Welcome Back to the Beginning.
Do you recall the phrase, ‘Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life?' When I was young, I used to think it was trite.
But when I read it through the lens of Parashat Bereshit, I think differently of it. I have come to believe it. This Shabbat, spiritually, is the first day of the rest of our lives. Tonight, we begin at the beginning….of time, of history, of all creatures, of humankind. Bereshit–in the beginning.
The first two words of the parasha, and the Torah, are bereshit barah, ‘In the beginning God created….’. It is commonly translated in the past tense. But Rashi, the 9th c. commentator, reads it as ongoing. He translates it as bereshit bero, “As God began to create.”
In other words, Creation is an ongoing process, one that is still taking place. Art Green teaches that ‘even now, in this very moment, Y-H-W-H is breathing existence into all that is. Evolution is a sacred narrative, telling us of a never-ending process of Creation.’
Torah, which means “teaching,” is a guidebook to learning how to live with, and be in awe of, a Creation that never stops becoming new again and again. We are part of that evolution. Throughout our lives, we too never stop becoming. We may think we can't change, but the truth is radically different. We adapt and develop anew every day. The Torah teaches us how to recreate ourselves for the better rather than for the worse.
This Shabbat, may we be filled with the awe that comes from the awareness of Creation around us and within us. May we find renewal in Shabbat rest.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Marcia Plumb