A. The First Order of Manifested Business: Separating Light From Darkness (Commentary)

Written scriptures obtained from https://www.sefaria.org

Genesis 1: 1-6 (JPS)

Genesis 1:14-19

Introduction:

Prior to anything Hashem created His wisdom. From this wisdom, Hashem began bringing into being everything in the tangible world. Thus, when we speak of the order of creation, we are discussing the order of physical manifestations of the first created thing: Hashem's Divine Wisdom, The Aleph Bet and Torah.

The goal of today’s lesson is to discover what Hashem's first order of business was in creation. Specifically we will study what it meant for Him to separate the light from the darkness. In a later study we will examine the depths of this separation and how the first task for Hashem was actually to separate righteousness from unrighteousness.

The Beginning Before The Beginning: Creating Wisdom

Speaking of His Divine Wisdom in Proverbs 8:21-32 (JPS 1917), it is declared through Solomon:

And Who is The Word and All Wisdom?

Hashem.

Unlike the teachings found in false religions, Judaism belives that Hashem is the creator of All wisdom. Therefore His wisdom is a created entity. Hashem then chose to manifest this wisdom in a spark of light, that is the Glory Light, or Shekinah, of Himself.

From the passage in Proverbs 8, we learn that before anything was created, Hashem created His wisdom in order to bring forth a creation that would put on display His own majesty, righteousness, and holiness. From this wisdom, everything was formed, which proved Hashem's all surpassing sovereign providence was present in His creation design. We see that at the end of Provers 8:30-32, Wisdom is on earth, interacting with and delighting in humankind. Such a loving interaction is thus the culmination of the Grand Design wherein Hashem's Wisdom reigns. The elected part of creation who receive the most abundant portion of this outpoured love is The chosen, Jewish Israelites, who Hashem has called to hearken unto Wisdom and keep her ways!

The Dichotomy of Good & Evil

We begin our study of Genesis questioning the stark dichotomy between good and evil: From where did these polar opposites come? Why do they exist?

These age-old questions weigh heavily on the minds and hearts of many and are also ones that pose the greatest challenge in opposition to the Jewish Faith. The darkened, fallen world gladly takes these questions and hurl them towards the Jewish people as an assault,

These questions undoubtedly stir the soul of the faithful Jewish servant of Hashem. In response, you might be tempted to say (like I am): those are good questions as your heart begins to ponder,

Human wisdom cannot answer these questions. Instead, we must seek out the answers to these questions in the scriptures, where Hashem has revealed plainly (for all who will seek diligently) the mysteries of puzzling questions such as these.

It is from the pages of Hashem's Holy Word that we will now seek to unfold an argument with one endpoint in view—the end-all and be-all of all of creation— the Holiness of Hashem alone.

Scripture tells us that Hashem is the creator of all things, including evil and bad circumstances.

To understand the existence of good and evil, we must begin at the beginning: Genesis—G-d's own account of how He brought His creation into being. From the pages of this first book of The Tanakh, we see that Hashem is the creator of all things.

After creating all wisdom, Hashem's first created task was to divide light from darkness.

In Genesis 1:3-5, it is written,

On the surface, the meaning of Hashem's first created task may seem obvious: to divide day from night. But let's take a closer look at the Genesis account. We see in Genesis 1:14-15 that on the fourth day G-d said,

G-d (Elohim) then went on to create the sun and the moon. G-d (Elohim) created the sun to “rule the day,” and He created the moon to “rule the night” (Genesis 1:16-19).

We must pause here and deeply consider the two accounts that include the creation of light.

What light did (Elohim) divide from darkness on the first day of creation?

Looking to later accounts in Tanakh gives us a greater understanding that the light that separated the darkness on this first day of creation was the Holy Light of Hashem separating the darkness of evil, which He previously brought into being. This Holy Light is the Shekinah. This physical manifestation of Hashem took the Infinite of the Divine and made a spark of it to be finite. This finite Shekinah is also considered to be the Wisdom of Hashem, or the physical presence of The Divine that interacts with creation directly.

The darkness was not merely the night sky. Rather, given its ability for comprehension, this darkness was some created entity that had a brain of some sort. From this understanding, we see that the darkness in Elohim's creation pertains to creatures whom Hashem also brought into existence.

The darkness discussed on day one of creation pertains to beings that Hashem had previously created. To understand this concept, we must first understand that before earth and everything on our planet or universe existed, Hashem had already created other worlds. Part of these other worlds includes the heavenly realms. Beings in the heavenly realms included the created divine beings referred to in the Tanakh as angels, Elohim, and sons of G-d.

These created divine beings do not have a will of their own. They were created only to do the will of Hashem--that is, they were created to bring all of Hashem's wisdom to fruition on earth. Some of these beings work for the good of all creation, others were created to test the world and all of creation (The book of Job gives an excellent example of such testing).

Thus, to understand the darkness discussed on day one of creation, we must hold in mind these divine beings that were already created by Hashem as well. Through such consideration, we can comprehend the possibility that the “darkness” was reference to the angels who were created in order to test the world (much in the way the Adversary does in Job). These entities are used to influence evil in the world, at Hashem's direction. (Again, this truth is most abundantly clear if you read the book of Job)

How is it possible that a Holy and righteous G-d created evil?

Hashem is the Creator of everything. Without Him, nothing exists. There is no other Creator, not even for the more sinister things in creation. If there were some other being in control of creation, then that would mean there was another divine being that was as powerful as He is, which if true would negate the entire concept of "God". The fact that Hashem is the only One True God and Creator speaks to Hashem's Divine attribute of Omnipotence (all-powerful).

Further, since the first thing that Hashem created was His wisdom, Hashem not only saw the end from the beginning, but He also wrote the beginning from the end which He also planned before the beginning of space and time. This concept of Hashem being able to see and know all things is referred to as His Divine attribute of Omniscience, which is often connected with His Divine attribute of omnipresence (Hashem's ability to be present everywhere at all points in eternity past to eternity future).

As we will learn in other studies, one of Hashem's main end-goals was to bring His holiness into fruition in the earthly realms. To do this, Hashem planned long before the birth of anything in creation to choose a people whom He would utilize to shine His Shekinah into the world. This people would be given His Torah, which is the source of all light, since it is the source of all of Hashem's wisdom, and therefore all of His Shekinah.

As we learn throughout the Tanakh, Hashem eventually chose the Jewish people to take as His own and to make into His harbingers of light, and love, and Truth. Like a Husband chooses a bride, Hashem chose the Jewish people with whom He desired to form an intimate relationship. The foundational part of the intimate relationship was the promised marriage covenant that Hashem would make with this chosen group of people. This promised covenant is His Torah, which became the set of marriage vows with His bride. These vows, if kept by the Jewish people, lead to a happy (and eternal) marriage union with Hashem and abundant blessing.

This Torah is also the document by which everything else was created. This means that at the outset of creation, Hashem brought forth everything according to the Laws which He created before the beginning of space and time. As darkness lay on the face of the deep, there in the "secret place," Hashem had already planned, blueprinted, and chose the direction of everything in His creation.

Since one of the main purposes of Torah is to exact holy righteousness and shalom on earth, it seems more than plausible that Torah should only exist in the context of a world that is otherwise wrought with unrighteousness and distress. Only in such an environment would Hashem be able to effect a drastic change through Torah, allowing Himself to receive all glory when the evil darkness is transformed to light and righteousness.

Thus, after the creation of wisdom, as Hashem’s first order of manifested business in His unfolding plan of creation,

Thus, Hashem's opening statement in His account of creation strongly indicates that from nothing, Hashem planned to bring to fruition His creation in which His goodness and holiness (seen in The Shekinah Light of Hashem) would be separated from the darkness of evil. As declared by Hashem, this evil darkness is unable to comprehend the holy & good things of Himself, Hashem.

As we will learn in another study, this darkness was likely birthed from the "gods" which Hashem also formed at the very outset of His creation (as mentioned above). These "gods" are referenced in Tanakh as "angels," "angelic beings," "divine beings," and "false gods". These created beings have no will of their own. They only exist to do the will of Hashem. Those designated as "false gods" do not compete with Hashem in any way. Rather, they were created by Hashem and were assigned by Hashem to be worshipped by peoples other than His people of Israel [see Deuteronomy 4]).

Throughout the Biblical narrative, it is often that we see the righteous people of Hashem and Torah waring with the idolatrous nations around them. The ultimate goal is to reveal Hashem's holy righteousness and wisdom in order to change hearts and effect a global shift back to the natural order of creation where Light, Love, and shalom reigned supreme.

It is from this bedrock of truth, we can begin to understand the complexities of the conundrum: the presence of evil birthed from a Good and Holy G-d.

The second account of light creation (in Genesis 1:14-19) clearly discusses the creation of physical sources of light, but is there an eternally focused meaning?

Studying the Literal Translation of the Hebrew in Tanakh, we find that the word originally used for the stars in the Genesis 1:14-19 account was "luminaries."

• This truth brings to mind the passage in Zechariah 4, which discusses the seven-branched candle holder that contains the seven eyes of Hashem that roam throughout the entire earth.

• Too, in Daniel 12:3, Hashem refers to those who have and teach righteousness will shine like stars in the night sky.

• Perhaps most notable, is the promise which Hashem made to Abraham in Genesis 15, in which Hashem promised to make the descendants of Abram more numerous than the stars in heaven.

Since Hashem is not a man, Hashem cannot lie (Numbers 23:19). Thus, in the painting of the sky with stars, and setting the moon as a witness of the eternal kingdom of David (Psalm 89:34-37), we can be certain that from before the foundations of the earth, Hashem placed His love upon His chosen Jewish Israelite children whom He would later bring forth from the seed of Isaac, Abram’s son of promise (as is discussed in other lessons).

Is it too much to consider then, that before Hashem created any human on the physical earth, He set the stars (His Jewish Israelites) in the heavens to represent or foreshadow the Jewish Israelite people that He would later bring to earth in order to be the beacons of His Shekinah Light in the darkness of the world?

To Answer, STOP AND THINK:

Hashem, being utterly Holy can only have delight in those who are holy like Himself, right? How many times does Hashem command to the Jewish people, "Be holy for I am holy"?

In later accounts of Genesis, we learn that Hashem creates humans in His image, but not His likeness. Yet, it will be His chosen Jewish people whom He will transform into His holy likeness through the giving of Torah and our keeping of His mitzvot. These mitzvot are the vows of our marriage covenant, which if kept are the key to receiving the promised blessings of Hashem. With each kept mitzvot, a little bit more darkness mends and a little bit more light is brought back into creation. With enough teshuvah and tikkun, the world will be ready to receive the greatest gift of restoration back to its original design. There, in a restored state of Gan Eden, Hashem will take His people as His Bride and He will be our Ishii—our husband—eternally (Hosea 2).

So, then, here we see Hashem's omniscience: His creation of the beginning with the end in view:

• Salvation before sin: before sin entered the world, Hashem created His Torah and planted it in the center of Gan Eden for Adam and Havah to freely eat from. They were given the tools of Torah as their weapon to combat evil long before they fell into sin. When sin did arise and they were kicked out of Gan Eden, the Torah went with them. It was from the lessons of Torah that would allow Havah and Adam to raise a righteous son Seth, from whom all humanity would arise. Torah thus allowed the healing of the darkness brought by Cain's killing of Abel. Such salvation by Torah truth continues in the line of Noah and is passed down formerly to Hashem's Jewish people later in Torah and Tanakh. Thus, Torah is the tool by which salvation is brought to fruition. This salvation is the promised rescue of Hashem's people out of the dark, sinful world and the eternal peace and rest we will find in His holy presence forever (eg: Isaiah 46:4; Ezekiel 34).

• Redemption before rebellion: Hashem knew that in the world that He created many of His beloved children would walk away in rebellion from righteousness and holiness. This is part of the plan of the free-will which Hashem bestowed humanity with. Yet, before such rebellion occurred, Hashem also wrote in His eternal Torah the laws of redemption whereby the wayward soul could be bought back in love. In this system of redemption, Hashem does not exact a price of a human life. Rather, He promises to pay the cost with His own life. This statement is not what you may assume. No, Hashem is not a man that He can die. No, Hashem does not die for His people. In Judaism, the life of Hashem is His ruach, His Wisdom. Thus, Hashem literally gives His Life--His Torah Wisdom--so that all of humanity may live. The cost of redemption is kept mitzvot. Beyond that, when we sin, Hashem will take us back without bride=price. Teshuvah and animal sacrifices are the required payments as well to receive unending forgiveness, mercy, and love in return (Hosea 2:20-25).

• Glorification before the fall: this glorification is the promised perfect transformation of His Jewish people into His holy likeness. This transformation is promised to occur when moshiach arrives, at which time the Jewish people will not have to learn Torah anymore, we will simply be able to do and keep the mitzvot of our marriage covenant without fail or fault (eg: Isaiah 54:13; Jeremiah 31:33–34; Ezekiel 36:27).

Light in Darkness

Thus, when Hashem created light in the darkness, He was manifesting His Infinite wisdom into something tangible and finite. This light on day one of creation was His Shekinah. This light was His Holy Wisdom. In the light was the Torah, from which salvation, righteous, and glorification was planted like seeds in the earth long before they would be needed.

On the fourth day, the lights in the night sky were thus manifestations of the planted seeds of righteousness that would later be birthed to shine light in the darkness.

(Genesis 1:14-15)

And it was so.

Thus, simply stated, on the forth day, G-d placed the stars in heaven to give light in the darkness as a foreshadow of the light that the Jewish Israelite people would bring to the darkened earth by way of the internal spark of Hashem (the Shekinah) and the Truth of Torah working in tandem to glorify Hashem. The profundity of Hashem's marriage vow with His elect Jewish Israelites is painted in the full of creation, which we will learn more about in another lesson.

Life Application:

First, we want to be clear that when we mention the Jewish Israelite people, we are talking about the complete body of Hashem’s elect people born from the seed of Isaac, not the misconstrued notions that are oft heard today where there is some group of people of a different religion (or religions) who have (or will) replace the Jewish people in Hashem's divine order and plan.

Thus, as we stand on this bedrock of truth, gazing off at the ever-darkening shorelines of life, we, as proud Jews, can be certain that our good and great G-d is in control. Though we may not understand the ebbs and flows of the trials and tribulations that often come our way, nor do we know when Hashem will turn these trials to glory, we must peer hopefully into the face of the deep and believe that from the darkness, Hashem will bring forth His light, His love, and His Torah Truth. He will fulfill His promise of Isaiah 60:1-3:

Beloved Jewish Israelite, no, standing strong will not be easy, nor will it come by the strength in your own marrow. Rather, your strength to withstand the fire of evil must be that of Hashem, through the power of His neshamah that He's planted deep within you. Just as Hashem moved on the face of the deep at the outset of creation to birth His Shekinah Light from nothing, He will continue to move in the deep waters of your heart to birth the likeness of His own glory light in your life through faithful observance of His mitzvot and Torah teachings.

Thus, no matter the dichotomy of good versus evil that Hashem has currently allowed in your life, may you arise from the valley of the shadow without fear. May the good Hashem intercede and give you steadfastness of faith. In the words of Moshe and Aaron: