Rabbi Daniel: Thoughts on Torah

Dear Friends,

In 5786 we are reading the first triennial of each parsha, which means starting each parsha at the beginning.  The second verse of our Torah reading speaks of God bringing order to chaos.    

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃
"The earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water—Gen 1:2

Some commentators tell us that this Ruach Elohim is the spirit of the Divining causing the water to recede

recede.  Some say it is God manipulating the air to do the work.  The commentator Rashbam (12th century, French) says that God sent a wind to sweep back the waters as a foreshadow to what God did for the Israelites as a culminating event during the Exodus from Egypt.  

וַיֵּ֨ט מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶת־יָדוֹ֮ עַל־הַיָּם֒ וַיּ֣וֹלֶךְ יְהֹוָ֣ה ׀ אֶת־הַ֠יָּ֠ם בְּר֨וּחַ קָדִ֤ים עַזָּה֙ כׇּל־הַלַּ֔יְלָה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־הַיָּ֖ם לֶחָרָבָ֑ה וַיִּבָּקְע֖וּ הַמָּֽיִם׃
Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and יהוה drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split.

So in Rashbam's explanation we have

 have ruach Elohim seeming to mean the instrument of the wind rather than God, God's self.  All these opening verses can be interpreted in many different ways.  What's more important than how God put chaos in order is the fact that God put chaos in order.  

May we all come to this new beginning of reading from our sacred scroll with an openness to the Divine role in creation and in God's role in the unfolding of human history from the beginning of time, through today, and beyond.  

Rabbi Daniel