By Rabbi Ariel J Friedlander

בראשית
על יוצר ויצירה, גלוי ונסתר

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃
When God began to create heaven and earth—
the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—
God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

The torah has the most beautiful opening – from void and darkness into light, in this first dramatic uttering.
The description of the six days of creation, and the shabbat that followed them is a cultural masterpiece, a shining pearl in our heritage.
It is a creation about creation – about the drive to create, the force in which creation comes forth, the process, the layers, the reflection and contentment. It is also a creation about creative creation (I hope you are still following)- it tells us not only of what has been created, but also about the seed that is planted to enable the creation to have its own life and force. Plants, animals, humans – in the essence of their creation is the ability to create.
A sustainable masterpiece with the potential to keep recreating.

The Jewish marriage ceremony celebrates this creation in three of the blessings, making a link between the creation of a new family to the creation of the world, reminding us of the creative power of us humans.
The fourth blessing spells this idea:
Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, Who has fashioned human beings in your image, according to your likeness and has fashioned from it a lasting mould. Blessed are You Adonai, Creator of Human Beings.
(lasting mould is a translation to the Hebrew “בנין עדי עד”, that can also be translated to everlasting structure).
Of course in the context of marriage it is traditionally referring to the reproductive force that is created in the union of a woman and a man, but we can look at it in a broader approach – committing, as individuals, as couples and as people to our partnership with God in the ongoing creation.

How beautiful – humans in God’s image, with the power to create.
And God’s reflection, pleased with creation, models in humans this ability- to feel the emptiness that evokes creative power, to create, to reflect.
Both the creative force and the reflection (maybe one cannot exist without the other) are there for the Tselem Elohim, the divine image in humans.

And as the parasha unfolds, to tell us the story of early humanity and civilization – this creativity comes forth. The chronology of Cain’s dynasty tells us of the first city, the mastering of metal and tools, and also – music and art:
Bereshit 4:21
[…] Jubal; he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe.

The human creativity goes beyond what the Garden of Eden had to offer, and from the human experience derives beauty.

Well, as we know from various stories – when a creator offers creative power to their creation – things are likely to go wrong.

Bereshit 6:5-6

יהוה saw how great was human wickedness on earth—how every plan devised by the human mind was nothing but evil all the time.
And יהוה regretted having made humankind on earth. With a sorrowful heart […]

In the final verses of Bereshit there is a heart-breaking description of God, who could not have imagined evil and destruction, and who is now turning from the contentment of creation to a sorrowful heart. A description of a very Human God, and ungodly (or unhuman) people.

We start reading Bereshit with the beauty of creation, the perfect order and pace – everything has its place, all in harmony, all sustained and sustaining,
We start reading Bereshit with our heart open to a new beginning, but before too long we are reminded not only of human creativity, but also of the human capacity to do evil, to harm, to destroy.

This year, as we were celebrating Bereshit and Torah – our people in Israel were. And still are now, facing an unimaginable murderous attack on civilians, turning dancing into lament and shaking the foundations of people’s life.
The kibbutzim in the Negev, each one of them could be described as a garden of Eden, turned into battlefields, family homes being the frontlines.

Creative forces and destructive faeces come together.
The Human talent, intelligence, ability to cooperate, to think and to plan – these are the seeds that were planted in us.

When we start a new cycle of Torah, we are not innocent, we know how the story will unfold…
but each year, and every shabbat, again – we admire creation, and we are reminded of who we are and how we are connected to the creator – we carry with us the creativity, the contentment and also the sorrowful heart.

May our deeds, our creativity and our hearts be directed to healing as we tell this story once again.

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