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<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>The very last letter of the Torah is
<EM>lamed</EM> and the very first letter is <EM>beis</EM>. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>The two letters together form the
word Lev, "heart."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>In order for the heart to be complete
and whole, there is no break between the end of the Torah and the
beginning. Bereshis follows D'vorim with no interruption.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>If there were a break, it would break
both the heart of the A-mighty, as well as the Jewish People.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Now, in reverse, you would have "bal" (bet, lamed) meaning "don't" or
"not".
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>Going in the
<U><STRONG>natural</STRONG></U> order, we complete D'vorim and immediately
begin B'reishis, thus we have the <EM>lamed</EM> of "Yisroel" and the
<EM>beis</EM> of "B'reishis." When you change the natural order
and go in reverse, then you get "bal" which is a negative—"Not". We
must <U>not</U> change the natural order of things, and we should follow the
order of the Torah and "NOT" reverse it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>The last word of the Torah, Yisroel,
and the first word of the Torah, B'reishis, both contain a yud, shin, reish
and aleph. If there were a lamed in B'reishis, it also would spell Yisroel. I
thought of the following cute d'rash regarding
no <EM>lamed </EM>in <EM>b'reishis</EM>: The word Yisroel
contains the first letters of the Ovos and Imahos: Avraham, Yitzchok,
Ya'akov, Sara, Rivka, Rochel and Leah. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Palatino Linotype" size=4>The word B'reishis contains the
letters of all but Leah. If you recall, Ya'akov was supposed to have married
just Rochel, but he was tricked into first marrying Leah. So for
B'reishis, there is no lamed for Leah, because Jacob wasn't supposed to have
married Leah. However, as history would have it, Jacob did marry Leah and hence
the last word of the Torah also contains her initial.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Richard Wolberg</DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>