(א) בראשית אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק לֹֹֹֹֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְהַתְחִיל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אֶלָּא מֵהַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם,שֶׁהִיא מִצְוָה רִאשׁוֹנָה שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ בָּהּ יִשׂרָאֵל, וּמַה טַּעַם פָּתַח בִּבְרֵאשִׁית? מִשׁוּם כֹּחַ מַעֲשָׂיו הִגִּיד לְעַמּוֹ לָתֵת לָהֶם נַחֲלַת גּוֹיִם (תהילים קי”א), שֶׁאִם יֹאמְרוּ אוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם לְיִשְׁרָאֵל לִסְטִים אַתֶּם, שֶׁכִּבַּשׁתֶּם אַרְצוֹת שִׁבְעָה גוֹיִם, הֵם אוֹמְרִים לָהֶם כָּל הָאָרֶץ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ"ה הִיא, הוּא בְרָאָהּ וּנְתָנָהּ לַאֲשֶׁר יָשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו, בִּרְצוֹנוֹ נְתָנָהּ לָהֶם, וּבִרְצוֹנוֹ נְטָלָהּ מֵהֶם וּנְתָנָהּ לָנוּ:
(1) בראשית IN THE BEGINNING — Rabbi Isaac said: The Torah which is the Law book of Israel should have commenced with the verse (Exodus 12:1) “This month shall be unto you the first of the months” which is the first commandment given to Israel. What is the reason, then, that it commences with the account of the Creation? Because of the thought expressed in the text (Psalms 111:6) “He declared to His people the strength of His works (i.e. He gave an account of the work of Creation), in order that He might give them the heritage of the nations.” For should the peoples of the world say to Israel, “You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the seven nations of Canaan”, Israel may reply to them, “All the earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whom He pleased. When He willed He gave it to them, and when He willed He took it from them and gave it to us” (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 187).
(י) כי הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה לרשתה לא כארץ מצרים - כן שיטת פרשיות הללו, צריכים אתם לשמור מצות ה' אלהיכם, כי הארץ הזאת טובה מארץ מצרים לשומרי מצותיו ורעה מכל הארצות ללא שומרים, כי הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה איננה כארץ מצרים, שאין צריכין למטר ובין טובים ובין חטאים בטורח השקאת שדותיהם יש להם לחם, אבל ארץ ישראל אם אתם שומרים מצות.
(יא) עיני ה' אלהיך בה מראשית השנה ועד אחרית השנה - מטר בעת הצורך.
(10) כי הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה לרשתה לא כארץ מצרים היא, This is part of the structure of these portions of the Torah, i.e. you need to observe the commandments of the Lord your G’d for the land of Israel cannot be compared to the land of Egypt, being superior in quality to the land of Egypt for the people who observe G’d’s laws. At the same time, it will prove inferior to the land of Egypt for people who do not observe G’d’s laws. Proof of this can be seen already in the fact that the land of Egypt enjoys constant irrigation from the river Nile, does not need rain, whereas the land of Israel is totally dependent on rainfall at the proper time of the year. The Egyptians enjoy their irrigation regardless of their being G’d fearing or not. Their staple foods are assured. The land of Israel, on the other hand, seeing that
(11) עיני ה' אלוקיך בה, being constantly under the detailed scrutiny of the Lord your G’d, מרשית שנה ועד אחרית השנה, to ensure that you will have the necessary rainfall at the right time in the right amount, makes you aware of the need to conduct yourself so that He approves of you.
Rabbi Elyakum Shlomo Shapira of Grodno (19th C) (From Aviezer Ravitky's Messianism, Zionism, and Jewish Religious Radicalism, p. 46)
"Let him be abstinent in the land and beware of any transgression, for if he sins there, he will be punished most severely. For God supervises the land and watches over its inhabitants [see Deut. 11:12]. He who rebels against the kingdom from within the king's palace is not the same as he who rebels outside it. This is the meaning of 'a land that consumes its inhabitants' [Num 13:32]. As for those who go there and think they can get away with levity and reckless contentiousness, I would invoke the verses, 'But you came and defiled My land' [Jer. 2:7] and 'Who asked of you to trample My courts?' [Isa. 1:12]."
(ב) (א) ברוך אתה יי' אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו אלהי אברהם אלהי יצחק ואלהי יעקב האל הגדול הגבור והנורא וכו':
(ג) (ב) אתה גבור לעולם אדני מחיה מתים אתה רב להושיע (מוריד הטל) (משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם) מכלכל חיים בחסד מחיה מתים ברחמים רבים סומך נופלים וכו':
(2) Blessed are You, Lord our God and God of our ancestors, God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob, the great, mighty, and awesome God, etc.
(3) You are mighty forever, Lord, You give life to the dead, great is [Your power] to save (causing the dew to fall) (causing the wind to blow and rain to fall). You sustain the living with compassionate love, give life to the dead in great mercy, support the fallen, etc.