Parasha Bereshit 5785

Me

Well, this week we have renewed our Torah Cycle all over again, and we begin back at the beginning with Parasha Bereshit, Genesis 1:1-6:8. Genesis (or Bereshit as the sefer is known in Hebrew) covers a lot of ground in the narrative of the development of mankind and especially B’nei Israel. Genesis 1 begins with the narrative of HaShem speaking all things into creation through the first six days of creation. Genesis 2 better details the account of the creation of Adam and Chavah and their purpose to watch over and cultivate Gan Eden. Genesis 3 describes the serpent’s temptation of Adam and Chavah, the first sin, the shame and loss of innocence that goes with sin, as well as the curse that goes with it.

In chapter 4 we read about Cain and Abel bringing their offerings to the Lord and because of Cain’s jealousy he kills his brother Abel, the first murder. With chapter three and four we see how rapidly the infection of sin can multiply as we go from eating the wrong fruit to brother murdering brother. Chapter 5 relays the generations from Adam to Noach and the length of each generation’s life. The tail-end of Parasha Bereshit is the first eight verses of Genesis 6, which shows us yet again how rapidly the infection of sin can destroy our lives as we move from Adam and Chavah eating of the fruit, to Cain murdering his own brother, to Adonai looking down on mankind and determining that the wickedness of humankind was so great and the Yetzer Harah (evil inclination) so horrible that he regretted forming man from dust and breathing His Ruach in them and decides to wipe out all with the exception of Noah and his family.

And this is the cliffhanger up which Parasha Bereshit concludes…

(Talk about when alternator is going out and lights are fading)

We

God

Principle: G-d desires to work through us to overcome the darkness in this world with the Light of Messiah in the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh.

(Repeat)

Parasha Bereshit 5785

Genesis 1:1–5 TLV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the surface of the water. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good. So God distinguished the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” So there was evening and there was morning—one day.

Parasha Bereshit 5785

Midrash Rabbah — Bereshit Rabbah 2

“And the spirit of G-d was hovering” — this is the spirit of the Messianic King, as it says: “The spirit of the L-rd will rest upon him” (Isaiah 11:2). By what merit will it [the Messianic Kingdom] come? “Hovering over the surface of the water” — by the merit of repentance, that is likened to water, as it is stated: “Pour out your heart like water [before the face of the L-rd]” (Lamentations 2:19).

Tie this to Matthew 3/Luke 3 and Yochanan’s message of repentance followed by Yeshua’s immersion and the Ruach coming upon Him like a dove over the waters – have Matthew 3 open in Bible

Rabbi Abahu and Rabbi Chiyya the Great, Rabbi Abahu said: Right from the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One blessed be He foresaw the actions of the righteous and the actions of the wicked. That is what is written: “For the L-rd knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:6). “The earth was emptiness and disorder (tohu vavohu)” — these are the actions of the wicked. “G-d said: Let there be light” — these are the actions of the righteous. But I do not know which He desires, whether it is the actions of these, or the actions of those. When it is written: “G-d saw the light, that it was good” (Genesis 1:4) — this shows that He desires the actions of the righteous, and does not desire the actions of the wicked.

Genesis 6:1–7 TLV

1 Now when humankind began to multiply on the face of the ground and daughters were born to them, 2 then the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good and they took for themselves wives, any they chose. 3 Then Adonai said, “My Spirit will not remain with humankind forever, since they are flesh. So their days will be 120 years. 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, whenever the sons of God came to the daughters of men, and gave birth to them. Those were the mighty men of old, men of renown. 5 Then Adonai saw that the wickedness of humankind was great on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil all the time. 6 So Adonai regretted that He made humankind on the earth, and His heart was deeply pained. 7 So Adonai said, “I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the ground, from humankind to livestock, crawling things and the flying creatures of the sky, because I regret that I made them.”

Parasha Bereshit 5785

Midrash Rabbah — Bereshit Rabbah 26

“The children of the great men [benei haelohim] saw,” Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai called them [when translating this verse into Aramaic] “the children of judges.” Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai use to curse anyone who would call them [tanslating the words literally, as] “children of god.” Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: Any breach [in morals] that is not [begun] by prominent men is not a breach. [The saying goes:] If the priests steal the idols, who will ever take an oath in their names, or who will ever sacrifice to them?

Why are these [great men] referred to as benei haelohim? Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, both of them say: It is because they lived long lives without pain and without suffering.

The L-rd said: My spirit will not abide [yadon] in man,” Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosef said: I will not place My spirit in them when I give the reward of the righteous in the future, about which it is stated: “I will place My spirit in them” (Ezekiel 36:27)

Rabbi Chiyya bar ABBA said: I will not fill them up with My spirit when I fill mankind up with My spirit, because in this world the spirit is infused in only one limb [the heart], but in the future, it will be infused throughout the body. That is what is written: “I will place My spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:27)

Principle: G-d desires to work through us to overcome the darkness in this world with the Light of Messiah in the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh.

Parasha Bereshit 5785

Isaiah 42:5–9 TLV

5 Thus says God, Adonai, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and Ruach to those who walk in it— 6 “I, Adonai, called You in righteousness, I will take hold of Your hand, I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, 7 by opening blind eyes, bringing prisoners out of the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness out of the prison house. 8 “I am Adonai—that is My Name! My glory I will not give to another, Or My praise to graven images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I announce them to you.”

Parasha Bereshit 5785

Isaiah 42:16 TLV

16 I will bring the blind by a way they do not know. in paths they have not known, I will guide them. I will turn darkness before them to light and the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

Parasha Bereshit 5785

Principle: G-d desires to work through us to overcome the darkness in this world with the Light of Messiah in the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh.

Parasha Bereshit 5785

John 1:1–5 TLV

1 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.

Parasha Bereshit 5785

John 8:12 TLV

12 Yeshua spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows Me will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Parasha Bereshit 5785

2 Corinthians 4:1–6 TLV

1 For this reason, since we have this ministry, just as we received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 Instead, we renounced the hidden shameful ways—not walking in deception or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone’s conscience by the open proclamation of the truth. 3 And even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so they might not see the light of the Good News of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Messiah Yeshua as Lord—and ourselves as your slaves for Yeshua’s sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Messiah.

Parasha Bereshit 5785

Principle: G-d desires to work through us to overcome the darkness in this world with the Light of Messiah in the indwelling of the Ruach HaKodesh.

Parasha Bereshit 5785

You

(Call worship team up and unmute)

We