Theologian Milton Steinberg once said, “The believer has to account for for the existence of unjust suffering; the atheist has to account for the existence of everything else — for the world, life, consciousness, beauty, art, love, music. It would seem the believer has the upper hand.”
Chapter 1: Creation + Divine Order
God creates the heavens and the earth, bringing the world into being through speech alone. He forms light, sky, seas, land, vegetation, the sun, moon, and stars, followed by the creatures of sea, sky, and land. After each stage of creation, God declares it good, and on the sixth day He creates humanity in His image—declaring this final work very good.
Separating the light and the dark is the first thing God does after creation of the world, which shows that God shapes chaos into order. An interesting point, specifically about the light and the dark: light needed to be created, not darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. Light is not the absence of darkness.
The Torah’s rhythm follows this pattern: first comes darkness, struggle, effort; then comes light, joy, and achievement. In our home we teach this to our young children as “work before play.” Especially when it comes to their morning and evening chores.
Preserving Gods order and distinction is mans task: Light & Dark. Good & Evil, Man & Woman, Land & Water, Human & Animal. We as parents instill this into our children, in our own way, with distinctions and opposites, from a very early age. One of my husband’s favorite books to read our young toddlers is Go Dog, Go! by P. D. Eastman, because it does a phenomenal job distinguishing between, up and down, in and out, over and under, etc.
1.4 God saw that it was good. Seven occasions, after each day, God steps back and calls His work good. There’s a lesson here in humility. It’s not arrogance to pause, survey what you’ve built, and take quiet pride in it. Teaching our children — and ourselves — to notice the good in our own work is a spiritual discipline.
1.28 God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it…” To have children is the first commandment in the Bible. And in the same sentence, God tells man his intention for man to rule the natural world as well, however we don’t have the right to abuse nature or inflict suffering on animals. These are lessons we begin teaching our children almost instinctively: to treat animals with kindness because they, too, are God’s creation.
Chapter 2: Shabbat + A Fitting Helper
God has finished his work, the heavens and the earth were finished. On the seventh day, God ceased from his work and rested, declaring the seventh day holy. God reinforces that nature is created for man, plants a garden in the East, and places man there for enjoy. He tells Adam to not eat from one tree. And finally, 2.18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a fitting helper for him.”
For the first time in creation, God declares something not good: loneliness. Today, we’re living through what many call a “loneliness epidemic.” Scripture reminds us this is not just a cultural issue but a spiritual one. God’s solution for Adam was a partner, a “helper.” In Hebrew, the word used (עֵ֫זֶר, ezer) is also used for God Himself. A helper is not subordinate — it means strength and partnership. Better together.
I thank God every day for bringing my husband and me together and for blessing us with a home overflowing with laughter and dirty socks. But even that isn’t enough. We cannot live in isolation. As a couple, and as a family of six, we need community—extended family, neighbors, friends, colleagues. As a mother of small children, I’ve learned that finding “my people” takes effort. I introduce myself, smile, exchange numbers, and set up playdates. Sometimes people cancel, sometimes they never reply—but I keep trying. Because life isn’t meant to be lived alone. And right now, “my people” are other mothers in the trenches—those who understand sleepless nights, endless laundry, perpetual runny noses, and constant vomit.
Chapter 3: What can we learn from the story of the Garden of Eden?
One detail that often slips by is the quiet introduction of the Tree of Life, 2.9 And from the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the Tree of Life in the middle of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There’s no command about it, no warning, nothing to draw immediate attention, it’s solely the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that comes with the warning (2.16-2.17). And then, after Adam and Chava (Eve) eat from the Tree of Knowledge, the Tree of Life suddenly becomes central: God steps in, banishes them, and stations cherubim to guard it. That shift makes the story feel alive in a new way — the Tree of Life wasn’t hidden or forbidden at first; it was waiting, meant to be approached at the right time and in the right way. Which brings me to a verse which always stops me in my tracks: 3.22 Now that man has become like one of Us, knowing good and bad, what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat, and live forever? Suddenly, the quiet tree from chapter 2 becomes almost dangerous. The timing matters. Eating from it in innocence might have been fine, however, eating from it in a fallen state? That would have locked humanity into exile forever. The story of Adam and Eve reminds us that, given a choice, humans will almost always reach for knowledge and agency over innocence — and that desire shapes the trajectory of the human story.
So the story itself…. the sneaky little serpent represents the root of human evil — attempting to displace God as moral authority. The serpent convinces Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which will in-turn fundamentally change the course of humanity, by experiencing a life of suffering and eventual death. Humans prefer this life full of actual experiences and challenges, which yes, includes suffering and death, than to a more childlike existence, where everything was provided and hard work wasn’t required.
When God confronts Adam… 3.12 The man said, “The woman you put at my side– she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Adam immediately blames God, it’s Gods fault because God ‘put the woman at his side.’ Therefore, going by Adams rational line of thinking: If God didn’t create a wife for Adam, then none of this would have happened!
I love that God didn’t dole out punishments and curses until he was done with his interrogation. In fact, he says nothing to Adam, He simply turns to Eve… 3.13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman replied, “The serpent duped me and I ate.”
Though her answer, unlike Adams, didn’t point fingers at God by saying “the serpent you made” she simply says “the serpent duped me.” This is still not taking accountability, but credit to Eve for not turning it back on God, like Adams reply.
According to Rabbi Abraham Twerski, “when we rationalize, we deviate from truth. We create good reasons instead of true reasons, and because they are often plausible, we are in danger of believing our own lies.”
At the end of the day, blaming others is morally wrong, and it makes both emotional and moral growth impossible. Yet it’s universal—and in some ways almost reassuring—because even Adam, the very first man, deflected responsibility. He not only blamed Eve, but in a way even blamed God for giving her to him. Lack of accountability goes all the way back to the beginning, which means that when I hear similar deflections from my loved ones, I don’t take it quite so personally. Even God Himself was sassed.
A fun Twerski quote: “human beings need four things: air, food, drink, and someone to blame.”
Chapter 4: sin is ever-present, humanity has the power and responsibility to master it.
4.1 …and she conceived and bore Cain, saying “I have gained a male child with the help of the Lord.” Nothing important here, but on a side note: I love that Eve names her baby Cain, because she realizes she was partners to God in his creation. I’ve felt that way for each and every one of my children, though none of my children are named Cain. After all, Cain isn’t a good person. He murders his brother in a crime of passion…
Cain and Abel, the first children of Adam and Eve, each bring offerings to God. The Lord regards Abel’s sincere gift but not Cain’s, leaving Cain angry and downcast. 4.7 Surely, if you do right, there is uplift. But if you do not do right, sin couches at the door, its urge is toward you, yet you can be its master.” Doing good uplifts us, not only morally, but in terms of happiness. The less we engage in good behavior, the more bad behavior becomes tempting, and even inevitable. The reason is that life largely consists of habits — doing good leads to doing more good; doing bad leads to doing more bad, especially since human nature is inclined towards sin. And the last part of this verse, “yet you can be its master,” tells us that we have moral free will. That we can rule over our desire to do wrong. Instilling self-control in our children is critical.
Chapter 5: From Adam to Noah
Genesis 5 traces the genealogy from Adam to Noah, highlighting long lifespans (example: Adam lives 930 years) and the blessing of children. 5.24 Enoch walked with God: then he was no more, for God took him. No other details on Enoch other than being described as “walked with God,” which is a term used only three times in the Bible. Along with Elijah the Prophet, Enoch is the only other person that is claimed to have been taken by God rather than die.
Chapter 6.1-6.8: Man’s Evil Mind Brings God Sadness
Chapter 6 opens with divine beings taking beautiful women for wives, and the result is the Nephilim. It’s a brief, almost passing mention, offering little detail — but it’s haunting, and I can’t help wanting to know more. The Torah gives us only fragments, but their mystery has sparked centuries of fascination. We’ll encounter the Nephilim again in Numbers, Joshua, and Samuel, and each time, they stir that same sense of mystery. What were they? Giants? Warriors? Something else entirely? I know I’m not alone in this deep curiosity — these few lines have fascinated people for generations.
Dennis Prager refers to God as the “most tragic figure in the Bible” and oh my (!) that is so true. (6.6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth and His heart was saddened.) We constantly disappoint Him! Unlike everything else in the universe, humans were endowed with the ability to go against God’s will. And we, his favorite creature (the only day he announced was “very good” after creating, rather than simply “good”), the human being, repeatedly disappoint him. Up until the flood, there is nothing but evil. We are wicked. He had high aspirations for us. God wanted a good world, in which people treat other people decently.
Takeaway for the Week
- Life is ordered.
- Blame is easy; growth requires accountability.
- Sin is in our nature, but self-mastery is possible.
- God never gives up on humanity—and neither should we with our children.
Bereishis reminds mothers and wives that life is about partnership, nurturing with purpose, embracing choice and agency, and cultivating accountability — all with patience, grace, and love.