According to our tradition, before God created the world, the Holy One was in possession of the Torah, and in possession of Shabbat. God created the universe as a vehicle for these two divine constructs. What an idea! God has the gift of Torah and Shabbat, but no one to give it to.

 

And so the creation story begins. Six days to create the universe, which becomes the vehicle that will house Shabbat. The point of creation was not to create land and sea. It was not to create plant life. It was not to create birds, fish, and animals. Nor was it even to create humanity. The point of creation was to establish the 7th day and to make set it apart as holy and to sanctified.

 

Because of humanity's quirks and idiosyncrasies, (for instance eating fruit that was specifically prohibited), God recognized that it would take a special people and a special place to begin the true observance and sanctification of Shabbat.

 

Thus, ultimately, the story of the Torah becomes the story of Abraham, the Jewish people and their trek toward the Holy Land.

 

I point this out this week because we are beginning to read the Torah again. The Torah scroll has been rolled to the Book of Genesis and we will continue the process of hearing the story of the world and our people.

 

It comes at a time when the several members of the JCC are embarking on a journey to tour the land promised to Abraham and his progeny. Next week we will spend Shabbat in Jerusalem, at the Kotel. We will experience that for which the world was created, in the Land that was set aside for this very purpose. What a thought; what a blessing.

 

May the One who blessed our ancestors,

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Lea,

Bless us and those with whom we travel,

On this , our journey up to Israel.

May we travel safely,

And arrive in peace in the Land that we hold dear,

The Land that we call Zion.

May we return to those we love

Blessed in every undertaking

Inspired and renewed by our People in our Land.

May we be blessed to return to our Homeland often and to take others with us in the future.

Amen.

 

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Shabbat Shalom - Rabbi Michael S. Jay