B'reisheet בְּרֵאשִׁית - the Beginning
Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8
Day #2: Genesis 2:4–19
2:4 This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Hashem Elohim made the earth and the heavens. 5 No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Hashem Elohim had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground, 6 but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Hashem Elohim formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 Hashem Elohim planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground Hashem Elohim made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one that flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Hashem Elohim took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
16 Hashem Elohim commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
18 Hashem Elohim said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19 Out of the ground Hashem Elohim formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called, every living creature became its name.
Today’s Meditation:
When Hashem created Adam, He breathed the breath of life into him. When you consider this, it is powerful. Adam was not born or carried by his mother. He did not have a mother. He was created directly by Hashem. And after he was created, Hashem breathed His life into his nostrils. This is how His special people were created; this is what sets them apart. They began with His breath of life, His oxygen.
Today, we debate when life begins. Does it begin at conception? Birth? When does Hashem breathe life into a new creation? This is something to reflect on.
Today’s Challenge:
In what ways are you trying to get back to the Garden or the presence of Hashem? Do you think there will be a time when His covenant followers will return to the Garden? Maybe the Garden is in the Kingdom of Heaven—the perfect place.
