אנא נפשא

ב׳ה׳נ׳ו׳א

This piece is in the merit of my Rebbeim, especially my Rebbe, my father[1], Rabbi Simcha Weinberg n’y, whose teachings flow through my veins b’ezrat Hashem.

Veshinantam as a Bedtime Story

In the keriat shema, we read, veshinantam levaneicha, “and you shall teach them to your children.” The word veshinantam carries a dual meaning; not only does it mean to teach, but it shares the same root as the word for sleep-shena. It further connects to another the idea in the keriat shema-uvshochbecha uvkumecha “[you shall recite these verses] when you lie down and when you arise”. When transmitting Torah, we are tasked with sharing it as one would share a dream, so as to nurture the capacity to dream in another. With Hashem’s help, I pray that I be blessed to convey this Torah as my dream to you, so that you can dream too.

Bereshit: The Mitzvah Containing All Mitzvot 

I believe the first mitzvah in the Torah is the word bereshit. The Vilna Gaon famously taught that all 613 mitzvot can be derived from the word bereshit! When his students asked him how, the word bereshit includes the mitzvah of pidyon haben (redemption of the firstborn), he responded that bereshit בראשית is an acronym for בן ראשון אחר שלושים ימים תפדה ben rishon acher shloshim yamim tifde “your firstborn son, after thirty days, you shall redeem.” If all mitzvot are contained within the word bereshit, it follows that the word bereshit itself is the first mitzvah-a singularity embodying the entirety of Torah.

This theme of singularity extends to Hashem’s revelation at Mount Sinai, where the Torah states, “God spoke all these words, to say…” (Shemot 20:1). Rashi explains this verse to mean that God delivered all Ten Statements[2]in a single utterance[3]. It is no coincidence that the first word of the Ten Statements is Anochi (paralleling the word bereshit, the first statement of the Ten Statements of Creation), as it means “I [God] Myself.” God, the ultimate singularity is the subject of all the statements, which are an expression of His singularity.

Anochi: A Divine Love Letter

This expression of singularity is further seen in the Gemara Shabbat 105a, where it enumerates the first word in the Ten Statements (anochi-I, myself) is an acronym for אנא נפשא כתבית יהבית, “I placed my soul into writing,” in other words My Torah is a love letter from me to you (the nation of Israel).

In the same way the Ten Statements are an expression of singularity, I believe the Giving of the Torah is an expression of an earlier singularity, when Adam and Eve meet and are unified as man and wife. Adam, when he meets Eve says zot hapaam etzem me’atzamai, “this one is bone of my bones…(Genesis 2:23). The word etzem (bone) shares a root with the word atzmut (essence). This suggests an alternative reading of the verse, “this one is an essence of my essence.” Adam and Eve’s union reflects a shared soul,[4] a unity that echoes God’s singular essence.

The Torah as Essence of Essence

The Torah is, therefore, a continuance of these moments of singularity. It is

1. A celebration of creation through bereshit, the word that holds all mitzvot
2. A reflection of the unity of Adam and Eve, whose shared essence foreshadows the Giving of the Torah, a marriage ceremony where God shares His essence, tracing back to the very beginning of creation.

Through bereshit and anochi, God invites us into His essence, anthropomorphically expressing His soul to us. Just as Adam recognized Eve as part of himself, we are invited to recognize the Torah as an extension of God’s singularity. May the noten hatorah (the One who gifts us Torah) inspire us to learn, to teach, and to dream God’s eternal love letter.

[1] See Rashi on veshinantam levaneicha

[2]  Commonly mistranslated as Ten Commandments

[3] “This teaches us that the Holy One, Blessed is He, said all the Ten Commandments in one utterance”. Rashi on Shemot 20:1.

[4] אנא נפשא