In the very first chapter of Bereshit, the Rabbis noticed several unusual items, all pointing in the same puzzling direction: They noticed that God used only the name associated with judgment even though both of his main names are mentioned when describing the event later on. They then noticed that the skies seemed to be created twice, leading them to conclude that the skies only took on defined limits after being created and as a result of the ‘God’s rebuke.’ They also noticed that the command given to the trees and what actually occurred seem to be at odds, such that the trees should have really consisted only of fruit. Finally, they noticed that the original plan does not distinguish between the size of the sun and the moon, indicating that God had thought to create both of them to be the same size.
All of these observations, and the famous midrashim connected with them, indicate a distinction between what God had in mind and what actually happened. Yet given our understanding of God as all-knowing and all-powerful, this seems a bit strange. In fact, since none of the Rabbis’ conclusions are actually in the text itself, we can conclude that what we are looking at is a deeper level of meaning. That is to say that on the simple level, God did exactly what He planned. But nuances in the text were meant to get us to look deeper, and to understand that ‘God doing exactly as He planned’ does not mean that it did not come without any ambivalence and tension.
It appears that all of the details mentioned above point to the problems involved in a perfect God’s creating a world in line with the needs of the imperfect creatures He decided to create. Since God Himself is perfect, it would have theoretically been more suitable to create everything in the best possible way. This would be the case when the fruit and the tree all taste the same. It would be the case with abundant light around the clock and with the symmetry of two distinct suns on each side of the earth. Likewise, God exacting immediate punishment for sin would be in line with the natural world where effects lead to direct and unmitigated consequences. Finally, we might well expect an infinite God to create infinite elements as well. But such a perfect world would ultimately be uninhabitable for man. Hence God did what He knew was required for the project of creating man. But the Torah did not want the sophisticated thinker to think that there were no paradoxes involved in such a project. On the contrary, paradox is seen to be the very lynchpin of God’s creation.
As we begin the Torah annual cycle, it is good to remind ourselves about the layering of meaning readily found in our most central text. As we have seen from its first chapter, it is a book that carries profound and sublime ideas. But these ideas are only there if we are able and willing to find them. In this, we are fortunate that the Rabbis have already done much of the work for us. What is left to us, then, is to pour over their words and to try to understand the deeper messages that the Torah contains.