The Early Mistakes of the Book of Breishit: Deep Darkness Corrected By Lofty Light

 The Torah is an instruction book for life.  So why does it start with stories of major mistakes? The Cheit Eitz HaDaat makes sense to be included because it is something that all mankind yearns to see rectified. But what about the other stories?

The way G-d created the world is that there was darkness for 2000 years before there was the era of light.  This is how it is, erev-night and then from it boker-morning light, the peel and then the fruit, sur mirah - keep from the bad and then asei tov - do good. Avraham with his chesed - kindness, Yitzchak with his gevurah - strength, and Yaakov with his tiferet - balance, began the tikun-correction of the world. 

Before that tikun came about there was darkness.  The three things the world cannot tolerate were being done, as we're told by Chazal: Kin'ah - jealousy, ta'avah - desire, and kavod - honor, remove a person from this world. 

Kin'ah - Mishlei says that jealousy rots a person's bones.  Kayin fell down far and hard until he he got to the low point of being able to kill his own brother, the worst thing possible in the eyes of the Torah.  This story is in the Torah to teach us how far down jealousy can take a person.

Ta'avah - The mabul generation's error started with looking where they should not have looked.  This brought them down to impurity, to a level that never was or will be again, to a place from which there was no correction.  Everything became defiled and had to be wiped out and restarted - the land, the animals and the air. It starting with inappropriate looking. This Torah story is written to teach us how careful one must be with desire, how much harm it can bring.  When we're told "sin crouches at the opening," it can be taken to mean the openings of our bodies which can bring us into negative spheres. 

Kavod - One take on the tower of Babel is that its builders wanted to make a name for themselves by building a tower to the sky. This was the temptation of honor, and they fell to it to such a degree that they finally had no chance for correction and had to be dispersed.  

The Torah is teaching us the life lesson of how much these three things can affect people. Following these stories we're taught about the light of the Avot, the three pillars they are, the pillars that the world stands on. These three people and their traits counter the three errors that take a person out of this world.

(The Nesivos Shalom does not spell out clearly which of the Avot's traits corrected which of these negative forces.  One can conjecture, but to it's not clear.)

(The Nesivos Shalom is about to do two things he does regularly: 1- Speak about the importance of Shabbos.  2- Cite Shabbos 118b, which states that even if one worships idols in the extreme degree that the generation of Enosh did, if they keep Shabbos they can have all their sins forgiven.

אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: כׇּל הַמְשַׁמֵּר שַׁבָּת כְּהִלְכָתוֹ, אֲפִילּוּ עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה [כְּדוֹר] אֱנוֹשׁ — מוֹחֲלִין לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אַשְׁרֵי אֱנוֹשׁ יַעֲשֶׂה זֹּאת וְגוֹ׳ מֵחַלְּלוֹ״. אַל תִּקְרֵי ״מֵחַלְּלוֹ״ אֶלָּא: ״מָחוּל לוֹ״.

Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: With regard to anyone who observes Shabbat in accordance with its halakhot, even if he worships idolatry as in the generation of Enosh, God forgives him his sins, as it is stated: “Fortunate is the man [enosh] who does this and the person who holds strong to it, one who guards the Shabbat from desecrating it [meḥallelo], and guards his hand from doing any evil” (Isaiah 56:2). Do not read it as: From desecrating it [meḥallelo], but rather: He is forgiven [maḥul lo]. With regard to the generation of Enosh it is written: “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then they began [huḥal] to call upon the Name of God” (Genesis 4:26), meaning to desecrate [leḥallel] His name.

See also Ben Yehoyada, cited here: https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.118b.3?lang=bi&with=Commentary&lang2=en))

The teivah - ark is similar to Shabbat, in that you enter it completely and good comes above and below.  If one keeps Shabbos fully, whatever he or she has done wrong (even intense idol worship) will be forgiven.  Shabbos has three levels, just as the teivah has three stories: entry level is Friday night and its meal, coming right as the week ends.  Lunch and then Seudah Shlishit get higher and higher.  Avudraham: Friday night is Kiddushin (thus we say Atah Kidashtah) and Shabbos day is the Nisu'in, and Shaloshudis is the time of yichud (thus we say Atah Echad). 

Shabbos is the source of holiness and redeems a Jew from the most difficult 3 challenges of jealousy, desire, and honor.   The ark gathered people together who were kosher and pure and disavowed the impurities of the world. That was the correction they needed, their only hope. So too on Shabbos, good people gather together and draw on the high emanations of Shabbos.  This is the idea we've mentioned before, that G-d told Shabbos (after it complained about being the partner-less odd day out) Knesset Yisrael will be your partner. it is not simply that the Jewish People are the match for Shabbos. We fit with Shabbos in the best way when we are an Israel that is gathered together in unity.

(תָּנֵי רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי, אָמְרָה שַׁבָּת לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם לְכֻלָּן יֵשׁ בֶּן זוּג, וְלִי אֵין בֶּן זוּג. אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁעָמְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זִכְרוּ הַדָּבָר שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי לְשַׁבָּת, כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הִיא בֶּן זוּגֵךְ, הַיְנוּ דִּבּוּר (שמות כ, ח): זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְשׁוֹ

Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: Shabbat said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, all of them [the other days] have partners, but I do not have a partner.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: ‘The congregation of Israel is your partner.’ When Israel stood before Mount Sinai, the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Remember the matter that I said to Shabbat: The congregation of Israel is your partner.’ That is the meaning of the statement in the Ten Commandments: “Remember the Shabbat day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

From Breishit Rabbah 11:8)