Well here it is the beginning of it all Parsha Beresheit. So much happens in this portion in fact each verse explodes with countless possibilities to delve deeper into. We have the creation of our world and species, the birth of free choice, the start of each nation’s genealogy, and most importantly we are shown the ideal way to live without the Torah!
Sure I’m a little crazy in the head, but if your still reading here is what I mean be that. For as long as I can remember I have felt every commandment in the Torah states the obvious. Think about it, there are some prohibitions most of us can not even imagine breaking. For example: killing, eating another human being, dating your friend’s mom; and yet on the other side of the coin who has always honored their parents, who has told the truth 100% of the time, and who has honored every single Shabbat of their life. When we falter do we know we are doing the wrong thing when we do them? You bet we do and still we do them anyway, regardless of what the Torah says.
As I read this weeks portion what stands out the most, to me, at this point in my life are three core principles we all experience day in and day out. The first principle is striving for the ideal, Adam is created THEN placed within Eden. Later on Adam must toil to provide for his family‘s basic needs. The second is stewardship, Adam and Eve’s purpose in Eden is to keep the garden “dressed” and “kept“, this means keeping the Earth and Animals healthy and unburdened. Yes, Tikun Olam is that old. Last but not least, loyalty which plays the largest role in the early days of mankind. This last one is the heaviest and most complex and for times sake all I’m going to say is Adam and Eve stuck together after eating forbidden fruit, a generation later Cain’s wife stayed loyal to him despite the blood on his hands, and to this day Hashem has never abandoned us despite how much we may take Him for him granted.
Even now in modern times we all to some degree strive and make our life and the lives of those we love better, whether its working long hours, volunteering, or just always being there for someone that ideal of a balanced perfect world or Eden fuels our actions, and while no one is perfect and without fault we stick together, we forgive, we heal, and we grow.
I would love to know your thoughts please post below or drop me a line jeremiah@punktorah.org
