IN THE BEGINNING (1:1)

IN THE BEGINNING (1:1)

The Five Books of Moses is more than a best seller.  It provides step-by-step instructions  for the success.

 

IN THE BEGINNING (1:1)

The holidays have come and gone.  The calendar now reads one year further along than last year, and so the Torah Scrolls have been rolled back to the beginning. The Five Books of Moses, which continues to be a best seller, begins with the order of creation.  This is more than just a record of ancient history.  It provides guidelines and the step-by-step instructions necessary for the successful formation of any ‘new world’, such as a new project or a new movement.

The first verses read like this:  "In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth.  Now the earth was unformed and void and darkness…and G-d said; `Let there be light! 'And there was light.”  The narrative continues with the emergence of order from chaos, beginning with plant life, then animal life and finally man.

What important principles can be gleaned from these words? 

In the beginning…When one first approaches any new undertaking, the beginning, the first essential step is to know that…G-d created…it is G-d alone who is the ultimate source of bringing something to fruition. We as His messengers are vested with His strength, and should therefore not be daunted when…the earth was unformed, void, and darkness…during the early stages of any worthwhile undertaking, it always seems to those involved in the pioneer effort, that there is no support from those around us, from those who benefit the most.  The pervading environment declares the plans unformed.  Yet we must continue to forge ahead because eventually…G-d said “Let there be light”…out of the utter darkness, a light at the end of the tunnel will appear.  And although those particular individuals' efforts will finally be recognized and applauded by their fellows, the ultimate reward of their diligence shall come from G-d Himself, whose acknowledgment is the true reason for their success.

In the town of Chelm, there was a man who was quite absent-minded. Upon going to the bathhouse he was worried that without clothes he would forget who he was. He tied a red string around his big toe in order to make sure he would not lose his identity. Unfortunately the string slipped off his toe and wound itself on the toe of a fellow bather. Shocked by seeing the string on his neighbor’s foot, he exclaimed, “I know who you are, but who am I?”

We are often occupied in asking, “Where is G-d?” or “Who is G-d?” Sometimes our questions are placed in the present, “Where is G-d?” Sometimes they are asked about the past, “Where was G-d?” We are so caught up in the search for the unknown and the unseen that we often forget to search for ourselves.