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Examining the Accounts of Creation:
First Public Reading of the TORAH: B'RE'SHIT (Genesis 1:1 - 2:3)

The TORAH on Creation

Days 1, 2, and 3 Days 4, 5, and 6 Comments

Day 1 - Light

(Verses 1 through 5)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And a wind from God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Day 4 - Light

(Verses 14 through 19)

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years; And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And God made two great lights; the large light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night; and he made the stars. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Alternate Translation:
In the beginning of God's creation of heaven and earth, the earth was without form and empty. (Rashi)

Scientific Theory: The First Second, and the Birth of Light

In the first second after the universe began, the surrounding temperature was about 10 billion degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 billion Celsius), according to NASA. The cosmos contained a vast array of fundamental particles such as neutrons, electrons and protons. These decayed or combined as the universe cooled.

Day 2 - Waters

(Verses 6 through 8)

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Day 5 - Waters

(Verses 20 through 23)

And God said, Let the waters be filled with many kinds of living creatures, and birds that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created the great crocodiles, and every kind of creature that live in the waters, and every kind of winged birds, and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply in the earth. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

Genesis 1:6   God said, "There shall be a sky in the middle of the water and it shall divide between water and water."

Sky, Rakia in Hebrew literally "spread" or "expanse" is often translated as firmament.

Genesis 1:7  God made the sky and it separated the water below the sky from the water above the sky. It remained that way. (it separated; "divided" from the Septuagint.)

Life

Day 5 - Sea creatures and birds created.

Day 3 - Earth

(Verses 9 through 13)

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Day 6 - Earth

(Verses 24 through 31)

And God said, Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the earth after its kind; and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, on which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, where there is life, I have given every green herb for food; and it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Life

Day 3 - Plants created.
Day 6 - Creatures of the Land created.

Man Created in God's Image

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them.

Righteous Dominion Implied

And God blessed them, and God said to them, ... replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.

  • Replenish  -   restore (a stock or supply of something) to the former level or condition.

  • Subdue  -   to conquer and bring into subjection; to bring (land) under cultivation.

  • Dominion  -   sovereignty; control; to rule over.

"Replenish" precedes subdue and dominion. This implies a care for the earth, the environment. Consequently, sovereignty is limited. Poor management and uncontrolled exploitation of resources will damage the planet placing future life at risk. Planned cultivation and urban development based on sound research are essential to fulfill the role the Creator gave man.

Day 7 - Creation Finished. Work Ceased. Comments

Genesis 2:1 through 2:3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all his work which God created and made.

What was Missing?

What was the world missing? Rest. When the Sabbath came, Rest came, so the work was completed and finished. (Rashi)

Sanctify    to set apart as or declare holy; consecrate; make sacred; keep pure; dedicate to God.

Cross References

Exodus 16:23    And he said to them, This is what the Lord has said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath to the Lord; bake that which you will bake today, and boil what you will boil today; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

Exodus 20:8    Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Deuteronomy 5:14   But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is inside your gates; that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you.

The TORAH is the most sacred of the Hebrew scriptures given to Moses after Israel's departure from Egypt.

Please assist by providing additional material concerning themes, events and personalities in the TORAH.

Questions, Comments and Corrections.

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