Beth Elohim
Messianic Synagogue
Parasha #1: B’resheet (In the beginning) Genesis 1:1-6:8
Halftarah: Yesha’yahu (Isaiah ) 42:5-43:10; 42:5-43
B’rit Hadashah: Mattityahu (Matthew) 1: 1-17; 19:3-9; Luke 3:23-38; 10:1-12; Yochanan (John) 1:1-18; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20; 15:35-58; Romans 5:21-21; Ephesians 5:21-32; Colossians 1: 14-17; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 1:1-3; 3-7-4:11; 2 Kefa (2 Peter) 3:3-14; Revelation 21:1-5; 22:1-5
This
is our first Parasha for this year. G-d creates the world in Six days and rests
on the Seventh. If you don’t already know Shabbat means, “rest.”
After
G-d creates Adam, He tells him to give names to al the different animals and in
doing so Adam finds he has no mate for himself. G-d puts Adam to sleep and from
one of his ribs creates woman. Adam names her Hava (Eve), which means “life”
in Hebrew. For she will become mother of all mankind.
In
this Parasha we have the introduction of haSatan, deception, sin, punishment and
murder.
We
also see G-d metes out punishment to all three sinners.
The
snake will forever have to crawl on it belly and eat the dirt of the earth and
there will be hostility between the snake’s descendants and Hava’s. This is
a metaphor for the enmity between G-d’s redeemed and those of haSatan. There
also is a parable regarding the punishment of the snake having to eat dust
(dirt) all his life. Rabbi Sh’muel explains this punishment by the story of a
wealthy king who had a son. This son always had all he needed. Since the son had
all his needs taken care of he had little reason to visit his father the King.
One day, the king decided to stop sending money to his son. When the Prince
realized what was happening, he rushed to his father to ask for more funds. The
king, glad to see his son, agreed. But from then on the prince never again took
his father for granted.
The
snake like the prince at the beginning of this story, has all his needs met. And
because he never needs to ask for anything he never needs to ask G-d for
anything. He never connects with HaShem and that is the worst punishment of
all-not feeling the need to relate to G-d. Let those with ears hear. Do we
invite punishment on ourselves as an object lesson so that we will realize that
G-d controls everything? If we want a good harvest, we have to work and pray
keeping the connection to G-d open at all times.
We
also learn something else from this Parasha. We learn the order of creation and
from this we learn why night comes before day and why Shabbat and all the
festivals start at night and not in the morning because we read in 1:5,“
it was evening, it was morning…”
Night
comes before day.
Sages Wisdom:
“And from the fruit of the tree…you shall not eat from it, nor shall
you touch it.” (3:3)
The
above verse tells us what Hava (Eve) said to the snake. It is what G-d told her
except she added the last phrase, the prohibition of touching the tree. Rashi
points out that by adding to G-d’s commandment, Hava brought about her own
downfall. After hearing her version of what G-d said, the sly snake convinced
Hava that nothing would happen to her if she touched it. Nothing did and after
that it was easy for the snake to convince her that nothing would happen if she
ate the forbidden fruit. That is why I say that for all of us who are delighted
to build hedges around G-d’s commandment adding to them therein lies an
inherent danger for sin. We should be careful.
Something to think
about:
1. Why does the Torha begin with the creation of the world? Why not begin with the first mitzvah (commandment) or the Exodus?
2. After Adam and Hava sinned by eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, the Torah says that they realized they were naked. What is the connection between these two concepts?
3. After Adam and Hava made their clothes, G-d asked Adam, “Where are you?” Didn’t G-d know where Adam was? What was He trying to do by asking this question?
Halftarah
connection:
Yesha'yahu 42:5
There are two connections between the Parasha and the Halftarah.
First, the Parasha begins with the creation of the world. In the Halftarah, the prophet Isaiah reminds Israel that G-d is the creator of the world, sustaining the creation each day. Creation is not something that was done once, it is a continuing miracle.
Second, in the Parasha, man is the only creature given the power to choose between right and wrong, In the Halftarah, Yesha'yahu tells the people that G-d created Israel in order for them to be a “light for the nations.” It is our responsibility to show the nations what is right, so that they too, can come closer to G-d.
Gematria:
Et
Ha’or (1:4)
By studying Torah and keeping all of the commandments that G-d gave us, we will see the Light?
In Hebrew, “the light” is et ha’or. It numeric value is 613, which equals the number of the commandments in the Torah. Add each letter of et ha’or and it equals 613.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davis