Bereshit – Genesis 1:1-6:8

October 11 to 17, 2020 | 29 Tishrei 5781

Why Does This World Exist?

This year opens to a “New Reality” – COVID, BLM, Global Warming, and ___________ (add your own top concern) … all these and more have swept out from under us our old concepts, habits, and assurances. Where can we find new ground to stand on? We need not lose heart. Like the ocean, the surface of life is ever changing, even tumultuous. And yet, the depths remain calm and unperturbed.

Turning to scripture for a sense of purpose and courage can be our guiding light, our North Star. From a Jewish perspective, what happened then is happening now. We swim in the same moment in time. So let’s start at the beginning.  

What Is Its Purpose? Why Am I Here?

To answer these perennial questions of Why and What, the first parsha Bereshit narrates two creation stories. These are not stories of how G’d came into being. Before the world begins, G’d exists. As you’ll notice, Bereshit, the first Hebrew word in the Torah, begins with the second letter Bet, because Aleph, G’d, exists a-priori. And what was the first act of creation? 

G’d said, “Let there be light! And there was light.”

Genesis 1:3

Here we see INTENTION is the means of creation. The first manifestation is Sound (“And G’d said”), followed by Light in its essence, even before the sun comes into existence. And what do the 6 days of creation represent?

From Kabbalah we discover that G’d created One Soul with 6 Qualities. These qualities appear in the Tree of Life: Hesed (Loving Kindness), Gevurah (Judgement), Tiferet (Beauty), Netzah (Endurance), Hod (Grace), Yesod (Foundation). As human beings (Malhut) we can draw from these divine qualities to consciously express them in ourselves.  

Adam and Eve: The Great Awakening

In the second creation story, G’d creates Adam, then the animals, then his companion Eve, a side of Adam. As such the first man and the first woman were not yet separate from G’d. They had no self-awareness or agency. Something had to occur to establish this individuation.

Enter the Snake, enticing Eve to doubt and eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. To eat a piece of fruit, one picks it off the tree, visibly separating fruit from source. This is the unfoldment of the purpose of creation. To sever the umbilical cord and live as separate creatures. 

All the while, at root is our desire for Unity. When I taught Hebrew school to 8 to 10 year olds, I’d ask them to look around the room, seeing each student in a separate seat. Then I’d show the fingers of one hand with the other hand covering my palm. Like each child, each finger appeared separate.

Slowly, mysteriously I’d reveal my palm, showing how we are all held together from the same root. We are not separate as we appear to be. The children would look around the room at each other, seeing their friends with new eyes. 

As the desire to rediscover this Unity awakens in our hearts, we begin to seek to perfect ourselves with Love (Hesed) and Discernment (Geverah), creating Beauty (Tiferet) in our actions. With growing awareness of our essential Oneness, we become more able to connect, heal and uplift. By exploring inner nature beneath the surface waters, we find G’d.  

The Surface and the Depths

Continuing with Bereshit, this parsha tells the story of the first act of jealousy, when Kayne kills Havel. Kayne represents the identification with the individuated self. (Kayne offered G’d “some” grain.) Havel represents connectivity and bestowal – the desire to give. (Havel offered G’d the best of his flock.) It become which G’d prefers:  

G’d had regard for Hevel and his gift,

for Kayin and his gift he had no regard.

Genesis 4:5

This parsha ends 10 generations after Adam and Eve, culminating with the birth of Noah. Seeing much wrongdoing on the earth, G’d vows to blot out humankind. But Noah finds favor in the eyes of G’d. 

Then as now, with the birth of Noah (a name meaning rest, comfort) comes the vision that the world can improve. Today, as more of us are awakening to our inner life, we become the archetypal Noah: offering comfort, making wise choices and listening to the voice within.

To learn more about The Soul Manifestation Process, simply…

WEEKLY PRACTICES: Touching the Depths

With the Soul Manifestation Process, we set our intention to strengthen the movement of divine qualities in our lives. Experientially, we are actuating the Tree of Life within.

For our practices this week, we’ll draw from the first part of Bereshit when G’d creates the world in 6 days, ceasing from work and hallowing the seventh day. We will use breath, visualization and vibration (sound) to ask the questions: Who am I? Why am I here?

Suggestion: Do one practice a day, or do all 6 consecutively. Remember! Have your Journal nearby to jot down any insights that may arise.

Audio Recording – Coming Soon

Breath:

Sitting comfortably with an upright spine, breath in and out through your nose. Simply notice your breath: your inhale and your exhale. Is it deep or shallow? Rhythmic or irregular? Pay attention to the slight pause between the inhale and exhale. Notice how your lungs expand and contract around your heart. Can you feel your heartbeat? Don’t not evaluate or judge. Simply observe your breath. When you have observed every aspect of your breath, begin the contemplation.

Contemplation:

From Stillness, the first vibration was G’d’s commandment, “Let there be light.” What preceded this initiation? Can we sense the stillness before creation? To do the practice, following your breath, mentally recite these contemplations drawn from the words of this week’s parsha. (Note: G’d, who contains All, is beyond gender. Please feel free to recite the phrase using she or he, her or his.

Light:

With eyes closed, instead of sensing light coming from a single source like the sun, visualize the light surrounding you, the “All-pervading Light”. Do you feel light on your skin? Imagine you are breathing in this light through every pore. On the exhale, experience the silence, stillness.

Sound:

Now let’s begin our first Sufi practice with vibration using sound. Similar to mantra, to practice Wazifa is to repeat a Name (Quality) of G’d. The meaning of the Name, which is encoded in the sound vibration, will be revealed to you through repetition and focus.

Since the parsha focuses on Light, we will explore two aspects of Light: Ya Nur and Ya Munawwer. As a starting point, we can say that Ya Nur (yaa NOOR) is the Light in every soul. Ya Munawwer (ya moo-NOW-were) is the One Who Illuminates.

As you inhale and exhale, softly repeat out loud, 33 times. Afterward, feel the effects of the vibration on your being.

Zikr:

Meaning “remembrance”, Zikr is the repetition of a sacred phrase with the intention of returning to the essence of Unity. Not until Deuteronomy 6:4 do we find the central Jewish prayer known as the Sh’ma. Nonetheless, let’s choose this prayer to be our Zikr because of its centrality to Jewish prayer. In Hebrew:

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד

Shema Yisrael YHWH Eloheinu YHWH Echad

The Sh’ma can be translated as: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one”. LORD is the unpronounceable four letter word יְהוָה – YHWH, the Name of G’d that can’t be named. Instead, we’ll use the word “Adonai“, meaning Lord, or “HaShem“, meaning The Name.

When practicing Zikr, it’s best to use the original language in which the prayer was revealed. As you inhale and exhale, softly repeat out loud, 33 times. Afterward, feel the effects of the vibration on your being.

Nature:

Excellent! Now it’s time to return to the every day world, refreshed, renewed and reconnected. It’s helpful to end your meditation by rubbing your hands together briskly, feeling the heat, and then cup them gently over your closed eyes. You can repeat this motion a few times to welcome yourself back into the physical world.

Through out the day, notice the play of light on surfaces. What is the quality of light? How does light touch your mood and experience? Sound (vibration) precedes light. What sounds do you hear? Be aware of tone of voice – yours and those around you. Can you hear nature sounds? Mechanical sounds? How are you responding to the sounds you hear?

Shabbat Shalom!

After 6 days of practice, when Shabbat arrives, observe how this week’s practices shape your Shabbat experience. Be sure to check in tomorrow for next week’s parsha.

You are invited to comment on how the contemplations and practices for this week have shaped your experience of daily life… any big Ah-ha’s? Please share your thoughts and feelings below.

 חַיִּים

L’Hayyim…. To Life!

To learn more about The Soul Manifestation Process, simply…