Lessons For God’s Children
D’var Torah for Parashat Bereishit
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman
October 19, 2022
The first parasha of the Torah, Bereishit (“In the Beginning,” Genesis 1:1—6:8) is possibly the most controversial portion in the entire Torah. Fundamentalists read it literally: This is how the world—and humanity—came to be. Others see it as a collection of stories—allegories—meant to explain not so much the “how” of Creation, but rather, the “why.”
Though the section of the portion that describes the Six Days of Creation is filled with active verbs (among them: God saw, God formed, God spoke, God called and of course God made), there is really no explanation of how—the method or means—that God used to make it all happen.
That is because the purpose of these stories is not to be an engineering DIY manual. They are there solely to demonstrate God’s power. Only God—by speech or thought—has the power to create something from nothing; and only God can instill the spirit (ru’ach) of life into inanimate matter and cause it to live.
The story of Creation is the prelude to everything that follows. The big question it raises however, is Why. What is God’s reason for Creation, and why does God create Human Beings.
In fact, it seems that God had some second thoughts about this last part of Creation. “Na’aseh adam,” “Let us create Man,” God says before actually pulling together some mud for the project (see Chapter 2, a variance from the version given in Chapter 1). From the get-go, the Rabbis inquire to whom God is speaking. Why the “let us?” Who is arguing with God? And anyway, why does God need to consult with anyone about God’s intentions?
The hesitation seems to come from some misgivings about Humanity. According to Midrash, it is the angels who try to talk God out of this plan. “You know what they will be like,” the angels argue. “You know they will cause you to regret your decision.”
And yet God persists.
Why?
Perhaps it was out of loneliness. “One is the loneliest number,” say the lyrics of the song “One” by Harry Nilsson. Or maybe it was God’s need to be recognized. After all, what is a king without subjects to recognize his power?
Or perhaps it was out of love and longing, the same powerful force that motivates us to give life and love to our children. God demonstrates a parent’s true purpose and role. It is powerful love that causes God to engage in the act of Creation.
The Torah represents only the beginning of Jewish thought. Yet within it lies the entirety of Jewish faith: God’s unity; God’s love; and God’s expectation that we, human beings, God’s children, prove ourselves worthy of God’s call to carry on the sacred work of Creation.
© 2022 by Boaz D. Heilman
Rabbi Heilman, I would argue that Fundamentalists and scientists read Genesis literally… What evidence is there to the contrary?
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways to interpret these books. I interpret them figuratively and as allegory.
ReplyDelete