for him (Yalkut Shimoni Breishis Section 15).
When he was banned from the Garden of Eden, the blessing
ceased and his food became like that of an animal, as it is written: “and you
shall eat the grass of the fields (Breishis 3:18). Adam cried and his organs
were shocked, “will my donkey and I eat from the same trough”? And G-d’s mercy
with him elevated his food, however, it would be accompanied by hard work and
effort. (“You shall eat bread by the sweat of your brow”).
11 tasks to preparation of bread: plowing and planting,
harvesting and bundling, winnowing and threshing, picking and grinding,
sifting, kneading and baking.
Separating the challah from the dough when baking the bread
and challah by the woman in her home is done in order to bring back the
blessing that should once again be found in abundance through the baking of the
bread, which is the principle sustenance of man, so that we will be blessed in
our homes with spiritual and material abundance as was Adam blessed in the
Garden of Eden.
2. Lighting Candles – “The candle of G-d is the spirit of
man”. It is a priority for women to
light many candles to illuminate the home with glowing holiness from the
Shabbat and holiday candles in order to restore and uplift the spiritual light
to its level in the Garden of Eden.
3. Family Purity – (Primary in importance of the women’s
mitzvos)
The immersion in a crouched and stooped position is like
bowing to G-d in supplication and prayer with blessings for the gift of
motherhood prior to its fruition, as the blessings before eating fruit.
Family purity, with all of its rules and specifications as
required by the Creator brings the life of the family to a high spiritual level
and entitles the child to a precious gift, which he can receive only once in a
lifetime – before his conception.
This elevated holiness is granted to the fetus by the Creator
of the world, Himself at the moment of conception. This holiness is recognized
and glows on the face of the child for his entire life.
By Rabbi I. Ravad, founder of the Mikveh- Tikvah
organization ravad@mikvtikva.org
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[1] G-d – Adam – Eve י - ק - ו - ק - אדם - חוה
The gematriah of אדם (Adam) = 45
The gematriah of The Divine name –א יוד-קא-ואו-ק
(when calculated using the spelling of the names of the letters) = 45
חוה (Eve) is hidden
within this extended manner of calculating the Divine name: 19 = וד-א-או-א חוה = 19
According to “Igeret HaTiyul” by R’ Chaim ben Betzalel –
brother of the Maharal.
איש – אשה (Man – woman) the
letters אש (fire) – and G-d
resides in their names with the "י"
in man and the ""ה
in woman. If they merited, G-d’s presence is between them – if not, fire (אש) consumes them. How
do they earn their entitlement? They purify their virtues: relinquishing,
kindness, mercy, etc.
[2] Noah, Shem and Moses were also born circumcised
The gematriah of משה רבינו (Moses) =613 = the
number of mitzvos in the Torah
[3] The essence of the mitzvah of circumcision is separation:
separation of the sealed foreskin (“uncircumcised in heart and flesh” Ezekiel
44:7) revealing the attentive and awakened inside – priah.
