בס "ד

Parashat Bereshit

The Torah is a book of lessons.

Right at the beginning we find a powerful lesson regarding our job in creation. Based in Likutei Sijot, vol. 10, p. 7

The First Creation: Light as the Blueprint of Life

The True Meaning of “Torah”

The word Torah (usually translated as “Bible”) actually comes from the Hebrew word hora’ah, which means “lesson.” The Torah is, therefore, a book of lessons — a book of life — teaching us how to live according to the will of G-d.

A Powerful Lesson at the Very Beginning

Right at the beginning, we already find a very powerful lesson.

The first verses of the Toira are usually translated as:

“In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was void…”

But the true translation, without going too deeply into linguistic details, is actually:

“In the beginning of the creation by G-d of the heavens and the earth — when the earth was void — G-d said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

This means that the first creation was light — ohr in Hebrew — not the heavens and the earth.

Rashi’s Explanation

If you wish to study this further, I invite you to read the commentary of Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), who lived in France around the year 1000.
He gives a very long and detailed explanation of exactly this point.

The Question: Who Benefited from the Light?

So, the first creation is light. But then a question arises:
If light was the first creation, who was actually benefiting from it?

There was nobody there. There was nothing there — not even a world, just light.
So what is the purpose of light if there is no world and nobody to receive it?

The Example of the Architect

To understand this, our sages offer a beautiful example.
Imagine an architect or a builder who wants to construct a house.
Before he begins, he must have a clear objective in his mind — what exactly he wants to build and what the purpose of the entire process is.

Then he starts building. And sometimes, in order to build upward, he first digs downward.

You might look at him and say, “Wait a second! You said you wanted a building that reaches high into the sky, and yet you’re digging deep into the ground. What are you doing?”

The answer is simple: sometimes you must dig down in order to go higher.

Light as the Blueprint of Creation

The first thing a builder needs is a blueprint — something that guides the entire building process.
That is what light actually represents.

Light is the purpose of creation. G-d wants us to find this light in every single deed, every word, and every thought — in everything we do, say, and think.

The Hidden Light

Sometimes, this light is hidden. Sometimes we must work very hard to uncover it.
We have to dig deep — into ourselves and into the world — to find it.

But the light is always there. The godly light exists in every single corner of creation and in every single one of us.

Our Purpose: To Find the Light

That is why G-d created light — because it is the blueprint and the objective that guides everything throughout creation.

Our task, our life’s work — though sometimes difficult, and sometimes requiring us to break down before we can rebuild higher — is to find this divine light within creation and within ourselves.

Vortrag von Rabbi Tuvia Serber


Die obige Darstellung zeigt den gesprochenen Text, der in geschriebenen Text umgewandelt wurde.

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