Rabbi Levi Yitzchak teaches that B’reishit can be understood as bet reishit, “There are two beginnings.” The first beginning is what God made.The second beginning is how we develop and interact with what God made. God creates language and we form it into prayer. God creates sound and we form it into the blasts of the shofar.
Questions on Levi Yitzchak
- Can you think of an aspect of your life that involved two—or more— beginnings?
- What changed and what stayed the same?
- What did you let go of and what stayed with you?
אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה, לֹא פֵּרְשׁוּ הַמַּיִם הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים מִן הָעֶלְיוֹנִים אֶלָּא בִּבְכִיָּה
...Rabbi Berechya said, The lower waters did not separate from the upper waters without crying out, "Who to us that we were separated from our Creator."
Questions on Bereishit Rabbah
In the text above, the waters must be separated in order for the earth to emerge. Separation is a natural part of growing up; even though we will always be connected with our families, the relationship changes.
In what ways are you differentiating or separating yourself from parents?
How does the relationship change over time?
Even when it’s natural and important, sometimes this separation process is painful or difficult for parents and teens.
Does it make you feel better to know that separation is understood in our tradition as inherent to creation and necessary for growth? Why or why not?
Musician Leonard Cohen (known for his composition, Hallelujah) wrote,
“There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” What does that mean to you?
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, a Chasidic leader, is credited as having said: “The day you were born is the day God decided that the world couldn’t exist without you.
Do you believe that this is true? Why or why not?
Would knowing this make you feel better on a bad day?
Are there are times in life that it is important to remember this?