Why is the woman mentioned first? And why isn't she mentioned in her own right?It seems to me that one could say the following: when a daughter is born into the world a new chidush is introduced and as with any chidush, it begins with a question. The husband is the answer to the question posed by the wife.
From this it follows that the introduction of the wife can be said to require, perhaps even bring about, the necesity for the husband.
In this way I can say that the whole reason for my existence rests first and foremost with my father in law who posed the question of the chidush that HaShem placed me here to answer.
So far this is nice theorizing but it is all purely theoretical. I'd like to illustrate one of the most profound examples of this idea and perhaps you will agree with me: HaShem created the Torah and the Torah itself required that Bnei Yisrael come into being as her intended. Har Sinai was a celebration of the union of the question and answer, the chidush the whole world was created to reveal.
That's why the Torah begins with the word bereishith - for the sake of Israel and the sake of the Torah both of whom are called reishit. How can they both be considered the first? They are the question and answer that collectively represent the chidush upon which all else was founded.
May this shabbat bring each of us comfort and peace.
Comments
