Bereishit: Why Was G-d Sad in His Heart?

At the end of Parshat Bereishit, the Torah says something startling. Vayitatzev el libo, G-d was saddened in His heart, and regretted creating humanity. Does G-d have a heart? And what does it mean for G-d to be sad?

The Rambam teaches that these are expressions, not literal attributes. Chassidus goes deeper. The Alter Rebbe explains that the heart is the place of Malchut, the place where knowledge has to land. All through Tishrei we have been drawing daat into the heart, and the etrog itself represents the heart. When G-d is sad in His heart, Malchut is not seeing the potential of humanity.

The Alter Rebbe also teaches that simcha is different from pleasure. Pleasure is immediate. Joy is knowing a treasure is stored for you, even when you cannot see it. And the repair comes through one person, Noach, who found grace in the eyes of Hashem.

So the question for this new year is practical. What is one choice I can make that rises above the limits of my own heart? This world is where G-d's heart is, and the greatest potential is stored here for us. It is within our choice to be that Noach and to build that ark.

Shabbat Shalom and a blessed new year.

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