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Share(א) בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(1) When God began to create heaven and earth—
בראשית ברא אֵין הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה אוֹמֵר אֶלָּא דָרְשַׁנִי, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדְּרָשׁוּהוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בִּשְׁבִיל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁנִקְרֵאת רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ (משלי ח'), וּבִשְׁבִיל יְשׂרָאֵל שֶׁנִקְרְאוּ רֵאשִׁית תְּבוּאָתוֹ (ירמיה ב'); וְאִם בָּאתָ לְפָרְשׁוֹ כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ, כַּךְ פָּרְשֵׁהוּ בְּרֵאשִׁית בְּרִיאַת שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁך וַיֹאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וְלֹא בָא הַמִקְרָא לְהוֹרוֹת סֵדֶר הַבְּרִיאָה לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵלוּ קָדְמוּ, שֶׁאִם בָּא לְהוֹרוֹת כַּךְ, הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתּוֹב בְּרִאשׁוֹנָה בָּרָא אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגוֹ' שֶׁאֵין לְךָ רֵאשִׁית בְּמִּקְרָא, שֶׁאֵינוֹ דָבוּק לַתֵּיבָה שֶׁלְאַחֲרָיו, כְּמוֹ בְּרֵאשִׁית מַמְלֶכֶת יְהוֹיָקִים (שׁם כ”ז), רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ (בראשית י'), רֵאשִׁית דְּגָנְךָ (דבראשית י"ח), – אַף כַּאן אַתָּה אוֹמֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים וְגוֹ', כְּמוֹ בְּרֵאשִׁית בְּרוֹא; וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ תְּחִלַת דָּבֶּר ה' בְּהוֹשֵׁעַ (הושע א'), כְּלוֹמַר תְּחִלַת דִּבּוּרוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ"ה בְּהוֹשֵׁעַ, וַיֹאמֶר ה' אֶל הוֹשֵׁעַ וְגוֹ' וְאִ"תֹּ לְהוֹרוֹת בָּא שֶׁאֵלוּ תְּחִלָּה נִבְרָאוּ, וּפֵּירוּשׁוֹ בְּרֵאשִׁית הַכֹּל בָּרָא אֵלוּ – וְֵישׁ לָךְ מִקְרָאוֹת שֶׁמִּקְצָּרִים לְשׁוֹנָם וּמְמַעֲטִים תֵּיבָה אַחַת, כְּמוֹ כִּי לֹא סָגַר דַּלְתִּי בִטְנִי (איוב ג'), וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ מִי הַסּוֹגֵר וּכְמוֹ יִשָׂא אֶת חֵיל דַּמֶשֶׂק (ישעיהו ח'), וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ מִי יִשָּׂאֶנוּ; וּכְמוֹ אִם יַחֲרוֹש בַּבְּקָרִים (עמוס ו'), וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ אִם יַחֲרוֹשׁ אָדָם בַּבְּקָרִים, וּכְמוֹ מַגִּיד מֵרֵאשִׁית אַחֲרִית (ישעיהו מ”ו), וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ מַגִּיד מֵרֵאשִׁית דָּבָר אַחֲרִית דָּבָר – אִ"כֵּ, תְּמַהּ עַל עַצְמְךָ,שֶׁהֲרֵי הַמַּיִם קָדְמוּ, שֶׁהֲרֵי כְתִיב וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְנֵי הַמָּיִם, וְעַדַיִין לֹא גִלָּה הַמִּקְרָא, בְּרִיאַת הַמָּיִם מָתַי הָיְתָה, הָא לָמַדְתָּ, שֶׁקָּדְמוּ הַמָּיִם לָאֶרֶץ, וְעוֹד, שֶׁהַשָׁמַּיִם מֵאֵשׁ וּמַיִם נִבְרְאוּ, עַל כָּרְחֲךָ לֹא לִמֵּד הַמִּקְרָא סֵדֶר הַמּוּקְדָמִים וְהַמְאוּחָרִים כְּלוּם: (ג)
(2) בראשית ברא When God began to create — This verse calls aloud for explanation in the manner that our Rabbis explained it:
God created the world
for the sake of the Torah
which is called “The beginning (ראשית) of His (God’s) way”(Proverbs 8:22),
and for the sake of Israel
who are called“The beginning (ראשית) of His (God’s) increase’’ (Jeremiah 2:3) .
...The text does not intend to point out the order of the acts of Creation — to state that these (heaven and earth) were created first; for if it intended to point this out, it should have written 'בראשונה ברא את השמים וגו “At first God created etc.” And for this reason: Because, wherever the word ראשית occurs in Scripture, it is in the construct state. E. g., (Jeremiah 26:1) “In the beginning of (בראשית) the reign of Jehoiakim”; (Genesis 10:10) “The beginning of (ראשית) his kingdom”; (Deuteronomy 18:4) “The first fruit of (ראשית) thy corn.” Similarly here you must translate בראשית ברא אלהים as though it read בראשית ברוא, at the beginning of God’s creating.
... if it is so (that you assert that this verse intends to point out that heaven and earth were created first), you should be astonished at yourself, because as a matter of fact the waters were created before heaven and earth, for, lo, it is written, (v. 2) “The Spirit of God was hovering on the face of the waters,” and Scripture had not yet disclosed when the creation of the waters took place — consequently you must learn from this that the creation of the waters preceded that of the earth. ... Therefore you must needs admit that the text teaches nothing about the earlier or later sequence of the acts of Creation.
What emerges from Rashi's provocative statement ("The text does not reveal anything regarding the sequential order of reation") is a sense of the gaps, the unexplained, the need to examine and re-examine the apparently lucid text, with its account of a harmonious, coherent cosmology. There is a tension between the benevolent clarity and power of the narrative and the acknowledgement of mystery that inheres in the very first word and that develops as the implications of the beginning are realize.
(5) God called the light Day, and the darkness God called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, day one.
(1) יום אחד Day one) — According to the regular mode of expression used in this chapter it should be written here “first day”, just as it is written with regard to the other days “the second”, “the third”, “the fourth”. Why, then, does it write אחד “one”? Because the Holy One of Blessing was then the Sole Being in/of the Universe, since the angels were not created until the second day.
(26) And God said, “Let us make Adam in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.”
(1) נעשה אדם WE WILL MAKE Adam — The humility of the Holy One of Blessing they (the Rabbis) learned from here: because the man is in the likeness of the angels and they might envy him, therefore God took counsel with them (Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot 18 and see Genesis Rabbah 8). ...
(2) נעשה אדם WE WILL MAKE ADAM — Although they did not assist God in forming him (the man) and although this use of the plural may give the heretics an occasion to rebel (i. e. to argue in favour of their own views), yet the verse does not refrain from teaching proper conduct and the virtue of humbleness, namely, that the greater should consult, and take permission from the smaller; for had it been written, “I shall make Adam”, we could not, then, have learned that God spoke to God's judicial council but to God's self. And as a refutation of the heretics it is written immediately after this verse “And God created the man”, and it is not written “and they created” (Genesis Rabbah 8:9) ...
(5) וירדו בדגת הים AND THEY SHALL HAVE DOMINION OVER THE FISH … [AND OVER THE BEASTS] — The expression וירדו may imply dominion as well as descending — if he is worthy he dominates over the beasts and cattle, if he is not worthy he will sink lower than them, and the beast will rule over him (Genesis Rabbah 8:12).