This week’s parshah is Bereishit, and the Torah reading contains the story of creation, beginning with the well-known line commonly rendered, “In the beginning, G‑d created heaven and earth.” But the Chassidic Masters have interpreted it to also mean: “G‑d created beginnings.” Not only did He create a new world, but He created the idea of new beginnings and new opportunities for all time.
Imagine if there was never a time or opportunity to start over again? Our lives would be significantly poorer for it.
You may be surprised to learn that, according to the Midrash and Kabbalistic tradition, ours was not the first world G‑d created. He created other worlds too, but they did not please Him and so they did not endure. Only when it came to our world does it say, “And G‑d saw that it was good.” This world found favor in His eyes. The others did not.
What is the Midrash telling us? That G‑d made mistakes? That He messed up and had to keep trying over and over again until he got it right? That doesn’t sound like the perfect Supreme Being we subscribe to.
Of course, G‑d doesn’t need to practice until He gets it right! By creating several worlds before ours, G‑d was deliberately teaching us an important lesson for life. That it’s OK to make a mistake. That we can start again. That there can be new beginnings.
Look at Adam and Eve. Their son Cain killed his own brother, Abel, wiping out a quarter of the world’s population. Can you imagine how they felt? They gave birth to a murderer! They could have been forgiven for deciding not to bring any more children into the fledgling world. Instead, they went on to have another child, Seth, who became the forefather of Noah, Abraham, and all of us.
What if they’d given up hope? Where would we be? Would we, in fact, be? Thank G‑d, they started over and rebuilt their family. Thank G‑d, they made the correct decision—one that was based on the possibility of starting over, and the hope that they could do things better next time.
If G‑d could start over, then Adam and Eve could start over, and so can we.
This Shabbat, known as Shabbat Bereishit, is a time of new beginnings. It is the first Shabbat as we get back to the routine of the new year following the festive Yom Tov season. It is a bridge into the new Jewish calendar year, and is rich with opportunity and potential. It helps us infuse the new year with the inspiration of our High Holiday experiences.
Even if there may be areas of our lives which haven’t quite gone the way we would have liked them to, we can be assured that it is not too late to try again. Don’t be discouraged. Let’s grasp this wonderful opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning.
-adapted from www.chabad.org
