The Torah begins with a beis because beis represents bracha (blessing) writes the Vilna Gaon and it ends with blessing – VeZos HaBrachah. Blessing the Maharal and others explain is associated with ribui (increase) and two or beis is the beginning of all increase.
At every level of the creation the world depends on the pairing of individuals. Most obviously among advanced life forms increase requires a male and female. But that physical bond mirrors a deeper metaphysical principle. When the Torah says of Adam “It is not good for a man to be alone ” it is not referring just to the fact that humankind could not grow without a mate for Adam. Without an ezer k’negdo without another to stimulate one even fight with one no person can fully develop his or her own potential. The necessity of partnership of a balance or melding of opposites has implications for all forms of human activity including Torah learning and middos development.
The world of the spirit is one of unity. The Aseres Hadibros (Ten Commandments) begins with aleph – Anochi Hashem Elokeichem . . . – because Hashem is One. Aleph represents absolute Truth. But the material world is composed of physical structures joined together and truth in this world is of necessity fragmented and partial. Hashem could say shamor v’zachor as one in teaching us the mitzvah of Shabbos for instance but the two terms were heard below as two statements. No human being can possess or encompass the entire Truth. And the claim to do so is a form of avodah zara.
The Gemara says that one who studies without a chavrusah (study partner) will grow stupid. That doesn’t just mean that one should learn with someone sitting opposite him but that growth in Torah requires an opponent who will challenge every conclusion and constantly force a person to defend refine or reject those conclusions. Without being tested in that fashion chiddushim are inherently suspect. Even when learning alone one must be constantly ask: Is there another way of explaining the data? Does this explanation satisfy all the difficulties? A young talmid chacham of my acquaintance whose bookshelves are filled with notebooks of his chiddushei Torah exemplified this process when he resisted those urging him to publish his chiddushim on the grounds that publication would make it more difficult to retract conclusions that he still wants to reexamine and subject to further testing.
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