Why does the Torah begin with the Creation story?

Yes. I am returning to a theme discussed many times before. And yes, one could object and say that this week is really meant to be a new beginning as we commence a new Torah reading cycle – so why return to previously discussed themes? But then the very point of this week’s beginning is that we begin again what we have read in the past. Repetition is crucial to prevent forgetting, so let us revisit a theme that has implications that repeat themselves – of which we need to remind ourselves again and again particularly in light of attitudes being expressed worldwide regarding our connection to our land and sites therein.

Just last Shabbat in many shules we heard the words of Kohelet who said, “Et lachashot ve’et ledaber – there is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” This week, as we proceed with the first parasha of Sefer Bereshit which we first read on Simchat Torah, I turn to the initial verse and the commentaries thereon.

Open practically any Chumash that has more than the basic text and what you will find at the bottom of the page, perhaps in a less familiar font, is the famous commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki – Rashi. Ironically he is sometimes referred to as “Parshandata” – the name of the first of the 10 sons of Haman – because that name actually means “the one who explains ‘dat’ – the law”. And that is what his commentary generally is – elucidation of the “simple, plain” meaning of the verses, the “p’shat” – albeit that careful study soon reveals that the content of the verses and his comments are often far from simple. (Hence the multitude of super commentaries devoted to the commentary of Rashi himself, and of course contemporary writings based on the famous question: “What’s bothering Rashi?”)

But you only have to read his opening comment on the very first verse of the Torah – “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth”– to find a comment that at first glance seems far removed from what we might believe is the simple world of p’shat:

“Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Torah should really have begun with Hachodesh hazeh lachem (Shemot 12:2 – the law establishing Nissan as the beginning of the year) for it is the first command given to Israel as a nation. And why did it begin with Bereshit – the story of Creation? Because, according to Psalm 111:6, ‘He declared the might of His deeds to His people in order to give them an inheritance among the nations.’ For if the nations will say to Israel, you are ‘listim’ – armed robbers – in that you conquered the land of the seven nations, they (Israel) shall say to them, all the earth belongs to the Holy One Blessed be He, He created it and gave it to the appropriate one in His eyes. His will (originally) gave it to them, and in accordance with His will He took it from them and gave it to us.”

Yes we know that sometimes the words of Torah and the sages appear unfashionable.

Nevertheless, if from a religious/Chassidic perspective, “living with the times” involves living with the lessons of the parasha of the week, then let us at least reflect on the words of this opening Rashi of the whole Torah. We may well have varying political views in regard to current developments and those we expect (and even fear) may take place with fluctuations in the political climate in Israel and worldwide. But we can still reflect on the meaning of the Land of Israel to the Jewish nation – and also on the fact that establishment of its ownership is the first message of the Torah itself. That aside, over the coming weeks and months a key lesson of so many parashiyot of the book of Bereshit that we will read in coming months will be to emphasise the ancient Jewish connection with our land that so many today seek to deny despite even archaeological evidence of our history, of which more and more has lately been coming to the fore. Hence Rashi’s comment – for it is the simple no nonsense p’shat (truth) Torah comes to teach.

A religious Jew cannot divorce his or her attitude to Israel from Torah. And in that context the term religious Jew need not coincide with one observant in the traditional sense. David Ben Gurion himself waved the Bible in front of those querying our deed to our land saying that it is in the Bible accepted by civilisations worldwide that our rights were first established.  

Of course one may argue that there are different Torah values to be considered in regard to any particular matter; extrapolation of their implications may lead to totally opposite approaches to any political initiative past, present or future. The common thread however should be that a religious person makes a decision as to an approach on the basis of a Torah philosophy – not as a separate matter from religious practice. Indeed while some segments of the contemporary Jewish world see Torah as having to be insulated into the Beit Midrash and not necessarily serve practical purposes other than those of a ritual nature, that is not what the sages and great halachic decisors taught.

The basis of Torah is a unity between worldly life, whether individual or national, and religion. The religious element of that unity can not only involve practices of religion of a ritual nature, whilst away from those rituals life goes on regardless. Let us all approach the coming year with that philosophy. Hopefully, resultant decisions and actions will be the correct ones.

Shabbat Shalom,

Yossi

Yossi Aron OAM is The AJN’s religious affairs editor.