Parshas vezos haberacha - connecting the beginning and the end of the Torah


The gemara says in Berachos (דף י' ע"א)

כל פרשה שהיתה חביבה על דוד פתח בה באשרי וסיים בה באשרי פתח באשרי דכתיב (תהלים א', א') אשרי האיש וסיים באשרי דכתיב (תהלים ב', י"ב) אשרי כל חוסי בו

“Any parsha in Tehillim which was dear to Dovid, he began with the word אשרי and finished with the word אשרי.”

The Chasam Sofer points out that the last word and the first word of the Torah also contain the word אשרי.

אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים

This shows that the Torah is dear to us, just as the use of the word אשרי showed that a perek was dear to Dovid.

The Chasam Sofer further comments that the letters that are left over (besides the word אשרי) are ל and בת, which together spell לבת.

We can understand that this is a hint to the passuk in Shir Hashirim (פרק ד', פסוק ט')

לִבַּבְתִּנִי אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה לִבַּבְתִּנִי בְּאַחַת מֵעֵינַיִךְ בְּאַחַד עֲנָק מִצַּוְּרֹנָיִךְ

 “You have captured my heart my sister my bride, you have captured my heart with one of your eyes, with one chain of your neck.”

Rashi explains as follows:

באחד ענק מצורוניך - באחת מרבידי ענקי קישוטיך הם תכשיטי מצוה שישראל מציינין בהם

 With one of the links of the chain on your neck – this refers to the adornments of mitzvos through which the benei yisrael are distinguished. [The reference to “one of the links in the necklace” is an allusion that it is possible for a person to merit olam habah through the observance of even one of the mitzvos, if that mitzvah is performed purely lishmah.]

This means to say that the measure of joy (אשרי) which the benei yisrael experience through keeping the Torah is so great that even one of the תרי"ג מצות is sufficient to be completely מקדש the person who performed the mitzva so that he will become a בן עולם הבא.


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