Friday Voices: God's Good World

A few weeks ago, we observed Rosh Hashanah, traditionally considered the birthday of the world. This week's Torah portion, Bereshit, starts with the beginning – creation. God created a universe of harmony, balance, and beauty in six days, sanctifying the seventh, Shabbat, with a well-deserved rest. Creation is the foundation of our relationship and partnership with God. It establishes the unity of all people while also accounting for diversity and dispersion. There are three basic ideas that are implicit:

• God, as the Creative Force, provides all creation with purpose and thus to understand God is to understand one’s own potential.

• God, as Lawgiver, validates the principles of justice and righteousness that govern us as humans.

• God, as Redeemer, guarantees the ultimate goals of existence and enables us to find meaning in our lives.

Our Jewish tradition teaches us that as God’s partners, we are responsible for the survival of the least fit: the orphan, the poor, the lonely, and the stranger, to name just a few. Parashat Bereshit sets forth our work and our challenge. If Rosh Hashanah celebrates the birthday of the world and Parashat Bereshit recounts it, we can take this opportunity to give the world a birthday present. There are four gifts we can each give the world:

• Educate ourselves about how to protect the environment.

• Learn how to save energy in our homes with an audit.

• Use durable cloth bags when shopping.

• Reduce emissions by combining errands so that we make fewer car trips.

Beginning with Eve, resourceful women are central to the book of Genesis, representing the biblical understanding of humans as God’s partners in maintaining God’s good world. As we begin our WRJ centennial celebration in 2013 at the Fried Leadership Conference and culminate with the 49th Centennial Assembly, let’s all join together to celebrate 100 years strong and give the gift of Reform Judaism to generations to come. May the light of the Shabbat candles brighten all our lives.