NOTES ON BERESHIT 1-3
NOTES ON BERESHIT 1-3
Genesis is a Greek word, so it is better to refer to this book by its Hebrew name, Bereshit (beh-ray-sheet). Bereshit is the story of the Children of Israel who would later become known as "Jews."
Bereshit is not a scientific book. It must not be used to prove scientific theory as it was never designed for that. Bereshit is not a historical book in the sense of describing a chronological history. It is written in a cyclical fashion, not a linear fashion. Most stories are told with a beginning, middle and ending - a linear, step-by-step fashion. Jewish stories may follow this formula, but often repeat within its written format. It is not uncommon for other stories to be blended into the story being told. Bereshit is physical and metaphysical at the same time. It answers the questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What for? Why?
Halacha prescribes that Bereshit be taught one-to-one. I believe it is a controversial and difficult book, yet so worthy of our study.
Elohim is best referred to as "your God" and "your God" and "your God" - the God of each one of us. Thus, the plurality of the word is seen in the plurality of experience of this One God, not that He is a "trinity" or otherwise is "pluralistic in form." God is referred to as elohim in the first story of creation and as YHVH-Elohim in the second story of creation. While the Canaanites for example called their God, "Elohim," no other group ever used the second Name. The Name of Hashem is sacred. We do not repeat it. He is "my every God" and we refer to Him most often as Hashem, "The Name." This "second Name" is often referred to by the word, Adonai.
The "first story" of creation starts in the heavenly realm while the "second story" is more focused on man. From the first story, we do not know how many humans exist. The second story simply focuses on two humans. To say that Adam and Chavah were the first does not mean they were the only humans as these are two different stories. We do not know how much time has passed between the telling of these two stories.
Six Stages of Creation - (These correspond with the six "lower attributes" of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah.)
First day: Light, Day, Night
Second day: Sky, water below the sky, water above the sky, heaven
Third day: Earth, seas, vegetation, seed-bearing plants, fruit trees
Fourth day: Sun, moon, stars
Fifth day: Living creatures of all kinds, except humans
SIxth day: Adam, an androgynous being
Adam is pronounced ah-dahm. The Hebrew word for earth is adama pronounced ah-dah-mah.
Hashem breathed the nishmat chaim - the spirit of life - into the body of Adam. Adam became a living soul. This part of the man is hereafter referred to as a "soul" as only Hashem is spirit. It is important to realize that people are NOT bodies with souls, but rather are souls with bodies.
Adam was both male and female, or androgynous. In Genesis 2:21-22, "side" does not mean a body part, but rather that the original man was split into two sides.
It is completely Jewish to believe that this world starts with Gan Eden and will end with Gan Eden.
In Genesis 3, primal sin was seen as man struggled between the two inner portions: yetzer harah - an evil urge and yetzer tov - a good urge. Did this story actually happen, or is it a story to teach us truth - sacred truth? Does it matter? Either way, the truth of the story is sacred. Please note that there is no such thing as "original sin" as this would imply that sin is passed on from one to another. Bereshit teaches us that sin is a choice and is not the nature of man. Any human may choose to follow his yetzer harah or yetzer tov. It must be understood that the sin here was not sexual in nature as Christianity tries to point out.
The "talking serpent" is not Satan or a demonic being.
The first mention of a "covenant" in the Tanakh occurs in Genesis 6:18.
Genesis is a Greek word, so it is better to refer to this book by its Hebrew name, Bereshit (beh-ray-sheet). Bereshit is the story of the Children of Israel who would later become known as "Jews."
Bereshit is not a scientific book. It must not be used to prove scientific theory as it was never designed for that. Bereshit is not a historical book in the sense of describing a chronological history. It is written in a cyclical fashion, not a linear fashion. Most stories are told with a beginning, middle and ending - a linear, step-by-step fashion. Jewish stories may follow this formula, but often repeat within its written format. It is not uncommon for other stories to be blended into the story being told. Bereshit is physical and metaphysical at the same time. It answers the questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What for? Why?
Halacha prescribes that Bereshit be taught one-to-one. I believe it is a controversial and difficult book, yet so worthy of our study.
Elohim is best referred to as "your God" and "your God" and "your God" - the God of each one of us. Thus, the plurality of the word is seen in the plurality of experience of this One God, not that He is a "trinity" or otherwise is "pluralistic in form." God is referred to as elohim in the first story of creation and as YHVH-Elohim in the second story of creation. While the Canaanites for example called their God, "Elohim," no other group ever used the second Name. The Name of Hashem is sacred. We do not repeat it. He is "my every God" and we refer to Him most often as Hashem, "The Name." This "second Name" is often referred to by the word, Adonai.
The "first story" of creation starts in the heavenly realm while the "second story" is more focused on man. From the first story, we do not know how many humans exist. The second story simply focuses on two humans. To say that Adam and Chavah were the first does not mean they were the only humans as these are two different stories. We do not know how much time has passed between the telling of these two stories.
Six Stages of Creation - (These correspond with the six "lower attributes" of the Tree of Life in Kabbalah.)
First day: Light, Day, Night
Second day: Sky, water below the sky, water above the sky, heaven
Third day: Earth, seas, vegetation, seed-bearing plants, fruit trees
Fourth day: Sun, moon, stars
Fifth day: Living creatures of all kinds, except humans
SIxth day: Adam, an androgynous being
Adam is pronounced ah-dahm. The Hebrew word for earth is adama pronounced ah-dah-mah.
Hashem breathed the nishmat chaim - the spirit of life - into the body of Adam. Adam became a living soul. This part of the man is hereafter referred to as a "soul" as only Hashem is spirit. It is important to realize that people are NOT bodies with souls, but rather are souls with bodies.
Adam was both male and female, or androgynous. In Genesis 2:21-22, "side" does not mean a body part, but rather that the original man was split into two sides.
It is completely Jewish to believe that this world starts with Gan Eden and will end with Gan Eden.
In Genesis 3, primal sin was seen as man struggled between the two inner portions: yetzer harah - an evil urge and yetzer tov - a good urge. Did this story actually happen, or is it a story to teach us truth - sacred truth? Does it matter? Either way, the truth of the story is sacred. Please note that there is no such thing as "original sin" as this would imply that sin is passed on from one to another. Bereshit teaches us that sin is a choice and is not the nature of man. Any human may choose to follow his yetzer harah or yetzer tov. It must be understood that the sin here was not sexual in nature as Christianity tries to point out.
The "talking serpent" is not Satan or a demonic being.
The first mention of a "covenant" in the Tanakh occurs in Genesis 6:18.