3. Genesis: b’reishit

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questions and thoughts, seriously.

1.  Chapter one is the first creation story.  All except the seventh day.  The seventh day, the evening and the morning, are in chapter two.  Why does everything happen in the first chapter except for the final day?  Then the second chapter begins with the seventh day and goes backward to before the plants and shrubs and man.  And the seventh day is the day that we celebrate.  It’s the day that means the most, but for some reason it isn’t even included in the same chapter with the first creation story.  It’s separated.  Almost like the first creation story didn’t really happen, or wasn’t important, or was superseded by the second creation story which actually begins with the last day rather than the first day.  Kind of like an Ian McEwan novel that begins with the climax, then follows with the story.

2.  So, in chapter two, the creation story ends with the sabbath, then begins again with much more storytelling detail.  Good guys, bad guys, magical blowing of breath into dust formed into man then placed in a pre-made garden.  But this time, there is no mention that man is made “in the image of God”.  Apparently, however, original man and woman are intended to be vegetarian.  Their “food shall be the grasses of the field”.  I can get behind that.  But why did God’s name change in chapter two?

3.  In chapter three the plot thickens.  The shrewd serpent convinces Eve that eating the apple will not cause her to die.  And I have to wonder, if Adam and Eve have no concept of nudity, do they have a concept of mortality?  Doesn’t true innocence, like the innocence of children, or of Adam and Eve, exclude a concept as complicated as mortality?

4.  Now, in chapter four, since innocence is what seems to have died with the eating of the apple, it seems appropriate that we meet the two sons of Adam and Eve.  And one must be evil.  Or at least must do evil.  Damn that apple.  Or maybe that serpent.  Or was it Eve?  So Cain, who is out of favor with God, kills Abel, who was looked on favorably by God.  This extreme act of jealousy got Cain banished to the east.  Maybe this is why east anywhere is the bad side of town.  Meanwhile, Adam and Eve have Seth who has Enosh.  “then men began to invoke the Lord by name.”  What does that mean?  Now, after 1800 years (see the next chapter), people realize that there is a God that they can call on for help?  Look to for guidance?

5.  So now, in chapter five, we have a long list of Adam’s lineage and the number of years that each man (not woman, just man) lived.  Most over 900 years.  After each son is named, and his years on earth quantified, the final comment is “then he died.”  Except for Enoch, who is six generations beyond Adam and lived the shortest life, only 365 years.  Enoch is the only one who “walked with God; then he was no more for God took him.”  It sounds like Enoch was more favored than the others, yet he died earlier.  Hmmmm.  Maybe an indication that death isn’t something so scary.  Perhaps not recommended, but not to be dreaded either.

6.  Finally, in chapter six, it gets really crazy.  Now the “divine beings”, apparently not descendants of Adam, began taking the “pleasing” daughters of Adam’s descendants.  So does this mean that we now have children born of lesser gods and man/woman?  or fallen angels and man/woman?  Are these the nephilim that are mentioned as well in this chapter?  Nephilim, when I looked it up, could be possibly giants, or fallen angels, or heroes or monsters.  A pretty wide range of definitions.  So are they good, bad or indifferent?  And it is at this point that God says man will only live one hundred and twenty years.  But I cheated and read ahead and see that lives are still hundreds of years long.  We can address that next week.  In the meantime, though, who are the nephilim?  Does God like them?  And what about this?  “And the Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness” and decided to blot out man.  All except for Noah who had found favor with God?  There’s little indication of what this wickedness is.  And seriously, the nephilim are a total wild card.  Actually, this whole chapter will require significant reading between the lines.  What was so great about Noah?  I need a little character development here.

2. Genesis: b’reishit

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She knew that he had a particular opinion about women writers and particularly about her writing.  And this was her most important piece so far.  So she kept it to herself.

“Dear, dinner’s ready”.  She busied herself setting out the dinner plates and wine glasses and pulled the challah out of the oven and dressed it with the cover she’d embroidered for him for their wedding.  She didn’t know if he liked the cover, he never commented, but they’d been using it weekly for 3 years now and she didn’t want him to think that anything was different.  Especially now.  She hoped that her anticipation didn’t show.

He arrived at the table, gave her the dry kiss on the cheek she always received before lighting the candles.  She wondered what it would be like to go to the service on Friday night.  They were a modern couple, she knew that many modern couples attended services together.  Once she’d broached the subject, but he’d just looked at her through his glasses in that way that made her feel unclean.  His only interest in religion was his version of the Friday night mitzvah.  She knew how he saw things.  She’d seen his draft of Creation.  That was what got her started.  That’s why she had to write her story.

When she’d mailed his draft for him a week ago, she’d sent hers along as well.  This story would pay well, plus it was an important story to write.  The Editor said that generations of people would read it.  She’d worked hard on hers, harder than she’d ever worked on any piece for submission.  She felt it was perfect.  She’d crafted every word carefully, eliminating all but the necessary.  Each day was drawn exquisitely and with just enough color to retain interest.  The creation of man and woman did not outshine the rest of creation.  They were all equal:  the day and night, the creatures great and small, the plants, animals, trees and of course man and woman.  She’d done her part in crafting the story as she believed The Editor wanted it drawn.  Clear and concise with minimal embellishment.  The story itself, she believed, was what was important.  This was plot driven, it did not require dramatization or decoration.

His was flowery and poetic.  It made her laugh.  And sometimes it made her cry.  When they were dating he used to pretend to be flowery and poetic.  Bringing her gifts and soliciting her mood with wine until she relinquished her virginity to his naive and selfish need.  Without ever saying the words, he’d convinced her that fulfilling his needs would satisfy hers.  Flowers and candy had camouflaged the truth.  She should have seen through it.  No matter how you slice it, caste is caste.  She’d seen Boxing Helena with him.  He thought it was true love.  He tried to convince her that if she really loved him their Friday night mitzvah would be wonderful just because it pleased him.  He whispered in her ear all of the things that inspired his desire never noticing the desert he created.

Friday night passed in its usual way and Saturday morning bloomed rainy and dark.  His mood was bright as he rolled out of bed and proudly wagged his manhood at her.  Dutifully she smiled, wondering why she bothered.  He wouldn’t notice.  Then he stepped into the shower to wash away remnants of the spent night.  She got up and changed the sheets quickly while he whistled Enigma.  She marveled at his ability to whistle the un-whistlable.  Then she threw on her robe and ran downstairs to get the mail.  She knew he would be looking for his response today.  She found the envelope with her name on it and The Editor’s name in the return address.  His was there as well.  She opened hers as she heard him turn off the shower.

“I’ll be down for breakfast in a minute” he shouted.  He had never even learned to turn on the coffee pot.  She had to set it with the timer the night before if she wanted coffee when she came downstairs.  Breakfast would have to wait a few minutes.

She skimmed the letter as the coffee began to burble. 

“Thank you Mrs.” it read,  “We find your story fitting and true and exactly what we have been looking for.  We’d like to publish your story in our Anthology.”  But there was more.  They would publish a second story as well.  Immediately following.  They called it a doublet.  They hoped she wouldn’t mind.  She heard his step on the stair and put her letter on the stove under the fry pan.  She turned the heat on high and cracked eggs into the pan.  She didn’t turn when he walked into the room, but she heard the paper shuffle as he searched the mail.

He picked up his letter and tore it open, dropping the envelope on the floor for her to retrieve.  “They’ve accepted my story!” he shouted.  He slapped her behind and tossed the sheet on the counter, never taking time to read the rest of the letter.  Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stair, ready to repeat last night’s mitzvah.  He had won.  He’d have his prize.  She turned off the stove.

He presumed her tears were tears of joy.

1. Genesis:b’reishit

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God created the world and the creatures and the plants then created man/woman twice.  Seriously.  The first time God created man and woman.  In a voice that was clear and concise.  Then God went back and created man again in a flowery poetic voice and several verses later created woman from man’s rib.  Two very different voices.

So I’ve considered getting hung up on the fact that there are two voices and the same story is told differently twice.  I don’t have any illusion that the Torah was written by God.  Or Moses.  Or anyone who was channeling either of them.  But I do wonder why whoever did write the words decided to write the same story twice.  In a row.  And differently.  But it doesn’t really interest me in the least to know  or not know that the Torah might have been written by God or any other divine being.

I’ve done some things twice.  Gotten married.  Had two children.  I turned 25 twice.  Maybe twice is important.  “If at first you don’t succeed….”  Maybe God didn’t like the first pair of humans created so needed to create a new pair.  Maybe equality didn’t work for him.  And I’m using the pronoun deliberately.  It’s taken an awfully long time for humanity to begin to think that equality is important.  Maybe we need to look at the definition.  I’ll be back……

Here’s the definition by encarta:  rights, treatment, quantity, or value equal to all others in a specific group

Equality isn’t the right word.  Men and women are not equal.  Humans are all different with different needs, we each bring different value to our world, to ourselves, we are large and small and deserve different treatment based on who we are and how we connect and contribute.  No one is equal.  We are all unique.  As far as I’m concerned this is good.

So no, I don’t buy the equality or lack of equality argument for the second telling of the creation story.  There must be another reason, or maybe no reason at all.  Wouldn’t it be funny if the whole thing was written by various people with their own ideas of how the world should be who contributed their own best wisdom in the form of stories with morals specific to their own authors.  Hmmmmmm.

the Torah project

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Jews all over the world read the same Torah portion every week all year long.  It takes one year to read the whole Torah (the 5 books of Moses).  The Torah is read on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays (Shabbat).

So I have a plan.  Not a vow because it’s not a good idea to make a vow.  Just a plan.  I’m going to read the Torah following this year’s cycle.  We’ve just begun the year 5770, and Simchat Torah marks the end of last year’s reading and the beginning of this year’s.  October 10, 2009/23 Tishrei, 5770.

There’s a reason for my plan.  I love being a Jew.  But sometimes I feel like I just don’t get it.  And the Torah is the center of the Jewish world, so that seems like a logical place to start.  I’ve read Genesis lots of times.  It’s a good story, easy to read, kind of crazy.  And I’ve seen Evan Almighty.  But it must be much more than a story, and I want to find out, if it is more than a story, what exactly it is.  And what it might mean to me, or how it might connect to me.

So I’ll read and I’ll write.  Not great drashes or deeply religious insight probably.  I hope this isn’t offensive, but I’m going to use the Torah as a writing prompt and see what comes of it.  Maybe I’ll learn something about being a Jew, or something about myself, or maybe something about life.  Or maybe nothing at all.  I’m certainly no bible scholar (duh) and not on the rabbinic path.  But I do love to read and I do love to write….

…and I just turned 50.  So this is my mid-life crisis.  Better than a little hottie with six pack abs and better than a shiny little sports car, right?