Shabbat Bereisheet
Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8 / Haftarah Portion: Isaiah 42:5-43:10
“Awe”
Dear Friends,
As the fall progresses and the leaves turn to a myriad of colors, take some time to appreciate the beauty all around us. On this Shabbat, we read of the creation of the world as we start reading the Torah from the very beginning. The account of the days of creation provides a great opportunity to pause in awe of the miracle of all existence – the earth, the heavens, and all life.
The fifteenth century rabbinic commentator Don Isaac Abravanel noted the fragile balance that was contained in the perfection of creation. Abravanel noted that had the sun been closer to the earth or larger in size, we would burn up. Likewise, had the sun been further away or smaller, the earth would be too cold to maintain human life. Everything was placed in the exact position. God’s creation is a work of awesome perfection.
As we read the creation story, take some time to experience the wondrous world in which we live. Note how everything works in amazing harmony, a balance with stirs the soul and fills the spirit. Awe.
Shabbat shalom.
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
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