Derasha 2 on Bereishis 1:31 · Parashas Bereishis

Complete Passuk

וַיַּ֤רְא אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי׃

Source Citation

TT points to Shabbos 88a (verified).

Core Text

Core Textיוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי — הֵ״א יְתֵירָה לָמָּה לִי? אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִתְנָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עִם מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית וְאָמַר לָהֶם: אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַבְּלִין אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אַתֶּם מִתְקַיְּמִין, וְאִם לָאו אֲנִי מַחֲזִיר אֶתְכֶם לְתֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ.

English of Core Text: “The sixth day” — why the extra heh? Reish Lakish said: This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, made a condition with the works of creation and said to them: If Israel accept the Torah you will endure; and if not, I will return you to tohu va-vohu.

On the daf / in context: The definite article on “the sixth day” is read as pointing to a specific sixth day — the sixth of Sivan at Mattan Torah — making the permanence of creation conditional on Israel’s acceptance of the Torah.

What Is Learned: Creation’s permanence was conditioned on Israel’s acceptance of the Torah; the extra heh of “ha-shishi” alludes to that decisive sixth day.