{"id":31231,"date":"2025-10-17T18:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/?p=31231"},"modified":"2025-10-17T18:00:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:00:28","slug":"parashat-bereshit-let-there-be-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/parashat-bereshit-let-there-be-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Parashat Bereshit \u2013 Let there be light!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The First Creation: Light as the Blueprint of Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The True Meaning of \u201cTorah\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word Torah<\/em> (usually translated as \u201cBible\u201d) actually comes from the Hebrew word hour'ah<\/em>, which means \u201clesson.\u201d The Torah<\/em> is, therefore, a book of lessons \u2014 a book of life \u2014 teaching us how to live according to the will of Gd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Powerful Lesson at the Very Beginning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right at the beginning, we already found a very powerful lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first verses of the Toira<\/em> are usually translated as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c"In the beginning, Gd created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was void..."\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the true translation, without going too deeply into linguistic details, is actually:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the beginning of the creation by Gd of the heavens and the earth \u2014 when the earth was void \u2014 Gd said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.\u2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that the first creation was light \u2014 ohr<\/em> in Hebrew \u2014 not the heavens and the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rashi's Explanation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you wish to study this further, I invite you to read the commentary of Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), who lived in France around the year 1000.
He gives a very long and detailed explanation of exactly this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Question: Who Benefited from the Light?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the first creation is light. But then a question arises:
If light was the first creation, who was actually benefiting from it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was nobody there. There was nothing there \u2014 not even a world, just light.
So what is the purpose of light if there is no world and nobody to receive it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Example of the Architect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand this, our sages offer a beautiful example.
Imagine an architect or a builder who wants to build a house.
Before he begins, he must have a clear objective in his mind \u2014 what exactly he wants to build and what the purpose of the entire process is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he starts building. And sometimes, in order to build upward, he first digs downward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might look at him and say, "Wait a second! You said you wanted a building that reaches high into the sky, and yet you're digging deep into the ground. What are you doing?"\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is simple: sometimes you must dig down in order to go higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Light as the Blueprint of Creation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing a builder needs is a blueprint \u2014 something that guides the entire building process.
That is what light<\/em> actually represents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Light is the purpose of creation. Gd wants us to find this light in every single deed, every word, and every thought \u2014 in everything we do, say, and think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hidden Light<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, this light is hidden. Sometimes we must work very hard to uncover it.
We have to dig deep \u2014 into ourselves and into the world \u2014 to find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the light is always there. The godly light exists in every single corner of creation and in every single one of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Purpose: To Find the Light<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why Gd created light \u2014 because it is the blueprint and the objective that guides everything throughout creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our task, our life's work \u2014 though sometimes difficult, and sometimes requiring us to break down before we can rebuild higher \u2014 is to find this divine light within creation and within ourselves.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The First Creation: Light as the Blueprint of Life The True Meaning of \u201cTorah\u201d The word Torah (usually translated as \u201cBible\u201d) actually comes from the Hebrew word hora\u2019ah, which means \u201clesson.\u201d The Torah is, therefore, a book of lessons \u2014 a book of life \u2014 teaching us how to live according to the will of… Read More \u00bbParashat Bereshit \u2013 Let there be light!<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3298],"tags":[3533],"series":[],"class_list":["post-31231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bereshit-en","tag-light"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BereshitEN.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/avatar1400.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"castbox":{"key":"castbox","url":"","label":"CastBox","class":"castbox","icon":"castbox.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/feed\/podcast\/rabino-tuvia-serber","embedCode":"

Parashat Bereshit \u2013 Let there be light!<\/a><\/blockquote>