Second Story
In the beginning Genesis 1:1
In The Beginning – The Tanakh opens with a single word, bere’shiyt, a compound of the preposition be and re’shiyt, a noun that means “the first, the chief, the best.” The rabbis noted a curious thing about bere’shiyt. It begins with a bet, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. “Why,” they asked, “doesn’t the Torah begin with the first letter, the aleph? After all, this eternal Torah is the true beginning of God’s revelation. It seems only reasonable that it should begin with the beginning letter.” Such thoughts bother rabbis who hold God’s Word in such high esteem. After much consideration, they arrived at a suggestion. Their answer has to do with the shape of the letter bet and the fact that Hebrew is written from right to left. Let’s look at the actual text.
If you’re having trouble seeing the Hebrew text, go here.
Look at the opening letter, bet (remember it is the first letter on the right!). Did you notice that it is open in the direction of the rest of the text but closed to anything that precedes the text? Remember that the text reads from the right to the left. The rabbis concluded that the Torah begins with a bet because anything that comes before Torah is closed to our understanding. We are given a revelation of everything that follows the bet, everything on the open side of the bet. What happens before the bet is hidden in mystery. Anything that we declare about the cosmos before the beginning is sheer speculation. Why? Because God chose to begin His revelation with a bet, shrouding His actions prior to the creation of matter in His divine consciousness alone.
You might be inclined to dismiss such theological explanation and delve into theories of astrophysics and timeframes in special relativity. But the rabbinic understanding solves a huge problem. What problem does the rabbinic exegesis solve? Principally the problem of “Why?” Rabbinic exegesis focuses our attention on what follows bere’shiyt, that is, everything we need to know about how to live in God’s world. The Tanakh isn’t about how everything started. It’s about why God did what He did. Instructions for living found in the Torah are about answering the questions: “Why does God care?” “Why am I an object of His concern?” “Why should God care about how I live?” Gone are the endless speculations about events before the beginning. Do those speculations matter? Not to the way God asks me to live in His universe. Bere’shiyt pushes me in the direction of the text, a text that explains God’s view of my world. That is what matters! Speculation is useless until it confronts God’s demand on my life. Back to “In the beginning.” Forward from the bet.
Topical Index: in the beginning, bere’shiyt, bet, Tanakh, Genesis 1:1
It is good to know that I am in good company with my understanding of the Beginning. I have been convinced for a long time that it is not abot how God created by WHY. I would be too arrogant if I said that the Rabbis have it right. Rather, it is me. I have it right, following in good company. I like the application of the openess to the how and being closed to the why. Good stuff, Skip.
Bet- rowing the boat into the future, is the illustration you’ve used in classes. We face our past as we row towards the unseen future which God knows! Thanks again, Skip.
Skip and all, please consider several factors on the OVERSIZED letter Beyt. First, in the “jots and tittles” some letters appear oversized and some undersized, some words have dots above them.
Second,in the pictographic alphabet of Moses time, the Byet was drawn in the form of a TENT, and later as a house floor plan.
Third all of the Hebrew letters can be “spelled out in full”. The Letter Beyt spelled out in full, Beyt-Yod-Tav is the Hebrew word for “HOUSE” today.
Jesus said “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” John 6:63
God is building His “HOUSE” for all to see. It is the FIRST HOUSE, the BEST HOUSE.
The Byet is the second letter of the Hebrew aleph-Beyt, on the 2nd day, God DIVIDED. A HOUSE DIVIDES. All those in the family, from all those outside.
HOUSE, Beyt-Yod-Tav totals 412, which is the same total as “THE ARK” (Gen 9:10) “THE SIGN” (Isaiah 38:7) and if that isn’t enough, “And God divided the light” (Gen 1.4) See the connections?
Be assured, this ISN’T coincidence. Remember 2nd Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”?
The house of God is closed to all outside who reject the offer of adoption, and open to all who accept the offer, and agree to obey the Torah’s instructions.
“I love them that love me; and those that seek me EARLY shall find me” Prov 8:17
The Hebrew word translated as “EARLY”, is shaw-khar and also means “seek diligently”, as well as early, in the morning.
Eight is the number of new life, new beginning, and seventeen is the number of sacrifice.
The opposite of loving God. and seeking Him diligently brings dire consequences. The Scriptures will give the reasons and the consequences for them.
Pro 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Pro 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Pro 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
Pro 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Pro 1:28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Pro 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Pro 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Pro 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Pro 1:32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
See the reasons for the clamity?
In God’s HOUSE, He alone, is Father. Our Father cannot reward disobedience in His HOUSE, just as we shouldn’t. Dear family, are YOU in God’s HOUSE, in His FAMILY? Love God and seek after Him diligently, while you still can.
Good shalom to all!
This simple but profound insight of the rabbis concerning the bet is so refreshing to me. I believe it is easier for man to speculate and therorize about how everything started, then being confronted with “why” we are here. The open text of G-d’s instructions in how we should live in this world is there for all to see, and yet we are straining to see and know “how” it all began. We/man truly have it backwards don’t we. And we wonder “why” we are so feeble and weak in confronting the issues and atrocities of our world. G-d open our eyes and ears to your text, and may we be obedient to your instructions, in Yeshua name and through the power of His spirit, amen.
Thanks brother Skip, for sharing this today.
“…It seems only reasonable that it should begin with the beginning letter.”
So much for systematic theological ideals. Just when we thought we had it down, here goes another counter-status quo/mundane teaching. Yes, our minds must be RENEWED daily through this most powerful, mind altering Word. Thanking YHWH for care and grace, and our fellow travellers, Skip and others, for their dedication and laboring in this deep well of living water. Shalom to all.
Hmmm
e·lo·him; 430 God
That’s very interesting!
I’ve been a little slow on the uptake 🙂
him; 430 God
history; his story
Works in English, but not in many others, does it?