Genesis 1 – Eht
Dear Study Partners, The Torah of The Lord is rich with encouraging thoughts for each of us. The Torah is The Living Word of God.
When God created Adam and Chavah [Eve], it was a reflection of God’s Thought. Blessed is His Name.
God Designed each of us with The Power of Thought. Contemplation is a powerful force operating within each of us. We can do so much within the boundless power of reflection, introspection, deliberation, and meditation. It’s a matter of training ourselves to be mindful. There is a remarkable depth to focusing on Words and Letters. When we study with this type of mindfulness, it changes our perspective.
Each week it is a new challenge determining what to share. God Willing, this year we will continue with our chapter by chapter study of Genesis. And from time to time, we may zoom in on a Scripture or a Word.
Bereisheit 1.1
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ: ס
Genesis 1.1
In the beginning, God Created Everything from the First Letter of The Aleph Bet To The last Letter of The Aleph Bet of The Heavens and Everything from the First Letter of The Aleph Bet To The last Letter of The Aleph Bet of the earth.
Now, Dear Ones, let’s briefly examine These seven words from the first Scripture in The Torah.
בְּרֵאשִׁית
Bih Ray Sheet / In the beginning
בָּרָא
Create / Baw Raw
God is the Creator of ALL! Second, even though God’s Name, אֱלֹהִים Elohim, is Plural – It is singular when speaking of God. The Holy Name of God is written once in the first Scripture of The Torah with necessary intent. There is no ‘THEY’ in The Word בָּרָא Baw Raw, Created. What we see here in Verse One is also true in Verse 27. In verse 26, God Includes other Spiritual beings with The Words, ‘Let us make.’ Now notice Verse 27 where The Torah reveals, ‘God Created man.’
אֱלֹהִים
Elohim / God
The third Word is Elohim, meaning gods, judges, rulers. The Orthodox write and say Elohim differently if the reference is to God. They say Elokim is a method of protecting God’s Holy Name. Elohim appears hundreds of times concerning God. When Elohim refers to God, then the intent is always singular. Some Christians believe Elohim is about the Trinity, meaning God the Father, God the son {Jesus} and God, the Holy Spirit.
As noted above, the first mention of God is singular. That is a principle of hermeneutics known as The First Mention Principle. There are 13 guides for interpreting The Holy Scriptures.
We who are the caretakers of The Holy Torah, view God only as ONE! The Shema Says, ‘Hear, Oh Israel; The Lord, our God, is ONE (ECHAD), Lord.
אֵת
Eht
Eht means ‘Everything from א Aleph, The First Letter of The Aleph Bet to ת Taw, The last Letter of The Aleph Bet is included. Using The Word אֵת Eth is an emphatic way of saying, ‘Everything is included from the Letter Aleph to The Letter Tav. In verse one, The intent is God created Everything in The Heavens and Everything in The Earth. How God created Everything is up for discussion. For example, We know that the first six days of creation were not 24 hour days. They were vast periods of time.
הַשָּׁמַיִם
Hah Sh Mah Yeem / the Heavens
God wants us to know that He Created Everything In The Heavens.
וְאֵת
Vih Eht
Eht means, Everything from א Aleph, The First Letter of The Aleph Bet to ת Taw The last Letter of The Aleph Bet. Everything is included. Using The Word אֵת Eth is an emphatic way of saying ‘Everything is included from the Letter Aleph to The Letter Tav.
הָאָרֶץ
The earth. Haw Aw Rehtz
God wants us to know that He created Everything in the earth and all of creation.
Dear Study Partners, may this Sabbath and every Sabbath be a blessed Day.
Good Sabbath!
Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk
