Breyshit: A Derech Eretz Commentary

Torah begins with the most basic theological foundations and builds upon them. First there was God. Next were heaven and earth. Which may be understood as the spiritual/religious/spiritual/imaginative realm and the cosmos of spacetime respectively.

heaven :sky and planet. Non-corporeal realm of the angels/spirituality. Imaginative realm of humans

Intended to mean the planet earth, because in the time of the writing of Torah, people knew no more. In the context of present day scientific knowledge, and given the context of the original intended meaning, it makes sense that aretz here refers to the entire cosmos. Nor meaning the dirt.

Chaotic, without purpose or form. Dr. Michael Fishbane points out in his book Sacred Attunement that even in the primordial undifferentiated material of the universe, the presence of God existed. We might access this by noticing that vohu might be read vo hu, "within it, He is". A reminder that even in the moments we experience that seem without purpose and chaotic, He is still in it. Also, God, being within the precursor of material universe, also present within all material that arose from primordial aretz. Hashem is present in all things, in all space.

Connoting the absence of all light, energy, and photons.

The precursor in our universe to space. Also the source of life. Also symbol of wisdom according to the kaballistic traditions.

At this point, this is inclusive of the state of our universe before the Big Bang occurred. There was darkness connoting absence of all forms of energy.

This verse explains how the idea of separateness was already present within the universe God created. Grass of the field came forth its way. Trees another. These methods of reproduction will be critical in my discussion when Adam and Eve chose to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. See later commentary.

Earth and grass/grains are of the same stuff; made from the same atoms and molecules as other entities that were brought forth from the earth later.

The nature of grass germination is that a bed of grass arises from a single root system. A new blade of grass that pops up grows from the same root as the rest. This applies to sadeh, fields.

Trees in contradistinction to grass germinate via a seed within the fruit. The seed falls and crates a distinct and separate organism. These separate organisms compete to some degree for natural resources for their individual survival.

Creatures with spirit--nefesh and chaya are both forms of spirit--came forth from the earth, and were forms of earth in similar fashion to grass and trees (totze)

cf Rabbi David Seidenberg "Torah and Ecology" discussion of tzelem Elohim

How will people merit and keep their continued God given original purpose of urdu? By implementing their God given neshamas and through them channeling the God given purpose of lavda ulshomra-- to serve and to keep. The way to do this is to emulate how Hashem manifested the world, through tzimtzum, withdrawing His ego (what would life be like for us were God in his great omnipresence and omnipotence to manifest in our world?). And so we, in avda ulshomra should seek to be in this world. To not project ourselves into what we in this world form. Examples of wrong ways of manifesting/forming are scapegoating, colonization, anti-Semitism. When not adhering to lavda ulshomra, we are being less than a worm (see Tzavaat HaRivash #12); we are regressing, allowing our animal nefesh to manifest; we are descending and then as the rabbis state above yerdu.

Procreation is a blessing from God, with stipulations as does follow.

To fill the earth and not over-fill. When might we consider the earth to be over-filled? I posit that when the earth is taken out of its original balance by humans pru urvu-ing, it is a sign that the earth is over-filled. Why do I chose this? Because if we humans are to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul and might, we would choose to put the khol of creation first because this was what was "very good". To do otherwise is to project human freedom of choice onto God's creations; to serve with less than we might aka a cheyt. The Ba'al Shem Tov of blessed memory in Tzavaat HaRivash #12 states, "...unlike you, a worm serves the Creator with all its intellect and strengths."

In its natural state of equilibrium, scientific studies show the earth can hold and sustain 2 billion people. Beyond this requires humans to manipulate animals and plants for sustenance which exceed, arguably, the biblically proclaimed norms and earth's capacity. The human population is presently over 8 billion souls on the earth.

The initial command from Hashem was for a herbivorous lifestyle. This was the ideal intent.

In this and the 2 verses that follow, the word kol or a form of it appears 5 times. Hashem saw the entirety of what was created--including humans and the potentiality for evil--and saw that it was very good. "very good" comes following God's review of the kol of creation. This kol is defined further below.

From the data provided by the Webb telescope, it is a certainty that there are many planets in the universe with life, and some almost certainly with conscious life forms. The rabbis were right. It is certain that some of these planets possessed life which has become extinct. Such is the working of our universe. Is our planet different? Is humanity so special that God will protect us while other planets have lost their life? Or did God create a universe as the rabbis in Breyshit Rabbah envision? Aren't we responsible for caring for our own planet to ensure its survival as it is written, “See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.” – Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13

these words are the first in the traditional ritual prayer of kiddush over the wine on Shabbat. The chanting of these words connects biblical origins of Shabbat to the weekly ritual of bringing in the Shabbat. We recall the universe's first Shabbat, celebrated by Hashem and with intention seek to imbue our life and our Shabbat celebration with the Holy One. These words and the next few mark the exact point of transition from mundane week to holy Sabbath.

The kol, or entirety, of God's creations is referred to here: the heavens, the universe, and hosts of angels, people, and other living things. A spiritual-material ecosystem of heaven and earth. These were the things just created (angels aside). The kol is greater than the sum of its parts. The kol was deemed very good in the preceding verse.

In the seventh day; whose root, composed of the Hebrew letters shin, bet, ayin, connect it to the concept of saveah meaning satisfied. An indicator of ancient wisdom that 6 days of work and one day of rest is a cosmic ratio endorsed by the divine by which we may balance our lives. Just as Hashem worked 6 and rested 1 day, we should use this as a guide on which to base our work/rest balance. In doing so, we connect with that which is divine and right, and for practical reasons adhere to a work/rest balance that is sustainable, healthy, ethical and good. This pertains not just to the 6/7 of weekly Shabbat, but also to the 6/7 of shmita.

Hashem rested IN the seventh day, imbuing every Shabbat with divine presence.

From here we get the idea that Hashem is present in time. From vohu we might understand God's presence in space. In summary, God is present within all of spacetime. Spacetime according to scientific understanding being the concepts of time and three-dimensional space regarded as fused in a four-dimensional continuum (Oxford dictionary). And from this verse the reader might infer that God is to be found in the 7th day even today, in our experience.

As is so often the case, attempts at the translation of the original Hebrew of Torah fall short. There is no word to adequately express "Shabbat". Within the Hebrew word Shabbat are connotations of sitting, dwelling, and returning. There are whispers of the divine.

Above is the original translation but it may be missing a point. Since Adam hadn't been created yet, the Hebrew word adam connotes not a human, but a function, a subset of adamah. The function being a creation from the ground, of the ground to do what? To SERVE the earth.

God formed. This is a different process than was described in chapter 1. Kabbalistically, it occurs in the realm of yetzirah. The earth was already in existence. God took the earth and made the Human from it. The word min also connotes that people's bodies are a form of the earth from which they come, suggesting the more integral relationship.

YHVH inserted neshama directly into the human. Once there, the neshama informed the nefesh, the animal spirit with a will autonomously functioning, yet connected to ruach Elohim. 3/4 levels of the soul are mentioned in this text.

God brought the trees forth from the earth, like he did people

In their relationship with the earth, people were to do work upon it and keep it. Avdah is the same root word as avodah which refers to serving, ritual work like korbanot. Later, the korbanot were replaced by prayer. People were to serve the land as part of their place in God's universe and by doing so, serve Hashem. Shomrah--to keep it. Keep it, preserve it from what? There were no predators or dangers in The Garden of Eden. The answer is to preserve it from our yetzer harah, our evil inclinations. Peoples' jobs were to preserve the Garden in the event evil were to put it at risk. And in this way, we might think of preserving as pre-serving and ask ourselves, "what are the preconditions to us serving the earth as God intended?" I think this would include proper attunement, proper work on ourselves to enable serving in the way God intended.

Not that they would die that very moment (we know because it didn't happen). Rather, egocentrism and self-centered desire develop from eating of the tree, and with that comes separation from God and land. And with these, a different conceptualization of the universe by people that is described below. One based on the experience of being separate from God and land. And I interpret mote tamut in this way: that people will conceptualize death in a new way because of the newfound egocentrism. That conceptualization of death will be such that it will be seen as (1) no longer integrally a part of the circle of life of all things, and (2) there will be a separation of death as a separate experience in and of itself rather than as a part of life.

They were not yet self conscious; they did no evil; so they felt no shame. Yitbosheshu can also mean "confused".

Cursed be the ground on your behalf. The punishment of the ground is that it no longer serves its original God-given purpose. And as Adam was min ha'adamah, and because Adam took the idea of ego from the ground, it is just for the ground to receive part of the punishment. Your food shall be the grasses of the fields. Peoples' new situation. Plays into the Cain and Abel story below. From self awareness at having eaten from the Tree of Knowledge comes these consequences which lay the conditions for life in our real world, the world of malchut. (1) the ground is cursed because humans were not yet discriminated from earth despite their perspective to the contrary. (2) people would no longer serve the land with avodah for food. Now they would have to toil for it. (3) People will have to work the earth for food all the days of their lives, until they return to the earth. Either in death, or until they repent sufficiently that they return to their original relationship with the earth. Because we were taken from it--at birth, also God now necessarily removes them figuratively from the earth, separating the humans partially (from Eden) because they were no longer spiritually fit for living there within that perfect ecosystem. "Because dust you are": a reminder from God that were are still of the same stuff that the earth is made of. "And to dust you shall return": that their bodies will return to the earth. And now that Adam and Eve had an egotistical perspective, these words sounded much more ominous to their ears. Hearing them for the first time, they understood in that moment what mot yumat means. For to the egocentric person, returning to dust now means this life will be over like it wasn't before. Whereas being part of the kol, being part of the divine ideal ecosystem, death was seen as a part of life such that other creatures might arise from the dust that formed their bodies. Now there was aversion to returning to the dirt and ending this life.

Until you return to the ground. We work until the day we die. Also, until we return to the ideology of being one with the earth. When that occurs, we return to complete relationship and fit within a humble balance in relationship with earth. This maintains equilibrium of the ecosystem on the planet earth.

from dust you are and dust you shall return. Reiterated here by God to emphasize the point in case in our egotistical perspective we should forget. Forget that existence continues for people as earth. And, most relevant to Tu Bishvat, this is a commandment to do teshuvah for this first sin, of eating from the tree.

"The moment[people] begin to take thought...[they pass] out of the Garden of Eden into the vale of anxiety; the pale cast of worry settles down upon [them], greed is sharpened, property begins..." From The Story of Civilization v. 1 cap. 2 p. 6)

Human avodah is forever altererd from its original God given intent of pure service to service being work for the human. And for earth, its abundance being conditional on human work.

Abel was fulfilling the original God given purpose to people of stewarding animals. Cain worked the land. And this was "by the sweat of his brow" according to the new understanding of people.

The mincha offering is a humble offering; one affordable by all people. Therefore, it would have been appropriate given the status of things (see above) that he offer from the grass of the fields (Gen. 3:18). Instead, he offers from the fruits. This is the clue to why God did not favor Cain's offering. Hashem knew Cain's heart, and his heart was egotistical as learned from eating of the Tree of Knowledge (see notes above). We might consider this verse in the personal sense that to bring any "offering"--any attempt to serve or draw closer to Hashem beyond humanity's original God-given purpose is missing the mark. Even the korbanot of Torah, albeit to a lesser degree than other contemporary forms of drawing close to Hashem not endorsed by Torah, are a little off the mark. Prayer, I would argue, is in a different category of seeking God-connection.

The Hebrew suggest Hevel brought a piece of himself with his mincha offering. This surely wouldn't detract from why the offering of Hevel was accepted.

Cain's response, often regarded as snarky and sarcastic may in fact have been an honest one. "I did not know that I was my brother's keeper." How is this so? The laws of humans had just been radically altered at the eviction from Eden. God in Gen 2 put humans as guardians of the Garden, but it did not explicitly say that we were guardians of each other. There was no need, with God watching over all.

The deeper meaning of relationship of humans with the earth that I read in "afar min ha'adama" is akin to the term "living as nature" as found in the article "Diverse Values of Nature for Sustainability", https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06406-9, published by Nature in 2023.

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