B'reishit: not perfect

A D'var Torah (Words of Wisdom) from my friend Moshe Mordechai Van Zuiden

Dear friend,

my favorite Portion of the week: B'reishit. I count 5 chiddushim below. And you?

On day One G^d said it was good. It wasn't perfect - He had to store away the holiest of light for the Righteous in a future era so that wicked people wouldn't abuse it.

On the Second day a quarrel broke out between the waters. The water below wanted to be close to G^d too. And although that get the comfort to be used for fulfillment of Commandments, till this very day every rain drop still needs His push to go down or it wouldn't (He makes the wind blow and the rain fall). Although this strife was for the sake of Heaven (l'shem sha-ma-yim), it was still one of the reasons not even to say that it was good - let alone perfect.

On the Third day He said twice that it was good. Still, that day the fruit trees should have produced fruit, but the Earth disobeyed: the trees produced the fruit. The whole tree should have tasted like its fruit but the earth revolted and let only the citron tree do what was ordered. This it did so that Man's Primal Sin wouldn't be the first or stand out so much, so again it did it for the sake of Heaven. Still it was a Sin so after Man's Sin the Earth became accursed. (The citron was (according to one opinion) the tree (not: fruit!)that Eve saw was good for eating. It stood out in it's perfection and then got used for sinning.) A scene far from perfect.

On the Fourth day G^d said again that it was good. That day the moon complained that it wanted more power than the sun. It got it, because it lights by day and by night, but as punishment was made smaller. You call this perfect?

On the Fifth day the L^rd said again that it was good. This despite the fact that the water creatures got a blessing that they would be fruitful, which seems just a wonderful thing but turned out to have a down side: their numbers are so great that it doesn't matter who lives and how many survive. I wouldn't call this perfect.

On the Six day G^d said it was very good. Because Man, although created in His Image, got the possibility to internalize an Evil Inclination, so that s/he could waver and choose Life. The end to the sole existence of one track minded creatures: rain that falls (never goes up), trees that grow up, animals that procreate - finally a being that can choose. Not perfect. Not meant to be perfect. Meant to actively perfect the world and himself by volition. In tandem with G^d.

Very good if you ask me.

Have a great winter!