Torah Portion: B’reishit - In the Beginning... Again
Torah: Genesis 1:1–6:8; Haftarah: Isaiah 42:5–21; Besorah: John 1:1–18
We’ve just celebrated Simchat Torah; the joyful moment when we finish reading Deuteronomy and immediately roll the scroll back to Genesis. There’s something powerful about that rhythm. It reminds us that in God’s story, endings are never really endings. Every conclusion opens the door to another beginning.
That’s the spirit of B’reishit, the first portion of the Torah. It’s more than the story of creation; it’s the revelation of a Creator who still speaks light into darkness and order into chaos.
The Hebrew text opens with words we know well:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
But let’s slow down. The word B’reishit comes from rosh (head, beginning, first). It’s not about WHEN creation happened, but WHO holds first place. This is about divine priority… God at the center of everything.
The verb bara (created) is used only for God, emphasizing His uniqueness. Humanity can make or shape, but only God creates from nothing. The whole universe begins with His voice—“And God said…”—and that voice is still speaking today.
Each act of creation carries purpose. God doesn’t just make light… He separates it from darkness. He doesn’t just form land… He fills it with life. Every command reveals intention, order, and relationship.
Then, in the pinnacle of creation, He says:
“Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)
The Hebrew phrase tzelem Elohim (image of God) carries the idea of representation. Humanity is created to mirror God’s character on earth; to steward, create, bless, and love as He does.
But the reflection is quickly fractured. Genesis 3 tells us how humanity grasped for divinity instead of walking in it. The result was separation, shame, and exile. Yet even there, we see mercy. God covers Adam and Eve. He promises redemption through the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15).
By Genesis 6, the world has fallen into corruption… but Noah finds grace. The God who creates also redeems. From the very start, He reveals Himself as both Creator and Covenant-Keeper.
The Creator and the Covenant
In Isaiah 42:5–21, the same God who “created the heavens and stretched them out” now calls His people to carry His light to the nations.
“I am the Lord; that is My name; I will not give My glory to another.” (v. 8)
Isaiah draws a straight line between creation and calling. The One who made the earth is still shaping His people to reflect His justice, mercy, and truth.
Just as light broke through chaos in Genesis, God promises to open the eyes of the blind and bring prisoners out of darkness. This is creation’s purpose fulfilled; to bring light into every place where darkness still tries to rule.
The Word That Spoke the World
John begins his Gospel with the same rhythm as Genesis:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Before light, before time, before form, there was the Word. John identifies that Word as Yeshua. The same divine voice that spoke creation into being is now clothed in flesh.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
The Greek eskēnōsen means “to pitch a tent” or “to tabernacle.” John is saying the glory that once filled the wilderness tabernacle now dwells in the person of Messiah. He is the living Aleph and Tav, the Beginning and the End, the full expression of God’s redemptive purpose.
Through Yeshua, God begins creation again, not with light and land, but with new hearts and renewed spirits.
The God Who Still Begins
Simchat Torah invites us to celebrate, not because we’ve finished reading God’s Word, but because we get to start again. That’s the beauty of walking with Him. He’s the God of new beginnings.
Every year, as we return to Genesis, we’re invited to return to our own beginnings… to remember that He still brings light into our chaos, and order into what feels disordered.
Maybe this season you feel like something in your life has gone dark or empty. The God of B’reishit specializes in speaking light into dark places. He doesn’t discard the void, He fills it.
This portion is a reminder that His Word still creates, His Spirit still hovers, and His grace still restores.
We start again… not because we failed, but because He’s faithful.
Hebrew Letter of the Week: א (Aleph)
Sound: Silent or soft breath
Numerical Value: 1
Meaning: Oneness, strength, divine unity
How to Write Aleph
א
Draw a slanted line from upper right to lower left.
Add a small line at the top left.
Add another short line at the bottom right.
Aleph represents divine breath… the soundless beginning of all sound. It’s the letter of unity, symbolizing God’s unseen power behind creation.
A Little Nugget
The Torah begins with Bet (ב)—the letter for “house”—not Aleph. The sages say Aleph was saved for Anochi (“I am”) in the Ten Commandments.
Creation begins with relationship (the house), but revelation begins with Presence (the breath).
Aleph reminds us: God’s presence always comes first.
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