Parshah Bereshit - Genesis 1:1
The First Day of Creation
By Rabbi Moshe Weiner
In the beginning there was
Parashat Bereshit Chapter 1
The First Day of Creation
1. In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.
2. Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of G-d was hovering over the face of the water.
3. And G-d said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4. And G-d saw the light that it was good, and G-d separated between the light and between the darkness.
5. And G-d called the light “day”, and the darkness He called “night”, and it was evening and it was morning, one day.
1. In the beginning G-d created the heavens etc.: Rabbi Isaac said: [Why did the Torah narrative begin with In the beginning - relating the story of the Creation? Since] the Torah should have begun with “This month is to you” (Exodus 12:2), which is the first commandment that the Israelites were commanded. Now for what reason did He commence with “In the beginning”? Because of [the verse in Psalms 111:6] “The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations”. [He related to His people the strength of His works in creating the world, in order to give them the inheritance of the nations]. For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, “You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” they [Israel] will reply, “The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, Blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whomever He deemed proper. When He wished, He gave it to them [the Canaanites], and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us.” (Rashi)
The explanation of this statement of the Sages is that from the outset of Creation, G-d chose the nation of Israel as a special nation to serve Him, as it says, [Exodus 19:6] “And you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, and He designated for them a particular land that is to belong solely to them, and He made it known in His Torah that He created it and gave it to whom He deemed fit.
Sources : Bi'ur Torat Moshe - Explanation of the book of Moses - Genesis by Rabbi Moshe Weiner
By Rabbi Moshe Weiner
Rabbi Moshe Weiner is the Rabbinical Director of the Academy and the author of the Divine Code of Law for Noahides. He is also the Overseeing Authority of the Legal Noahide Movement.
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.
NoahideAcademy.org's copyright policy.