One of the seminal tensions in life is between the good inclination (yetzer tov) and the evil inclination (yetzer ra). The Torah’s inner dimension expands our knowledge of the two inclinations with the final product appearing in the Tanya, which explains that these two inclinations are an extension of the more complex Divine soul (nefesh Elokit) and animal soul (nefesh bahamit) we all possess.
In this post, HaRav Ginsburgh provides us with an original take on the source of these two souls, showing how they are deeply rooted in our moment of birth and God’s decision to provide us with free choice. He does this by analyzing the origin and meaning of one of the most well-known connotations of the Almighty: “He Who Forms the Beginning” (Yotzer Bereishit).
This piece is a bit more challenging than our usual articles, but well worth the effort.
The original Hebrew was posted on the 2nd of Elul, 5785 to the Rav’s Hebrew X account (https://x.com/RavGinsburgh) and was first edited and published in the No’ach 5786 edition of Nifla’ot.
“He Who Forms the Beginning”
The Almighty is also known as “He who forms the beginning” (יוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית), a connotation we use in the repetition of the Amidah when the congregation recites the rabbinic Modim[1]: “We give thanks to You that You are Havayah our God and the God of our forefathers, the God of all flesh, the One who formed us, He who forms the beginning….” This is the rabbinic source for this connotation.
Another source for this connotation, which might even predate the first source, can be found in the Heichalot literature, in the midrash known as Shiur Komah where we find it used in the famous statement that, “Whomever knows the measure of He who forms the beginning is guaranteed to be a son of the World to Come.”[2] This is known as the secret of the “measure of stature” (שִׁעוּר קוֹמָה), alluded to in the opening verse of the midrash, “Great is our Master and of Much Power”[3] (גָּדוֹל אֲדוֹנֵינוּ וְרַב כֹּחַ), where “much power” (וְרַב כֹּחַ) is equal to 236, also equal to “a righteous heart” (לֵב צַדִּיק).
What does it mean that the Almighty is the one who forms the beginning? The literal meaning of this connotation is that the Almighty creates the point of Bereishit, the point of the “beginning.” This is not only referring to the beginning of Creation in general, but also to the point of inception of every person—the point of origin of that person formed when he or she came out of their mother’s womb. This is equivalent to what is known as the person’s mazal, the revelation of the root of his or her Divine soul.[4] But at the same moment that God creates this point of origin, He also provides the person with free choice. This is the secret of the evil inclination that is active from the moment the person emerges from the womb.[5] The connection between “choice” and the “evil inclination,” can be found in Aramaic. The regular translation of the root “choice” (בחר) to Aramaic is based on the two-letter root רע, which means evil, but in Aramaic is related to “will” (רְעוּתָא).[6] From that moment and on, every individual is tasked with forming his or her own path in life, all under the direct personal Providence of the Almighty.[7]
“He Who Forms Their Hearts”
The verse that links the connotation “He Who Forms the Beginning,” with the inclinations in the heart is, “He Who forms their hearts as one, who understands all their actions”[8] (הַיֹּצֵר יַחַד לִבָּם הַמֵּבִין אֶל כׇּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם). The two-letter root (i.e., the sha’ar, or gate) of the verb root יצר is tzaddik–reish (צר), the initials of “righteous-wicked” (צַדִּיק רָשָׁע), alluding to the simultaneous formation of both at the point of every person’s beginning in life. In Hebrew, יצר is the root of the word meaning “inclination” (יֵצֶר). Whenever the sages mention “inclination” without specifying to which one they are referring (the good or the evil), by default the reference is to the evil inclination. But there is of course also the good inclination, which is 13 years younger than its older brother, the evil inclination.
Since the evil inclination emerges first, upon birth, what do the sages mean when they say that at the moment of birth, “One is sworn to be a tzaddik [righteous]…?”[9] The One Who Forms the Beginning saturates[10] the Jew, from the moment of birth, with the character traits and psychological energy needed to be righteous despite the evil inclination, which is older, more experienced, and more powerful than the good inclination.
These powers are primarily meant to assist us in bringing the “One,” i.e., the Almighty, uniquely into our hearts—“He Who forms their hearts as one.” Indeed, we mention this goal in the blessings before the Shema every day, “and unify our hearts to love and fear Your Name.” The unification of “Oneness” in the heart refers to feelings of joy (שִׂמְחָה) and delight (חֶדְוָה) in the heart, which bring us to serve God with love and fear. But to come to joy and delight, one must first conduct a reckoning (in one’s intellectual faculty of understanding) that will lead to teshuvah,[11] and to a full correction of one’s conduct.
Creation, Formation, and Action
The Torah’s opening words, “In the beginning, God created…” refer to the creation of the World of Creation.
Our connotation, “He Who Forms the Beginning” and the verse, “He Who forms…” refer to the formation of the World of Formation
The end of the verse, “who understands all their actions” refers to the rectification of the World of Action.[12]
The World of Creation is mostly (almost completely) good, meaning that it was created by God without man, who is only created at the very end of the first account of Creation.
The World of Formation is half good and half evil, meaning that it is a partnership between God and man. God forms its beginning—the origin of man—but entrusts man with the toil of refining his character traits—love and fear, etc.—through his own free choice. This is a trademark characteristic of the World of Formation, where everything follows the principle: “this opposite that is God’s doing”[13]; for every positive force there is an equal and opposite negative force, and it is up to man to choose which to pursue.
The World of Action is mostly evil, meaning that it is made up of man’s actions. It is the reality that God has entrusted completely to man as, “from Heaven, Havayah looks down… from His dwelling place He gazes”[14] at man, safeguarding him so that He can help him in his positive choices. By God’s design, it is only man that can fix the World of Action’s ills and faults, not just by choosing good over evil, but also by revealing his powers of self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice is the product of the soul’s highest level, the singular one (yechidah), which can only be revealed here, in this lowest of all realities, where God seems to be entirely concealed, leaving man, as it were, to act alone. But again, God is constantly looking down and gazing, safeguarding us and our choices.
[1]. Sotah 40a. As noted there, the central point of the rabbinic Modim is that “we give thanks… for being able to give thanks” (מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ… עַל שֶׁאָנוּ מוֹדִים לָךְ).
[2]. Midrash Shiur Komah as quoted in many sources including Ibn Ezra on Exodus 33:21 and Eitz Chaim 42:2.
[3]. Psalms 147:5.
[4]. See Ma’amarei Admur HaEmtza’ee Devarim, vol. 4, pp. 1169ff.
[5]. Rashi on Genesis 8:21 (see also Sanhedrin 91b).
[6]. See Radak’s Sefer HaShorahim, s.v. רעה at its end.
[7]. See Addendums to Keter Shem Tov (Kehot, 3rd ed.) 179 and following. See also Likkutei Sichot vol. 8, pp. 277ff.
[8]. Psalms 33:15.
[9]. Niddah 30b and Tanya ch. 1.
[10]. An alternate pronunciation of the word “sworn” (מַשְׁבִּיעִין and מַשְׂבִּיעִין)
[11]. A return to God, following the verse, “And his heart will understand, and he will return” (Isaiah 6:10).
[12]. “Everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires some action [to bring it to its perfected state]” (Bereishit Rabbah 11:6).
[13]. Ecclesiastes 7:14.
[14]. Psalms 33:13-14. Note these are the two verses preceding, “He Who forms their hearts as one, who understands all their actions.”
