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October 8 • 2015 39 spirituality » t o r a h The Creation: A Work In Progress Parshat Bereshit: Genesis 1:1-6:8; Isaiah 42:5-43:10. I n the beginning, there was dark- ness. Darkness, chaos, waters running deep. Earth being "tohu va'vohu" has been translated as "unformed and void" or "astonishingly empty" and suggests something impos- sible to envision. But we are not unique in our inchoate understanding of what preceded life. A Jicarilla Apache creation narrative begins, "In the beginning nothing was here where the world now stands; there was no ground, no earth — nothing but Darkness, Water and Cyclone." There are times in every human life when we feel the darkness and sense that form- lessness. We understand that God is pres- ent in the void — but God's spirit feels as ephemeral as wind over water. I have lived through those times, unable to see or speak the possibility of a new reality. In those times, our Creation story provides illumination because, as Jews, we believe that not only is Creation pos- sible, it never ends. Our morning liturgy expresses gratitude that God yotzeir ohr uvorei choshech, God creates light and darkness, and does so in the present tense. The liturgy later continues uv'tuvo m'chadeish b'chol yom tamid maaseih v'reishit, in goodness God renews each day, eternally, the work of Creation. Everything that lives is in a process of constant sacred creation. Each day of our lives, our bodies are creating new cells. Our holidays provide a never-ending cycle of new beginnings. We have seen this within the current lunar cycle. On Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate that we, and the world, are entering another year of life. On Yom Kippur, we are offered an opportunity to turn and transform our souls. Sukkot instills the presence of impermanence. On Simchat Torah, as we begin our Torah cycle again, in one breath we transition from Moses' death to God's process of Creation. When the King James Bible translated the opening words of our Torah as "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth," it obscured their teaching. Better translations (JPS, Artscroll) have included "When God began to create …" or "In the beginning of God's creating …" because creation — God's Creation — is a process, not an event. And so creation is not just an ancient story. It is a framework for understanding the world in which we live, our relation- ship with God, and our sacred purpose. God creates the light by which we see, and that aware- ness of what exists helps shape a vision of what could yet be. God creates life, God recognizes the goodness of life, and God creates sacred stewards for that life. Then God rests. But the story does not end. We are those stewards. We were placed in the Garden of Eden "l'ovda u'l'shomra," (Genesis 2:15) to work and protect it. And remembering that eternal Divine call to protect life has sometimes brought me out of the darkness. Just as I awake each day to my daugh- ter's calls from her crib, I try to hear the wake-up call of the larger world in which we live. The sacred partnership is con- tinually renewed. There is still work to be done. * Next week, Ariana Silverman will become the rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Jackson. She lives with her family in the city of Detroit, where she is constantly creating a vision of what could yet be. Rabbi Ariana Silverman Conversations • When and where do you see the world being created anew each day? • What gives you hope when the world feels dark or chaotic? • What are you doing to fulfill your obli- gation to be a good steward of God's creation? What can you do better? 2036420 Sunday, November 8 at 7 pm. Followed by an afterglow reception Open to the Community Dr. Jason H. Bodzin » and Renee Zucker » Pamela Schiffer Earl G. Berris Penny Steyer Charles Berris Leonard Gutman David Propos Dan Gross Cliff Monear Frank Lanzkron- Tamarazo 6800 Drake Rd, :HVW%ORRPÀHOG0L %QDLPRVKHRUJ FREE ADMISSION A Night of Beautiful Music Featuring Memorial Concert Cantor Earl G. Berris, Congregation B'nai Moshe Charles Berris, Ritual Director - Congregation B'nai Moshe Cantor David Propis, Congregation Shaarey Zedek Assistant Cantor Leonard Gutman, Congregation Shaarey Zedek Cantor Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo Cantor Pamela Schiffer, Congregation Shaarey Zedek, East Lansing Cantor Penny Steyer, Congregation Shir Shalom Cantor Dan Gross, Adat Shalom Synagogue The Congregation B'nai Moshe Choir The Cliff Monear Quartet, Cliff Monear, Pianist will be performing and accompanying the singers. SAVE THE DATE! Call Lynn Feinberg and Andy Roisman Home Care at the Highest Standard Call Arleen Platt and Andy Roisman 2036920