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The Creation:
A Work In Progress

Parshat Bereshit: Genesis 1:1-6:8;
Isaiah 42:5-43:10.

I

n the beginning, there was dark-
to God's process of Creation.
ness. Darkness, chaos, waters
When the King James Bible translated
running deep. Earth being
the opening words of our Torah as "In
"tohu va'vohu"has been translated as
the beginning, God created the heaven
"unformed and void" or "astonishingly
and the earth" it obscured their teaching.
empty" and suggests something impos-
Better translations (JPS, Artscroll) have
sible to envision.
included "When God began to
But we are not unique in our
create ..." or "In the beginning
inchoate understanding of what
of God's creating ..." because
preceded life. A Jicarilla Apache
creation — God's Creation — is a
creation narrative begins, "In
process, not an event.
the beginning nothing was here
And so creation is not just an
where the world now stands;
ancient story. It is a framework
there was no ground, no earth
for understanding the world
— nothing but Darkness, Water
in which we live, our relation-
and Cyclone"
ship with God, and our sacred
Rabbi Ar Tana
There are times in every
purpose. God creates the light
Silverma n
human life when we feel the
by which we see, and that aware-
darkness and sense that form-
ness of what exists helps shape a
lessness. We understand that God is pres- vision of what could yet be. God creates
ent in the void — but God's spirit feels as
life, God recognizes the goodness of life,
ephemeral as wind over water.
and God creates sacred stewards for that
I have lived through those times,
life. Then God rests. But the story does
unable to see or speak the possibility of a
not end.
new reality.
We are those stewards. We were placed
In those times, our Creation story
in the Garden of Eden "l'ovda u'l'shomra,"
provides illumination because, as Jews,
(Genesis 2:15) to work and protect it. And
we believe that not only is Creation pos-
remembering that eternal Divine call to
sible, it never ends. Our morning liturgy
protect life has sometimes brought me
expresses gratitude that God yotzeir ohr
out of the darkness.
uvorei choshech, God creates light and
Just as I awake each day to my daugh-
darkness, and does so in the present
ter's calls from her crib, I try to hear the
tense.
wake-up call of the larger world in which
The liturgy later continues uv'tuvo
we live. The sacred partnership is con-
m'chadeish b'chol yom tamid maaseih
tinually renewed. There is still work to be
v'reishit, in goodness God renews each
done. *
day, eternally, the work of Creation.
Next week, Ariana Silverman will become the
Everything that lives is in a process of
rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Jackson. She lives
constant sacred creation. Each day of our
with her family in the city of Detroit, where she is
lives, our bodies are creating new cells.
constantly creating a vision of what could yet be.
Our holidays provide a never-ending
cycle of new beginnings. We have seen
this within the current lunar cycle. On
Conversations
Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate that we,
•When
and where do you see the world
and the world, are entering another year
being
created
anew each day?
of life. On Yom Kippur, we are offered
•What
gives
you
hope when the world
an opportunity to turn and transform
feels
dark
or
chaotic?
our souls. Sukkot instills the presence of
•What are you doing to fulfill your obli-
impermanence. On Simchat Torah, as
gation to be a good steward of God's
we begin our Torah cycle again, in one
creation? What can you do better?
breath we transition from Moses' death

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Caregivers Assist With:

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Call
Arleen Platt and
Andy Roisman

•Bathing & Dressing
•Kosher Prepared Meals
•Companionship

(248) 594-4574

visit us online • arcadiahomecare.com

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O•

DR JASON H. BODZIN "1" AND RENEE ZUCKER ,"r

arteeitt"

eme-/u,eal

SAVE THE DATE!

Sunday, November 8
at 7 pm.

Followed by an
afterglow reception

Open to the Community

A NIGHT OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC

FEATURING

Cantor Earl G. Berris, Congregation B'nai Moshe
Charles Berris, Ritual Director - Congregation B'nai Moshe
Cantor David Propis, Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Assistant Cantor Leonard Gutman, Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Cantor Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo
Cantor Pamela Schiffer, Congregation Shaarey Zedek, East Lansing
Cantor Penny Steyer, Congregation Shir Shalom
Cantor Dan Gross, Adat Shalom Synagogue
The Congregation B'nai Moshe Choir

The Cliff Monear Quartet, Cliff Monear, Pianist
will be performing and accompanying the singers.

Cliff

Monear

Fran
Lanzkron-

B'NAI

12.
MOSHE

)

rivn3

Dan
Gross

mela
Schiffer

Earl G.
Berris

Penny
Steyer

Charles

Leonard

Berris

Gutman

6800 Drake R •
West Bloomfieldiei, 48322
248-788-0600 • Bnaimoshe.org

David
Propos

J
JE
DETROIT
\ E RI N
E

JEWISH NE WS

FREE ADMISSION f

JN

October 8 2015 39