Genesis 1

Verse 1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 

The Torah can be read on four different levels of meanings, known as PARDES (PRDS).for short. The first level is the surface level, Pshat. The second level is the Remez, hint, or the symbolic level of meaning. The third level is Drash, which is yet deeper, and the last layer is that of Sod (secret), which is the level of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, the deepest and most fascinating layer of all. 

If you look at the text in Hebrew, you will notice that the first letter of the Torah is Bet (ב), which is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Moreover, it is not a usual Bet. It is significantly larger than the other letters in the text. This is not something we normally do in Hebrew (unlike European languages, in which it is common). This is therefore a hint. It hints at a special meaning. Our sages say that Bet is a hint for blessing, for abundance. The world was created with a blessing, with the intention to bless it. The purpose of creation was to bestow abundant kindness on the creatures of this world. 

Heaven is the spiritual realm - the angels, the souls - that is, heaven and all its hosts. Earth is the material world: dry land, the sea, flora and fauna, animals, and... man. Man is a composite of the two realms. His body is from the earth, but his soul is from the realm of heaven. He is the only creature in all of creation that has this duality. He is also the only creature on earth that has a choice - the choice between the desires of his body and the desires of his soul. Who will rule over whom? Who will prevail? The answer to this question will determine the sum-total of the person at the end of his life, and the meaning and worth of every day of his life. 

Man was created in G-d's image. Unlike any of the other creatures, man can think abstractly, can speak and convey complex ideas, can appreciate beauty, produce and understand humor, produce art and enjoy it. Man can plan ahead and create worlds. If we look at the world around us, everything we see - the houses, the cars, planes, computers, industry - attests to the superiority of the human race over other creatures with which the world abounds. Humans are partners with G-d in creating and recreating this world, in changing it, developing it, and... perhaps in destroying it. Human intelligence is part of the 'Heavens' part of man. If it serves lofty ideas and values, it can life man and humankind up and transform the world. However, if this intelligence is in the service of the 'Earth' component in man, disaster may ensue, as it has so many times in history. Wars - between nations or between individuals - are the result of envy, greed, selfishness, egoism, all the lower forces in man. Charity and kindness are the opposite - they are the result of the most sublime parts in the human soul. 

Verse 2: Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.

From this verse we learn that when G-d created Heaven and Earth, He also created water. Water was not created as a separate creation, but was created at the same time as Heaven and Earth, as part of them. Later we will see that this water will be split between the upper water and the lower water. For now we should say that water is an element that is essential for existence. There is no life without it. Water is an allegory, a symbol for the Torah. Just as water hydrates the body and keeps it alive, so does the Torah, the teachings of G-d nourish the soul and keeps it alive, really alive. When you start learning Torah, you feel this thirst, this desire to 'drink' more and more of its wisdom, purity and divinity. It revives the soul. Our sages say that G-d looked at the Torah and created the world. That is, the Torah preceded the creation of the world. This may sound strange at first glance, but when you learn the Torah more and more deeply, you realize that it is a code. It has its surface level, but it also has deeper, encoded levels. Every word has its surface meaning, but it has deeper meanings as well. And just like programmers write code, which later becomes a new creation, a new software, so was the Torah for G-d: a code that was later transformed into the world we know. At that time there was darkness. Darkness is the absence of light, it is not an entity in its own self, just the absence of its opposite. The root letters of the word darkness in Hebrew (חשך) also mean to withhold, to deprive (normally written חסך). Here the Torah does not talk about physical darkness, but spiritual one. How do we know this? The answer is in the next verse. 

Verse 3: And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light.

Please notice that Light was created in the first day of creation, whereas the sun, the moon and the other stars were created only in the fourth day. This means that the source of this light was not physical. Many people who have experienced near-death-experiences (NDE) describe this experience and say that their soul was traveling in a dark tunnel, at the end of which there was an exquisite, pure light which was their destination. They wanted to merge with the light and when in its presence, they felt immense love and compassion, like none they have ever known before. Because of this, many of them do not want to return to their bodies in this world. They want to leave behind everything they held dear in the physical world and stay with the Light. The light is the light of G-d, reserved for those who did good in His sight. This light permeates the physical creation as well, as G-d's bounty, kindness and graces are all around us at all times, but most people are blind to it and are not appreciative. Jews say a blessing and thank G-d for everything we enjoy in this world. There is a blessing over food, a blessing over some bodily functions, a blessing when we see lightning and hear thunders, a blessing when we see beautiful mountains and lakes, a blessing when we see a beloved person whom we haven't seen in a long time, a blessing when we see beautiful people and even a blessing when we see kings and heads of states. We bless the name of Hashem numerous times during each day, and this way we stay connected with Him through our physical lives in this world. It is very symbolic that our first action every morning is to say Modeh Ani (I thank You). We are aware of the light and are grateful for it. 

Verse 4: And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

When an embryo forms, all of its initial cells are the same. They are stem cells from which later the body forms. Some stem cells become neurons, other stem cells become liver cells, and still others become skin and hair cells. At the end of this division process, we get an organism with many different cells, tissues, organs and systems that work together in perfect harmony to support the life of the person. The act of creation is an act of separation and division. In the beginning, there was no division, it was all an unformed mesh. But just like a tiny embryo, the world starts developing when G-d separates its different elements. On the surface level, we may think it is redundant to say that G-d separated the light from darkness. After all, darkness is the absence of light, so it is already separated from it! However, on a deeper level, things may make more sense. There is good and bad in this world. G-d created both. But the two should be separated, so the bad does not affect the good and spoils it, and so that the good doesn't give the bad a non-deserved "kosher stamp" just by being there. A clear division should be between what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong, what is for G-d and what is against G-d. In each of the days of our lives we have these struggles and fights to choose good over bad, to immerse ourselves in the good and to distance ourselves from the bad. When good and bad are mixed, it is good for the bad, and it is bad for the good. Separation of darkness and light should therefore be in place, and this is what G-d is doing already in the first day. 

Verse 5: And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 

Please visit this post again - I will continue writing here later... It is getting late.

two dreams

I had a terrifying dream, but even in that dream Hashem was with me, “speaking” to me.

A few years ago, just as the Corona pandemic began, I started growing my hair again, with the purpose of donating it again to a charity organization that makes wigs for cancer patients. It grew really fast and now it is very long. It is basically ready for donation and has been for a year at least. But then, I started liking being with long hair again and therefore delayed the donation. I recently even debated within myself whether to donate it eventually or not…

Earlier this week, I dreamed that my hair was falling out in big chunks, and that most of my head was completely bald, except for some long strands that were left in the bottom part of the scalp. In the dream, I saw myself in the mirror, and it was a horrifying sight. I touched my head and it was so smooth and shiny. I was around some young women who had their hair and I felt so bad that my hair was falling out. The dream was so real.

When I woke up and realized it was just a dream, I couldn’t believe it. I felt such a huge relief. I touched my head, finding it hard to believe that I have my hair, that it is there and hasn’t fallen out. Even now, as I remember this dream, I touch my head, just to make sure it is real and that I have my hair (G-d’s gift) with me. And a small corner in my heart refuses to believe it is actually there. The dream was so convincing… Truthfully, this corner is not that small… I feel the urge to touch my head from time to time, to appreciate the fact that this was just a dream and not the reality. And I’m so thankful that it was.

The message of the dream was so clear and poignant. For some people this is not just a bad dream, it is their reality. And since I grew the hair long in the first place just to donate it and saw G-d’s providence in the speed with which it grew, I cannot now keep it selfishly to myself. I have to donate it. That morning, as I woke up, I called the charity organization that makes wigs to ask some details and information on how to do it this time, and after some consultation, I decided to do it in December. They have an ‘event’, a day dedicated to cutting donors’ hair in Jerusalem. I have one more month to enjoy being with long hair, before it will be on someone else’s head. And I pray that Hashem would never ever let me be in the horrible situation I saw in my dream. I now understand a bit better the pain and anguish of the people who undergo chemo. There is more power in my prayer now, because in a way I experienced one aspect of it myself, albeit in the dream. G-d speaks to us through our dreams!

May we all be healthy always and cherish our health, it is not obvious at all!

I had a totally different dream a few nights ago, very real again. I saw a group at the lobby of a hotel in Jerusalem. It was the Dan/Hyatt Hotel, but it looked more like the Inbal Hotel. I pretended not to see, not to notice. I didn’t want to embarrass anyone. The images from the dream stayed with me throughout that day.

Today I went through some old diaries and photocopies of letters that I wrote and sent many, many years ago. I am totally there now. As if time has no meaning whatsoever. Etzli Hakol Beseder... 

One beautiful thing that is evolving in my life right now, which is still in its inception but still very beautiful, is my Bible study group with the old ladies. At first, I thought I would follow the Weekly Torah Portion with them, and this is what we did, until Simchat Torah, and it went beautifully well, but took a lot of preparation time from me. Then, after Simchat Torah we started reading the Torah from the beginning, but because there is so much to say, we don't catch up. We are still in the first portion, even though this week in synagogues they will read the third portion. My ladies and I will continue with the first portion for a while. Today we thought that instead of calling the class "Weekly Torah Portion", we will just call it "Torah Study" or "Bible Study". We read the verses, and talk about the revealed and hidden meanings in the text. Each verse encourages so many stories and sharing, and it is all so spiritual, uplifting and inspiring. It is really a gift from above. Now I want to do it with other groups as well, but I feel that I should first let the flame strengthen, and then the opportunities will present themselves. I've always wanted to be a motivational, spiritual speaker. Now I have a chance to do it, albeit on a small, cozy scale. 

I'm very happy with the results of our elections. The Jewish identity camp won. The anti-Jewish identity lost. With G-d's graces. Baruch Hashem. I love Hashem. He is my deepest, truest friend. No one like Him.