Back to the Beginning
by Owen '28
In English, Bereshit translates to “In the Beginning.” In Parashat Bereshit, G-d creates the world in six days. At the end of each day, G-d sees what he made and exclaims, “it is good.” On the sixth day of creation, G-d creates Adam and Eve and explains to them that they can eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden except the Tree of Knowledge. G-d warns Adam and Eve that they will perish if they eat from this tree. Then a snake comes along and tempts Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. When G-d sees that they ate from the tree, he banishes Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. As a punishment, G-d makes sure that the snake loses its legs for eternity. Bereshit carries on by telling the story of Adam and Eve’s sons, Cain and Abel. The Parasha concludes with G-d sharing his distaste and regret for creating humans. He finds humans are cruel and wicked.
The story of Bereshit is the first story in the Torah. Why do we repeat the reading of the Torah each year? Why do we begin again? Perhaps we repeat the Torah simply to keep track of time. Maybe we repeat the Torah because each reading teaches something new and valuable. I believe we repeat the Torah because it creates an opportunity for yearly reflection and renewal.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov supports my opinion. He writes, “No matter what I’ve done, no matter what I’ve been through… the main thing is to begin again now. And it’s not enough to only begin again once. The moment I feel bogged down by the past, by whatever wrongs I’ve done, I have to take a deep breath and say, ‘I’m going to start fresh this minute, as if this is the first breath I’ve ever taken.'” Every year we have Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Immediately after finishing the Torah, we roll the scroll right back to Bereshit. I think of Bereshit as a fresh start. When we go back to the beginning, we do not forget the past. Using the knowledge gained in the past year, we have a better understanding of the story. Maybe our life experiences, both good and bad, shape our perspective of Bereshit, allowing us to learn new aspects of the story. For example, we recognize that Adam and Eve make a terrible mistake. Can we pinpoint mistakes from our own life and find pathways to move forward? As our understanding grows, it is easier to recognize our weaknesses and strengths. We are able to set new goals with a new chapter. The Torah is a blueprint for humanity just like G-d has a blueprint for creating the world. The blueprint provides guidance that will help us be better people. G-d’s disappointment with humanity in the end of this Parasha motivates us to work hard.
