Derasha 3 on Bereishis 2:4

TT #70 · Parashas Bereishis · Second Aliyah · Passuk 4

Complete Passuk

אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

TT points to Menachos 29b (verified).

E-Daf image (Menachos 29b)

Core Text

Core Textדָּרַשׁ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר אֶלְעָאי: שְׁנֵי עוֹלָמוֹת שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אֶחָד [בָּרָא] בְּהֵ״א וְאֶחָד בְּיוּ״ד... כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם — אַל תִּקְרֵי בְּהִבָּרְאָם אֶלָּא בְּהֵ״א בְּרָאָם, מִכָּאן שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה נִבְרָא בְּהֵ״א.
English of Core Text: Rabbi Yehudah bar El’ai expounded: Two worlds that the Holy One, blessed be He, created — one with a heh and one with a yud... When it says “these are the generations of the heaven and the earth when they were created (behibare’am)” — read not “behibare’am” but “be-heh bera’am,” from here that this world was created with a heh.
On the daf / in context: The famous derasha on the letters of the Divine Name used in creation: this world with heh (open below, unstable), the world to come with yud.
Type of Learning: Custom (letter with which this world was created)
What Is Learned: This world was created with the letter heh, as derived from “behibare’am.”