There is quite a lot of confusion as to how the Torah views the world before creation begins. “Tohu VaVohu” is how it is described, often translated as “unformed and void,” but the more literal meaning is that it was an “empty desert.” From this we can imagine a moon like planet, floating, dark and lifeless through a pitch black space. The rabbis in Bereishit Rabah see the Hebrew description less about the physical, and more about the metaphysical. The world is “bewildered and astonished.” As it first comes into being, they share a story of a jealous world, sad that it always had to be in the shadow of the sky.
And who can blame the world for being a little jealous? This year, in particular, we in Western New York have been witness to a constant stream of celestial highlights. From the total solar eclipse in April, to the periodic glimpses of the reds and greens of the Aurora borealis, to asteroid 2024 PT5 that is currently streaming across the sky like a second moon. No matter how awesome life is here on earth, is it any match to the trillions of stars that twinkle above us every night? To imagine what the world our ancestors called “Tohu vavohu,” we simply need to walk out into the darkness to find the sky. Baruch Atah Adonai… Blessed are you God for allowing us to witness “ma’aseh breishit” your acts of creation.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex