Oral Torah and Adam

Maybe you should. The Tikkunei Zohar, a cornerstone of Kabbalistic thought, makes a pretty bold statement: because the People of Israel have guarded the covenant, they've earned the kingdom. It even quotes the Mishnah, a central text of Jewish oral law (Shabbat 14:4): "All of Israel are the children of Kings." Think about that for a moment.

And it doesn't stop there. Moses, who so diligently guarded the sign of the covenant, is described in Deuteronomy (33:5) with the words, "And there was a king in Jeshurun..." The Tikkunei Zohar emphasizes, "Worthy is he who guards the covenant!" So, what does it mean to guard this covenant? And what's the reward?

Now, things get even more interesting as we delve into the mystical interpretation of the very first word of the Torah: Be-REiShYT, "In the beginning." The Tikkunei Zohar makes a fascinating connection here. It equates Reishyt, "in the beginning," with ḥallah, the portion of dough traditionally separated and offered to God. This offering is commanded in Numbers 15:20: "Of the ‘first’ (reishyt) of your dough, ‘a loaf’ (ḥallah) you will offer as an offering..."

But why this connection? What’s so special about ḥallah?

Well, the sages, as quoted in Bereishyt Rabbah 14:1, even say that Adam himself was the ḥallah of the world. This is a powerful image, isn't it? Adam, the first human, the first offering, the first piece taken from the whole. And how do we know that ḥallah and reishyt are linked? Because Scripture itself proves it, the Tikkunei Zohar tells us, pointing again to Numbers 15:20: "...the ‘first’ (reishyt) of your dough, ‘a loaf’ (ḥallah)... you shall offer as an offering to Y”Y." Here, Y”Y is a Kabbalistic substitution for God's name.

So, what are we left with? A profound connection between beginnings, offerings, and the very essence of humanity. Guarding the covenant, it seems, isn't just about following rules. It's about recognizing our role as part of something bigger, as offerings ourselves in the grand scheme of creation. Maybe, just maybe, that's what makes us all children of kings.