(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ב) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃ (ד) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃
(1) When God began to create heaven and earth— (2) the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water— (3) God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
In the Shaharit (morning) service, we read in the first prayer before the Sh'ma:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם יוֹצֵר אוֹר וּבוֹרֵא חֽשֶׁךְ עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם וּבוֹרֵא אֶת־הַכֹּל:
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who forms light, creates darkness, makes peace, and creates all things.
But the original source text (Isaiah 45:7) does not say merely "who creates all things." Isaiah says:
יוֹצֵ֥ר אוֹר֙ וּבוֹרֵ֣א חֹ֔שֶׁךְ עֹשֶׂ֥ה שָׁל֖וֹם וּב֣וֹרֵא רָ֑ע אֲנִ֥י יהוה עֹשֶׂ֥ה כׇל־אֵֽלֶּה׃ {פ}
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I, the Lord, do all these things.
The light is good; it is peace. It is separated from darkness, but darkness and evil are also part of G-d's creation. How do we separate from evil?
In the Maariv (evening) service, the first blessing before the Sh'ma is about creation, but we are facing the oncoming darkness with immediacy, and we praise G-d as the Creator of both day and night, adding "separating day from night", echoing Genesis 1:4:
וּמַבְדִּיל בֵּין יום וּבֵין לָיְלָה.
(ז) וַיִּ֩יצֶר֩ יהוה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃ (ח) וַיִּטַּ֞ע יהוה אֱלֹהִ֛ים גַּן־בְּעֵ֖דֶן מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַיָּ֣שֶׂם שָׁ֔ם אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָצָֽר׃ (ט) וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יהוה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כׇּל־עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְט֣וֹב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע׃
(7) God יהוה formed the Human from the clay soil, blowing into his nostrils the breath of life: the Human became a living being. (8) God יהוה planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the Human who had been fashioned. (9) And from the ground God יהוה caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.
(טז) וַיְצַו֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים עַל־הָֽאָדָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר מִכֹּ֥ל עֵֽץ־הַגָּ֖ן אָכֹ֥ל תֹּאכֵֽל׃ (יז) וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֙עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם אֲכׇלְךָ֥ מִמֶּ֖נּוּ מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת׃
(16) And God יהוה commanded the Human, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; (17) but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.”
(ו) וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טוֹב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃ (ז) וַתִּפָּקַ֙חְנָה֙ עֵינֵ֣י שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיֵּ֣דְע֔וּ כִּ֥י עֵֽירֻמִּ֖ם הֵ֑ם וַֽיִּתְפְּרוּ֙ עֲלֵ֣ה תְאֵנָ֔ה וַיַּעֲשׂ֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם חֲגֹרֹֽת׃
(6) When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate. (7) Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves loincloths.
(כב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ יהוה אֱלֹהִ֗ים הֵ֤ן הָֽאָדָם֙ הָיָה֙ כְּאַחַ֣ד מִמֶּ֔נּוּ לָדַ֖עַת ט֣וֹב וָרָ֑ע וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ פֶּן־יִשְׁלַ֣ח יָד֗וֹ וְלָקַח֙ גַּ֚ם מֵעֵ֣ץ הַֽחַיִּ֔ים וְאָכַ֖ל וָחַ֥י לְעֹלָֽם׃ (כג) וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ יהוה אֱלֹהִ֖ים מִגַּן־עֵ֑דֶן לַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֻקַּ֖ח מִשָּֽׁם׃
At which point, we proceed to commit evil acts, from Cain murdering his brother Abel out of jealousy, to the whole generation before the flood other than Noah and his family being washed from the face of the Earth. Remember, this a universal story about humans, not particular to us. And today evil acts persist in the world.
From this we learn two things: (1) we can discern good from evil but that is no guarantee we will act accordingly; and (2) life is finite, hence precious.
Why do we humans commit atrocities when we know the difference between good and evil?
Why does the Torah, a book fundamentally about the covenant with the children of Israel that we will inherit the Promised Land, start with the universal story of creation and the expulsion from Eden?
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs cites Rashi in Genesis 1:1:
"Rabbi Isaac said: The Torah should have begun with the verse, “This month shall be to you the first of months” (Exodus 12:2) which was the first commandment given to all of Israel. Why then did it begin with, “In the beginning”? It began thus because it wished to convey the idea contained in the verse (Psalm 111:6), “The power of His acts He told to His people, in order to give them the estate of the nations.” So that if the nations of the world will say to Israel, “You are robbers because you took by force the land of the seven nations,” Israel might reply to them, “The whole earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He. He created it and gave it to them, and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us.”
Rabbi Sachs continues: "Judaism is not primarily about personal salvation, the relationship between the individual and God in the inner recesses of the soul. It is about collective redemption, about what it is to create a society that is the opposite of Egypt, where the strong enslave the weak. The Torah is the architectonic of a society in which my freedom is not purchased at the cost of yours, in which justice rules, and each individual is recognised as bearing the image of God.
In other words, in giving us Eretz Yisrael as the promised land, to be worthy of the gift, our duty is to act in furtherance of peace and justice, to combat evil when it confronts us or arises within us, and to preserve life and the dignity of each person.
Torah is about the kind of society we are commanded to create: one that protects the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the most vulnerable among us. Not one that results in oppression, hate, violence and death. "I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse: choose life, that both you and your children may live." (Deut. 30:19)
The word Chamas in Hebrew means evil violence. In Arabic, Hamas means war-like valor or zeal. Zeal based on hate, that denies the humanity and dignity of others, is evil. In these difficult days, confronted directly by murderous hate and evil, we have two duties: to confront evil wherever it is present, and to create a more just society both in Israel for all its inhabitants and wherever in the world we may live.
Hashkiveinu Prayer
Help us to lie down in peace and wake up again secure in Your love. Spread Your sheltering peace over us; guide us with Your own good counsel; save us for Your own sake. Be a shield around us, turning away enemies, disease, violence, hunger, and sorrow. Remove evil from before us and behind us. Keep us safe in the shadow of Your wings, for You are our Guardian and Deliverer. You rule us with mercy and compassion. Watch over us as we come and go in life, so that we may live in peace now and forever. Spread your sheltering peace over us. Praised are You, Adonai, Who spreads the shelter of peace over us and all humanity.