In the Beginning... (1:1) In parasha B'reyshiyth, in verse 1, God creates the heavens and the earth: בְּרֵאשִׁית b'reyshiyth, in-head(s)-of בָּרָא bara, created (literally, in-having-seen) אֱלֹהִים elohiym, God אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם eyth ha-shamayim, (direct/object) the-heavens וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ v-eyth ha-aretz, and (d/o) the-earth God has many faces, aspects, and perspectives. In short, God, the Creator, is amazingly complex. He has to be, in order for Him to have created de novo and ex nihilo something so complex as our Universe and everything in it. Here the Torah describes God creating the heavens and the earth in His mind. We, too, have many faces, aspects and perspectives. We, too, are amazingly complex. But only as a subset of God's creation. When we create, we do so from our human, earthly heads and minds. Our creations can be de novo ('from new,') but they are never ex nihilo ('from nothing'), because, as we are created and come from something, we can only create something from something. (1:2) In the biblical account, our earth and the heavens are at the center of God's creation of our universe (though not necessarily the center of God's entire existence, which we have to assume extends beyond our universe). (1:2) At this point, וְהָאָרֶץ v'ha-aretz, and-the-earth, was potential existence: תֹהוּ thohu, (you)will-be, and potential space: וָבֹהוּ va-vohu, and-(they)be-in. Also at this point, at the singularity, but before the Big Bang, God has only created darkness: וְחֹשֶׁךְ, עַל-פְּנֵי תְהוֹם th'hom p'ney ahl v-choshech and darkness upon face-of depth. All else was potential and waiting for God to give the word. וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים, מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם ha-mayim p'ney ahl m'rachefeth elohiym v-ru'ach and-energy(of) God hovering upon face-of the-waters. God's energy hovers over and is focused on our universe's singularity. (1:3) God then conveys light to 'be', and light is: אוֹר or. (1:4) God sees that the light is good: כִּי-טוֹב kiy tov. He then separates between the light and the darkness, the first of many such separations in our evolving universe. Light one (1:5) God then gives light אוֹר and dark חֹשֶׁךְ new names: יוֹם yom, 'day,' and לָיְלָה laylah, 'night.' There is עֶרֶב erev, mixed, and there is בֹקֶר voqer, herded, יוֹם אֶחָד yom echad, light/yom one. Second light (1:6) On the second light/yom God makes a membrane, רָקִיעַ raqiyah, to separate the waters above from the waters below. God calls the membrane שָׁמָיִם shamayim, heavens. (1:8) There is erev and there is voqer, יוֹם שֵׁנִי yom sheyniy, light/yom second. Third light (1:9) On the third light/yom God conveys to the waters below the heavens to collect יִקָּווּ (yiqavu, they-will-collect) to one place, so that הַיַּבָּשָׁה (ha-yabashah, the-dryness) appears. (1:10) God calls to the dryness אֶרֶץ eretz, earth, and to the collection of the waters He called יַמִּים yamiym, seas. (1:11) Then God conveys that the earth sprout herbage: וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ l-miyno p'riy ohseh p'riy eyhtz zerah maz'riyah eysev deshe ha-aretz thad'shey elohiym va'yomer אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיְהִי-כֵן cheyn vay'hiy ha-aretz ahl vo zar'oh asher God conveys, 'will-sprout the-earth sprouts(of) herbage, from seeding of seed, fruiting tree making fruit from its kind which his-seed in-him upon the-earth; it-is so.' But you might ask: how can God make plants before He makes the sun? Isn't this out of order? Part of the answer to this is in the very first word of the first verse: בְּרֵאשִׁית b'reyshiyth, which means 'in-heads-of.' All of us, before we make something, first have the idea in our heads, in our minds. We then manifest this idea for real in the physical world. God does the same (or, we do the same thing God does). But that still leaves us wondering where God is actually manifesting His ideas. Is it in the physical realm? Is there a possible other space where God is manifesting His creation? As noted above, God's existence extends beyond our physical universe. In making the plants before the sun, (but after light), it is implied that the plants are in another realm, waiting to be placed on the earth, once it is ready for them. Fourth light (1:14) This is reinforced by what happens on the fourth light/yom: in verse 14 God says יְהִי y'hiy, will-be lamps in-membrane the-heavens. (1:16) In verse 16 God וַיַּעַשׂ va-ya'as, makes the two lamps (the greater and the lesser) and the stars. (1:17) In verse 17 God puts them וַיִּתֵּן vay'theyn (literally 'gives' them) in the membrane of the heavens. So God thinks of them in His mind, then makes them in one realm, and then places them in our realm. Fifth light (1:20) The fifth light/yom is a busy one: God conveys into existence the living soul: נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה nefesh chayah. The word nefesh is from the root פש fash, which means 'spread out.' Distinct from the plants in yom three, the nefesh chayah is independently animate. Here are the animals that swarm the seas and the winged creatures. (1:21) Also on day five, God creates (from the root ברא bara, as in the first verse) the great reptiles, most likely the dinosaurs: וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים ha-g'doliym ha-thaniynim eth elohiym vayiv'ra creates God (d/o) the reptiles the-great, along with all the living souls that creep and swarm in the waters, and all winged creatures. (1:22) God blesses them and conveys that they be fruitful, multiply, and fill the seas and the earth. Sixth light (1:24) On the sixth light/yom God has the earth bring forth the rest of the נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה , nefesh chayah, living soul. Now the biological machinery of the earth is able to physically bring forth life: beast and creeper and life forms of the earth, each to its own kind. (1:26) In verse 26, God famously shares the making of the human with 'us,' presumably god-like creative beings in another realm: וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ ki-d'muteynu b-tzal'meinu adam na'ahseh elohiym vayomer Conveys God, 'We-will-make human in-our-image like-our-bloods' וְיִרְדּוּ v-yir'du, 'and-they-will-descend' in-fish-of the-sea, and-in-winged(of)-the-heavens, and in-land-animals, and-in-all the-earth, and-in-all the-creepers that creep upon the-earth.' God is telling these 'others' the rules of adam, that adam will descend in the whole earth. (1:27) After God conveys what He will do, in verse 27, God creates the human in His image: וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בָּרָא bara u-n'qeyvah zachar otho bara elohiym b-tzelem b-tzal'mo ha-adam eth elohiym vayiv'ra אֹתָם otham Creates God (d/o) the-human in-His-image, in-image(of)-God created him: male and female, created them. (1:28) God now turns His attention to adam, male and female alike: He blesses them and conveys that they be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, tame and descend in all living beings on earth: וְכִבְשֻׁהָ v-chiv'shuha (from the root כבשׁ chebesh, tame) and-tame-her וּרְדוּ u-r'du, and-they-descend in-fish-of the-sea, and in-in-winged(of) the-heavens, and-in-all living (that)creep upon the-earth. For food, God gives all His creatures plants: (1:29-30) Conveys God, 'here, I-give to-you-all (d/o) all herbage seeding seed; to-you-all will-be to-consume. And-to-all living-of the-earth and-to-all winged(of) the-heavens and-to-all creeper upon the-earth which in-him soul living, (d/o) all greenery(of) herbage to-consume-her.' (it)is so. (1:31) וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד; וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם yom voqer vay'hiy ehrev vay'hiy m'od tov v'hineyh ahsah asher kol eth elohiym vayar' הַשִּׁשִּׁי ha-shishiy Sees God (d/o) all which was-made, and here, טוֹב מְאֹד tov m'od, good very. (It)is mixed, (it)is herded, light the-sixth. Seventh light (2:2) On the seventh light/yom, God שָׁבַת shavath (from the root שׁב shab, return) returned from all his-instruction which created God to-do. God returned to His heavenly abode, after having completed the work of His creation. Chapter 2 (2:3) God blessed ( בָרֶךְ barech) the seventh day and made it holy ( קַדֵּשׁ qadesh). (2:4) In Chapter 2 verse 4, YHVH God first reveals His eternal name: אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ, בְּהִבָּרְאָם: בְּיוֹם, עֲשׂוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים--אֶרֶץ eretz elohiym YHVH ahsoth b-yom v-hibar'am v-ha-aretz ha-shamayim thol'doth eyleh וְשָׁמָיִם v-shamayim These generations-of the-heavens and-the-earth, in-their-being-created: in-light made YHVH God - earth and-heavens. (2:15) In verse 15, YHVH takes the-adam in גַן-עֵדֶן gan eyhden (literally 'garden-(of)withnessing/judging'), לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ u-l-sham'rah l-ahv'dah to-work and-to-protect. (2:16-17) In verses 16 and 17 YHVH God speaks to adam for the first time, and gives adam His first צַו tzav, commandment: וַיְצַו יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, עַל-הָאָדָם לֵאמֹר: מִכֹּל עֵץ-הַגָּן, אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל thocheyl achol ha-gan eyhtz mi-kol ley-mor ha-adam ahl elohiym YHVH vay'tzav commands YHVH God upon the-adam to-convey: 'from all tree the-garden consume will-consume' וּמֵעֵץ, הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע--לֹא תֹאכַל, מִמֶּנּוּ: כִּי, בְּיוֹם אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ--מוֹת תָּמוּת thamuth moth mi-menu achal'cha b-yom kiy mi-menu thochal lo va-rah tov ha-da'ahth u-mey-eyhtz 'and-from-tree the-knowledge-of good and-bad -- no will-consume from-him: for in-day you-consume from-him -- die will-die'. (2:18) In verse 18 YHVH God says it is not good for the-adam to be alone, He will make to-him a helper, corresponding to him. God forms from the soil all the animals of the field and all birds of the heavens. He brings them to the adam to name them. The names of all these animals in the Torah come from adam's names. But adam did not find a helper corresponding to him. (2:22-24) YHVH God then וַיִּבֶן vayi-ven, builds, woman from adam's side and calls her אִשָּׁה , ishah, woman, for from אִישׁ iysh, man, she was taken. Therefore man will-leave his-father and-his-mother, and cling in-his-woman, and-they-be to-flesh one. Breaking this united flesh is the sin of adultery. It goes back to this moment. Chapter 3: nachash (3:1-5) הַנָּחָשׁ ha-nachash, the-snake, is a lowly beast of the field. But he's עָרוּם , ahrum, aware/conscious, 'more than all the living creatures of the field.' So he's able to think for himself and speak with the humans. It's implied that he also has legs, at least before God punishes him, and that before his lying interaction with the man and the woman, the humans listen to and trust what he has to say. So ha-nachash tempts the woman to eat the fruit of knowledge of good and bad, lying that she won't die. But then he plops down a non sequitur, 'For God will-know, for in-day you-all consume from-his-kind, and your-eyes be-opened, and you-will-be like-God, knowing good and bad.' Can humans be like God?? Isn't that a ton of responsibility, not to mention being blamed for anything bad and drained of everything good? What's good about knowing bad? Doesn't bad cancel out good? And now you're left with nada? nihil? nothing? In the mama of all understatements, this temptation and the woman's eager response to it (and man's open mouth) , caused us humans to forevermore pay for her mistake (think: Armageddon, mosh pits, death-loving, life-hating, Heironymous Bosch, black hole of Calcutta, terrorism, etc. etc. etc.....) When lowly humans are able to be tempted by even lowlier snakes, we've set ourselves up to fall and fail. It will forevermore take each one of us the will of Hercules battling an event horizon to resist future temptations. Now, only with God's help, pulling us out of black holes with His strong arm, will we be able to be redeemed from our own temptations. God, rightly so, gets angry. We've made things really complicated: our ancestors get banished from the Garden of Eden, snake loses his legs, man has to work for a living, and woman gets to give birth without anesthesia. Chapter 4: new humans, mostly bad (4:1-8) Adam and Chavah now begin to know each other through their first chakra (between the legs), and beget children. Baddy Cain ( קַיִן Qayin, which means 'purchased') first, then goody Abel ( הָבֶל Hevel, which means 'futile') second. Cain becomes jealous of Abel and kills him (the word used is הַרג harog, kill, and not רְצָח ratzach, murder, as humans don't yet know what murder is). Cain takes wives and has lots of kids in his image (boo). (4:25) Adam and Chavah then know each other again and have Seth ( שֵׁת sheyth, which means 'set down'). Adam and Chavah know that Cain did something bad, for they recognize Seth as God's replacement for Abel, 'for Cain killed him.' (4:26) Sadly, Seth then begets a son whom he names Enosh ( אֱנוֹשׁ ). וּלְשֵׁת גַּם-הוּא יֻלַּד-בֵּן, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ אֱנוֹשׁ enosh sh'mo eth va-yiqra ben yulad hu gam u-l-sheyth and-to-Sheyth also he begat (a) son, calling (d/o) his-name Enosh. The name 'Enosh' comes from the root נוֹשׁ nosh, forget. With the alef prefix, אֱנוֹשׁ means 'I-forget'. Maybe at this point in human degradation, forgetting how good it was in the Garden of Eden helps deal with the bad that Adam and Chava chose in order to become like gods, knowing good and bad. The last words of this chapter are somewhat mysterious, depending on how one translates the word הוּחַל : the root חַל is found in the words for 'sand' (as in shifting sand), 'sickness' (loss of health), 'appease' (vacillate or make nice to a belligerant), or 'assuage' (doing whatever it takes to relieve pain or suffering): אָז הוּחַל, לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה YHVH b-sheym liq'ro huchal az thus being-assuaged to-call in-name (of) YHVH. Putting the two together: וּלְשֵׁת גַּם-הוּא יֻלַּד-בֵּן, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמוֹ אֱנוֹשׁ; אָז הוּחַל, לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה YHVH b-sheym liq'ro huchal az enosh sh'mo eth vayiq'ra beyn yulad hu gam u-l-sheyth And-to-Sheyth also he begat (a) son, calling (d/o) his-name Enosh; thus being-shifted/vacillate to-call in-name YHVH. This may mean that in our amnesia, it's disturbing to call out in YHVH's Name. Or, in our disturbed state, no matter how bad it gets down here, YHVH is always available to hear us when we call out to Him. Chapter 5: No'ach This chapter chronicles the generations of humans through Seth, from Adam all the way to No'ach. (5:22) Halfway through the geneology, Chanoch ( חֲנוֹךְ whose root 'chen' means 'grace') 'walks with the-gods.' After 365 years, he is no more, for God took him. Though not a god, Chanoch is a human who walks with 'the-gods,' in the image of the God who imagines us in His image: that is, morally good.. Towards the end of the chapter, Lamech (not the first baddy Lamech but the second goody one) begets No'ach ( נֹחַ , whose root 'nach' means 'rest,' the complement of the word 'chen'), for 'this one will give rest to our deeds and toil.' (5:32) Finally, No'ach begets triplets: Shem ( שֵׁם 'name'), Ham ( חָם 'heat') and Japhet ( יָפֶת 'pretty'). Chapter 6: mosh pit Things go downhill from here. (6:1) In verse 1, we have the root word חַל chal again used as an infinitive הֵחֵל (to-shift/vacillate, to-sicken, to-appease, to-assuage): וַיְהִי כִּי-הֵחֵל הָאָדָם, לָרֹב עַל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה ha-adamah p'ney ahl la-rov ha-adam heycheyl kiy vay'hiy (it)is that to-assuage the-human to-increase upon face-of the soil (6:2-3) Humans increase and beget daughters. The sons of the gods see the human daughters that they are good, and take to themselves wives from all they chose. YHVH conveys that His spirit won't tolerate the human forever since the human is flesh, so our days are limited to 120 years. (6:4) הַנְּפִלִים ha-n'filiym, the-fallen-ones (as opposed to הָאֱלֹהִים ha-elohiym, the-attracting-ones, or the-gods) were in the earth in those days, and also after this the sons of the gods came to the daughters of the human, the daughters birthing to them; these are the powerful ones, from then on, people of name. (6:5-7) YHVH sees that the bad of the human has increased in the earth, and all formings of his heart's mind was only bad all day. YHVH grieved that He made the human on the earth, regretting in His heart. YHVH conveyed, 'I-will annihilate the-human which I-created from-upon face-of the-soil, from-human up-to animal, up-to crawler and up-to winged (of)-the-heavens: for I-grieve that I-made-them.' וְנֹחַ, מָצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה YHVH b-eyhney cheyn matza v-no'ach And-No'ach found grace in-eyes-of YHVH. שָׁלוֹם Shalom! (Peace!) and להתראות L' hithraoth! (see you again!) Mona Balogh