<html>
<body>
<font size=3>I am sure that by now you are well aware that I am a big fan
of RSRH. However, there are times when I simply cannot sing his
praises loudly enough. This is the case with his commentary on the Parsha
Bereshis. It is so full of masterful insights into the nature of
our world, that I recommend that if you do not have the new commentary
that was published by Feldheim recently, then you get it. It is more than
worth the money! YL<br><br>
Below is a selection from Bereshis 2<br><br>
</font><font size=4><b>7 </font><font size=3><i>Then </i>God <i>formed
man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his countenance the breath of
life, and thus man became a living personality.<br><br>
</i></b>What is it that sets man apart from the animal? The living
individuality<br>
of the animal depends on earthly matter; like its body, so its soul,<br>
too, was taken from the earth. Not so man. In the creation of man,<br>
only the inert material was taken from the earth; only <i>when God
breathed<br>
into him the breath of life did he become a living individual</i>. Herein
lies<br>
the <i>nobility </i>and <i>immortality </i>of man, and this is the whole
source of his<br>
<i>freedom</i>. That which gives the animal its individuality emanates
from<br>
the earth and must eventually return to the earth. Not so that which<br>
makes man a “living personality.” Man’s preeminence over the animal<br>
is not only in his spirit, but also in his vitality. His vitality is
linked not<br>
to his body, but to his spirit. When he received a spirit he received
life,<br>
his soul adhering to the spirit. When the spirit departs from the
body,<br>
the vital soul is not buried with the remains; for man’s soul is
bound<br>
up with his spirit, not his body. This is why his physical survival
and<br>
health do not depend on his body alone. Of the many dangers to the<br>
life of an animal, not all are dangers to man. The survival of a man<br>
cannot be predicted with the same degree of accuracy as the survival<br>
of an animal. <i>Adom Yeish lo Mazel</i> (<i>Bava Kamma </i>2b): there is
something in<br>
man that defies prediction. A man’s spirit will sustain him, even if
it<br>
appears that all hope is lost; for the spirit sustains life. Who can
gauge<br>
the power of an unbroken spirit? Who can calculate how long it can<br>
keep the body alive?<br><br>
Thus man is composed of two elements that are completely different<br>
from each other. One of these was taken from the earth. But man does<br>
not belong to the earth; rather, the earth — as its name, <i>Adama</i>,
implies<br>
— has been given to man to rule. So, too, man’s body, which is <i>Ahfar
min ha <br>
Adama</i>, is subject to man’s control. His true, living, spiritual
essence is<br>
not dependent on the body; hence, even while he is physically
combined<br>
with the earthly element, he can and should exercise control over
the<br>
earthly in him. The <i>Afar</i>, the earthly element, in him cannot be
released<br>
from the realm of physical compulsion and is subject to the
influence<br>
of earthly factors. But the <i>Nishmas Chaim</i>, which God breathed into
man and<br>
which first made man a human being, imparts to man of the dignity<br>
of its source and releases him from all physical compulsion; it
grants<br>
him freedom and elevates his body, too, into the realm of
freedom.<br><br>
Man’s body lay inert and lifeless, his countenance open to absorb,<br>
like an animal, the requirements of individual life; and God
breathed<br>
into his countenance the breath of life. The spark of life was given
to<br>
man through his <i>head</i>, into his countenance. Thus man was
distinguished<br>
in his outward appearance, too, from all the creatures in the<br>
world. He is, as a result, a complete contrast to the plant. A
plant’s<br>
existence depends on the earth — below. An animal’s life depends on<br>
its heart — the center. A man’s life depends on his head — the
crown;<br>
his life depends on his spirit. Man looks upward; all his power is
from<br>
above — when he hopes, when he anticipates, when he thinks. The<br>
spark of life was breathed into his countenance. This spark bears
man,<br>
and is what keeps him upright: with the disappearance of
consciousness<br>
he falls.<br>
</font></body>
</html>