Have you ever wondered why the Torah begins with the letter Bet instead of Aleph, the very first letter of the Hebrew alphabet?
The Midrash teaches that the Aleph was upset that it was not chosen to begin the Torah. G-d reassured the Aleph that it would have an important place later, when He gave the Ten Commandments, beginning with “Anochi” — “I am the Lord your G-d.”
But why begin the Torah with Bet and save Aleph for later?
One explanation is that Bet represents Bereishit, the creation of the physical world. We naturally spend a lot of time focusing on material things—our homes, jobs, money, and possessions. But the Aleph reminds us what should come first: Torah and our relationship with G-d.
The message is that while physical things are important, they should not become our highest priority. We should make sure that our spiritual lives have a central place in our daily lives.
The first letter teaches us what should come first.