29 Tishrei ע ש ת
The Ha’Yom Story Gabrielle Rubin Auf Ruf D’var Tora
Genesis


Shabbat Shalom

First of all I would like to give special thanks to Norm for allowing me the honor of delivering the D’var Tora on this momentous Shabbat, a milestone in the lives of Gabriella, The Chosen, the Rubin s, all of their families our Dearest Bet Shalom family.
Interactive Hazak Chant D’var Tora
HAZAK HAZAK V’NITCHAZEK
TROPE CONVENTION OF USING SAME METHOD IN ENDING EACH DAY
HAZAK
YOM RISHON
As many of you are aware this Shabbat’s Sedrah is B’reshit or Genesis. The Parsha of course is “the Beginning” now given my post modern or post post modern leanings and openness to a variety of interpretations and given my particular affinity to linguistic performance and competence as prima facia sources of meaning I am without much coaxing prepared to accept interpretations that tie the annual recitation of these passages in the fall to baseball post season, saying it was one big misunderstanding and that Beginning of course is really just the Big Inning of game six.
Before getting into more substantive discussion we have a wonderful little poem Roxy and Jessy will help me with…
from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle
TIGER GOTTA HUNTBIRD GOTTA FLYMAN GOTTA SIT AND WONDER WHY WHY WHYTIGER GOTTA SLEEPBIRD GOTTA LANDMAN GOTTA SAY I UNDERSTAND
The reason I chose this Poem is that it speaks to a certain universality of origin stories that I really like.
David Hamelech teaches that these shared origins tie us to the other peoples of the world (or at least the regions that share in whole or in part aspects of this etiology) thus further legitimizing his reign and conquest of the Eretz Yisroel where many mitzvoth are practiced to this day while B’reshit is discussed rather beautifully in Rashi where he cites R’ Yitchak who queries why the Torah does not start with those passages that deal directly with the Mitzvot that are the obligations specific to the children of Israel and Rashi answers uses the above passage from Tehillim as the example.
As Jews we have the privilege of revisiting, discussing and analyzing our divine passages, thereby reinvigorating our lives by finding relevance adding dimensions of meanings to our lives as a result of the contemplation of the passages of Torah. There is no example in Torah which has been discussed or interpreted more than the opening passages of Genesis.
Accordingly there is no more humbling task than to be asked to comment on a section of Torah. Traditionally Chinuch or teaching of the Torah to children typically never beings with B’reshit, my experience was Vayerah and some begin earlier but typically never with B’reshit.
I asked Roxy and Jessy to participate because the question that is on your adult mind is on your mind as a child and so even as Morah Susan, Rabbi Billy and Rabbi David teach them about Avraham Avinu as the introduction so to speak here we are in the “post season” we know there is something prior as adults we are meant to understand, but in truth we are still asking ourselves or convincing ourselves we know the meaning our understand some universality of truth or best where to begin, but we don’t.
Just the same I am will endeavor to offer a brief survey the days of creation rather than offer any in depth discussion of any one particular day; rather just point out briefly some noteworthy aspects of creation each of which could serve as a starting point for further discussion.
Yom Rishon ( I will spend slightly more time on Yom Rishon)
The S’forno comments that this is the beginning of time. That before this there was no time. I thought this a fascinating launching point for an approach to B’reshit. Further given that the next Pasuk concludes “Ruach Elohim Merachepet al P’ney Hamayim”. Ruach Elohim which roughly translates “the spirit of God“, Merachepet is analogized by Rashi as the motion of a dove over its nest, al p’nei Hamayim, is on the face of the water. Historically the earliest known time keeping devices were water clocks, archaeologists have established that the Egyptians possessed sophisticated water clocks which were seasonally calibrated to count off the intervals of night when their sun dials were of no use. This interpretation “synchronizes” if you will very nicely with the conclusion of the first day of creation which separates between day and night. So Ruach Elohim is the divine apparition to mark off time and distinguish days and nights.
It should also be noted that the enumeration of the days of creation and designation of days with numerical indicators is an implicit disavowal of idolatrous sets of nomenclature where the days are enumerated according to various pagan gods.
Also noteworthy is that day one contains 10 items:
1. Sky
2. Earth
3. Tohu
4. Vohu
5. Darkness
6. Water
7. Light
8. Day
9. Night
10. Yom Echad
This is thought to parrellel the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments and a not so subtle reminder that the Ikar, or root central purpose of the Torah.
Va’Y’hi Ereve Va’Y’hi Boker Yom Rishon
The Second Day
Well if any of you were wondering why Monday’s were such a drag, look no further than the Torah. The second day is the only day which God does not look at it and call it good. I offered a D’var Torah on this topic on a prior occasion; where I posited that the acts of creation appear to me more akin to art than engineering, thus the presence of a transitional period where things are not just exactly perfect makes natural sense and is reflective of the creative process. This time round I will posit an interpretation based in the m’phorshim that the Rakia which is the force created on the second day, is the force of weather, neither good nor bad and accounts the enduring popularity of the tune Stormy Monday. Even though it will be my last reference to the secular days of the week.
In case your were paying careful attention, you might have also noticed that Shamayim was already created on the first day, this bothered me to and Ramban did comment that there is a slight variation in the vowel structure between the shamayim referenced in the opening verse and the Shamayim that was created on the second day which bears specific relevance to water and the forces of weather as compared to the Shamayim in the first day which is contrasted directly to earth.
This “opens the door” to interpretations and is an acknowledgement of imperfection and even amid all of the wonderful events to follow including the creation of Adam B’Tzelem Elohim perhaps a sign of the implicit imperfection of what happens on Earth.
Va’ Y’hi Erev Va’Yhi Boker Yom Sha’y’ni
The Third Day
On the third day we wrap up geography and start plant biology. Our landscape gets the final nod with the “Ki Tov” missing from Stormy Monday and we move on to plant life. On the third day I find myself “modern scientific knowledge” becomes a bit more incongruent with the order delineated in B’reshit, while I won’t go so far as to say that it misses the point entirely, I will say that anyone whose faith gets shaken when they realize that animal life is a precondition for the existence of fruit trees will not find meaningful spiritual guidance analyzing sequences of nucleic acids either. The revelations in the Torah are spiritual, not scientific. The delay in introducing the Sun, the Moon and the Stars all the way to the fourth day intentional suppression of symbols in the idolatrous systems of worship that the Torah came to replace rather than any need for the precision and accuracy of the scientific methods that are our modern obsessions. Even as we rely increasingly on these tools to better understand B’reshit which doubtless also implies that approaching the ideal closest most perfect scientific origin is of central importance.
The 3rd day gets 2 Ki Tov nods plus its own for the only day having 2 Kit Tov nods is thought by many to be a day of good portent.
Sh…lishi
The Fourth Day.
Sun, Moon and Stars, at the essence of Creation. Perspective dimension of time. Dialectics. Introduction of the Mashal of something bayn Yom, Ve’Layla. By the ’Me’Orot Hag’Dolim of the silvery moon. Our whatever you want to call it day.
Va’ Y’ Hi Erev R’ vi’ yy
Earth and animals in harmony and natural order, the first itteration of P’ru Ur’vu for the splendor of living things and natural systems to multiply and perpetuate
Va’Yhi….erev va’yhi Boker Yom Chamishi
We are placed here by a loving and trusted God who encompasses all of our mothers, father, the stars the sun, the moon, the big super important lights, time that supersedes all objects has placed us here only to trip on ourselves, betray reason, give in to our obvious foils for which would should feel no shame. Come on…. If I tell my kids, see that tree over there, it has the most rotten disgusting fruit on it and I don’t ever want to see you guys ever ever eating from that rotten disgusting tree, I have of course impressed upon them the choice.
Should I ask you for your feedback or shoud we get on with Yom Hashishi and since its Shabbat we will leave the best for later.
OK

Let’s give this all we’ve got. All you Feminists, all you Zionists, anyone who does not believe in an apocalypse, I want to hear it from Human Rights Activists, and Animal Rights Advocates, I want to hear from the Agriculturalists, from Pharma, they guys that believe in Karma but mainly all the Jews in the room
Va’ Yhi Erev Va,Yhi Boker Yom Shishi
Norm will lead us later as we read the events of Yom Ha’ Sh’Vi;i at Kiddush as we together as we do every week
Shabbat Shalom