As we turn the Torah back to the very beginning, the story of Creation, I am once again reminded of what our ancestors who wrote the Torah knew only too well: that we human beings are a mixed bag. They conveyed this message in the way that two distinct Creation stories, from different times and created by different people, were woven together almost seamlessly. In the one that we read first, Creation unfolds neatly over seven days, beginning with the ordering of the cosmos and the earth, sea and atmosphere, followed by an evolutionary-like unfolding of life on earth, from plants to sea creatures to animals of the air and the land. This entire schema ends with the creation of human beings, who are created “in God’s image,” the crown of creation. And over all of this, God repeatedly pronounces it “good."
Then, in chapter two, we have what is most likely an even more ancient story: of an earthling (Adam, made from Adamah – earth) who is male and all alone, and for whom the rest of the planet has been waiting to sprout. This earthling is placed in a garden, and animals are created for his companionship. But the person is still alone, and so another human – Chava (from the root for “life”) - is created out of his side.
And in this story, we learn that humans are a bit more complicated than all of the other creatures. After being told not to eat of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Chava promptly disobey, and discover they have free will. Musing that this might be a dangerous situation, God banishes them from the Garden. They settle down and have children, Cain and Abel. Within a few chapters we have the first murder, Cain taking Abel’s life out of jealousy and anger. By the beginning of chapter 6 – the end of this week’s portion – God regrets the entire human enterprise, and decides to bring a great flood and start all over again.
Sometimes I sympathize with God’s impulse in that moment. This current moment is one in which I sometimes feel like perhaps it’s time to hit reset on the human enterprise. But fortunately, the Torah does not stop there. It continues with God’s – and humanity’s – fumbling attempts to do better next time. This is the tradition with which we are entrusted: to see, clearly, all of the problems in which we are immersed, and to recommit to trying again. And again. And again. It is knowing that the Source of Life Itself is along with us on the journey, trying to help us figure ourselves out, and to bring a bit more love, a bit more justice, into this damaged world.
As we enter into Shabbat Bereshit, the Shabbat of beginning again, may we each be inspired to feel a sense of newness in this new Jewish year. In many ways, there is much that looks bleak. And at the same time, there are so many opportunities for us to try to get it right. May we continue the journey, and be strengthened with each step.
