塞弗·哈巴希尔 3

1[Rabbi Berechiah continued,] "And why does the Torah begin with [the letter] Bet? To start with a blessing [b'racha]. From this, we learn that the Torah is called a blessing, as it is said, 'Full [with the] blessing of YHVH, possess the sea and the south' (Deuteronomy 33:23). There is no sea other than Torah, as it is said, 'And broader than the sea' (Job 11:9). And what is 'Full with the blessing of God'? It means that every place that [the letter] Bet is said is the language of blessing. As we say, 'b'reishit'. And there is no beginning [ראשית] except wisdom, as it is said, 'The beginning [ראשית] of wisdom is the fear of YHVH' (Psalms 111:10). And there is no wisdom except [as the result of a] blessing, as it is said, 'And Elohim blessed Solomon,' and it is written, 'YHVH gave wisdom to Solomon' (1 Kings 5:26). This is comparable to a king that marries his daughter to his son and says to him [the son] at the wedding, 'Do with her as you will.'"