The Text

1 ¶In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

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Special note on the text

It is not always asked when​​​​​​​​​ the beginning of ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Day One actually occurs. Some might say that it begins with the words of verse two or even with words of verse three.  The readings of and notes on the text that follow require an understanding that once G-d finishes His works resulting with the creation of the whole of Day One it is then the Bereshith of the first verse itself that is the beginning of Day One.

Interpretive Readings

1​ ¶In beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth.

In a RESHITH, a head, G-d created ET-heavens and ET-earth.

With a RESHITH, a head. G-d created את-heavens andאת-earth.

By a RESHITH, a head, G-d createdאת-heavens and את-earth.

Notes

1  ¶Begin Day One

It is necessary that there should be an aspect of apparent history with the creation of something out of nothing. For creation must have characteristics and characteristics must be organically related thus constituting character. In the creature, character must develop. It requires an element of time and experience. Therefore, even those characteristics which appeared in the creation of heaven and earth needed, as it were, a history, but they could have no history for they were created out of nothing. Thus, being created out of nothing, they were created with an apparent history.

This is:  The concealed first imperative…

The Text

2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Interpretive Readings

2And the earth was indistinguishable

from the heavens,

without any definition...

Empty of all potential energy, there was only cold darkness in every direction.

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the undefined, undifferentiated

fluid forces.

Notes

2 Which is to say that as the first imperative was concealed, so the obedience to the first imperative was limited…

Nevertheless, the Spirit of God engaged with this limited obedience…

The Spirit of God arises from theאתand ever engages with the waters - and the dry ground that will arise from the waters below - for the Spirit of God arises, as it were from between the אand the ת, as between the waters above and the waters below the expanse.

Here the Spirit of God engages with the face of the waters, that is to say, with the tension between the potentials of the heavens and the earth which are still unarticulated within the waters, the fluidity, comprehended by the singular אתof the heavens and earth. Out of this tension of the אתthe Spirit of God first arises as the אמר. “And God said…”

The Text

3 And God said, Let there be light, and there  was light.

Interpretive Readings

3And God spoke amidst the dark waters of the new heavens and earth,

and said,

Let light shine forth! And light was everywhere shining.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

"And God spoke amidst the dark waters..."​​​

An association between the Spirit of God hovering or mothering over​​​ the surface or face of the waters and the issuing of light in obedience to the commandment of God​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ is not stated explicitly but​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ there is a clear association of narrative context.  

We read and hear these words and wonder, Was there a need in the chaotic newly created Heavens and Earth for a work of preparation by the Spirit of God to enable an act of obedience to the forthcoming imperative commandment, "Let there be light"?

Notes

3 …until God proceeded to make the first imperative a compound imperative - making the second aspect of the first imperative explicit - in effect commanding the universe to obey the hidden, implicit imperative more expressly and completely… As though the first imperative were to be understood as to say to the heavens and the earth, “Prepare to begin!” And with the obedience of the light, the radiance, to the commandment to come to be, the heavens and the earth were then prepared to begin, to go on. In this way we see the pattern of commandments built upon commandments revealed in the first compounded, or nested, commandment, which is the commandment of Bereshit and Yehi Or together.

The completion of the first level of obedience of the Bereshit commandment, the Yehi Or level, where creation not only exists but shines, is marked by God’s judgment: And God saw… and thisוירא, is the next manifestation of the Spirit of God, the first resolution of the original tension of the את.

The Text

4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

Interpretive Readings

4​ And God saw the light to be good for the heavens and the earth, (but not the cold darkness):

and God divided the light from the darkness.

Notes

4 God was, as it were, moved in the narrative from the position that He was in the One speaking the original commandment of Bereshith by the failure of the heavens and earth to fully obey the commandment, which resulted in darkness, until God made the commandment explicit - then God was again in His original position, seeing that the light was good, in that it was the proper expression of the implied imperative of Bereshith. Thus, the aspect of limited obedience as darkness was divided from full obedience as light, radiance, the expression of preparedness for God to go on with creation. And God divided between these by viewing the light with approval, positioning Himself again in the position of Bereshith and of unfolding all the meaning of the hidden imperative of Bereshith.

This dividing, this ויבדלבין, is the second level of the resolution of the original tension of the את.

The Text

5 †God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Interpretive Readings

5​ †And God named the light Illumination, and the darkness he named Concealment.

And the time of the mixture of darkness and potential light and the time of light overcoming the darkness were a dawning of full illumination.

Notes

†Complete Day One

5​

The darkness is framed as a measure of time, (or process,) evening and then night, by the frame of morning and the whole is called, Day. The limited obedience is framed as evening, its consequence as night, its framing or correction is called morning, so that the full rectification is called, Day.

The first unfolding of the hidden imperative of Bereshith is called, Day.

 This naming, this ויקרא, is the third level of the resolution of the original tension of the את.All is prepared to proceed. The first obedience is attributed to creation as Day One. This means that the help of God is concealed to the extent that the proceeding days can unfold the complete and perfect rectification and mature obedience of creation to the Bereshith without any handicap of humiliation.

The unfolding of the declarative commandment of Bereshith is an unfolding that takes place in six stages called, "days", "yomim".  There is a relationship between "days" and "water", "yomim" and "mayim," suggesting that "days" come in waves, or are waves of time, fluid stages rolling into one another...  As each stage is associated with one or more imperative of the Word of God and all together flow from the Bereshith, the Word of Beginning, it is as if the declarative, "Bereshith bara Elohim EtHashamayim vEtAretz" is a hidden imperative that is being unfolded.  

The first unfolding has now been accomplished.

The second unfolding of the hidden imperative of Bereshith begins…

The Text

6 ¶And God said, Let there be an expanse, (firmament), in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.

Interpretive Readings

6​  ¶And God said, Let there be a solidification force in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

"And God said, Let there be a solidification force..."

This reading represents the understanding that the "waters" of the initial form of the heavens and the earth were as yet tohu and bohu - "without form and void," without definition and undifferentiated.  This is to say, they were unstable and fully fluid.  The commandment that there should be a "solidification force" can be understood as a commandment that the unstable waves of motion should, in one dimension, be stabilized into an harmonic pattern.

Notes

6​​​   ¶Begin Day Two

The inner tension of the את of the Bereshith-bara is commanded to become a , רקיע, a divider dividing the sphere of the heavens from the sphere of the earth.

We have returned to that place of dealing with and separating the waters where we would have been, had the heavens and earth immediately obeyed the commandment in full.

This "expanse force" is the measure of differentiation between heaven and earth, which will be seen in the Torah and Prophets to be the domain of Mashiach.

The commandment here is immediately two-fold. "Let it be" and "let it divide". This is a reflection of how the light was first commanded to be and then was personally acted upon or used by God’s seeing it as good to divide between light and darkness, day and night, and thereby assisting creation in completing the first level of the obedience to the declarative Bereshith of God's Word.

Having this accomplishment, therefore, Creation is commanded to re-enact its pattern entirely on its own. “Entirely on its own,” however, now includes in a concealed manner the Spirit of God and also in a concealed manner the assistance of God.

It is now known by Creation from experience that its power of obedience is to be found in and brought out from the singular את of the heavens and of the earth.

The Text

7 And God made the expanse,

(firmament), and separated the waters

that were under the expanse from the

waters that were

above the expanse.

And it was so.

Interpretive Readings

7And God made the solidification force, and divided the waters whichwere under and more subject to the solidification force from the waters which wereabove and less subject to the solidification force: and it was so.

Notes

7

We have so far the following actions of God:

Bereshith bara

Moved upon

Said (light)

Saw (light)

Separated (light)

Called (light)

Called (darkness)

Said (expanse)

Made (expanse)

Here, the assistance of ויעש, “and he made,” is the fourth level of the rectification.Although creation is commanded to do this  on its own it does not do so, but still requires God’s assistance. We do not read, “and it was so.”

Here is also a hidden aspect of limited and full obedience. Finally in Torah Redemption this will be unfolded to be the aspect of Israel in the mist of the את, the limited obedience, which is “made” full obedience by God through the Aleph and the Tav, the Mashiach himself. What will be realized in the end is in the beginning in potential.

This aspect of God “making” then is a deeper concealment of the imperative. For here God is in the place of the רקיע obeying in full his own commandment to sanctify the waters, separating below from above… So that we will see that here also, in the second unfolding of the Bereshith, there will be an evening and a morning.

The Text

8 † And God called the expanse,

(firmament),

heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

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Special note on the text

At this point there are two, ​​and in one sense three​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, dimensions of Creation called "heaven"​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​.  

The first sense in which there was a dimension of Creation called heaven was the sense of Etshamyim, the Et heavens, which were originally mixed together with EtAretz, the Et earth.

Another dimension of Creation called "heaven" is the dimension spoken of specifically in this verse, the dimension of the firmament or expanse that divides the waters from the waters.

Another dimension of Creation that is called "heaven" is the dimension of the waters that are above the firmament, for it is only the waters that are below the firmament that are gathered into one place and come to be called the earth.

It should be realized here that it is not explicitly stated that the process of the separation of the waters from the waters separates all that is to be earth to the waters below and all that remains as the waters above the firmament remains as the heavens above.  Whether or not there remains EtAretz as potential together with the EtShamyim remains only in the knowledge of G-d.  Sealing this fact, it is hear said that the firmament itself is now Heaven in relation to the waters below. The waters above the firmament are now beyond "Heaven" to the waters below.

Interpretive Readings

8 † And God called the

solidification force

Heaven. And the time of the mixture of darkness and potential light and the time of light overcoming the darkness were a second dawning of full illumination.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

On the reading of "heaven" here as "Heaven​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​" with a capital "H", see the Special note on the text itself.​

At this point we have only seen "water,​" "​mayim," ​​​​​​​which could be a word for a dark​​​​​​​ plasma like gas in this context​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ and "light,​"​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ which is to say, radiation, which God has commanded to radiate from the fluid-like non-structured original state of the heavens and the earth.

{The thought that this original radiation is the light of Mashiach does not exclude the possibility of the literal sense that it is the original "cosmic radiation".  The way in which this light may be seen to be the light of Mashiach - because what we see as physical light was not created until the 4th day - is in understanding the relationship that is recorded here between commandment and obedience.  Mashiach is the Word of God.  He is the Et, the Aleph and the Tav.  He is the Bereshith bara...  When it was revealed to be necessary for God to further command the newly created heavens and earth (as yet unseparated) to shine with light then the spiritual light of the graciousness of God's Word was revealed, which is the light of Mashiach.)  So, if one sees that the Creation, without the grace of Mashiach, is only able to be cold and dark, but with the grace of Mashiach is able to be warm and light and full of life, then one sees here how this light is the hidden light of Mashiach.}

If we were to suppose that the solidification force, the "firmament,"​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ is what we in our day have called gravity and other forces of elementary solidification force, then​ we may find in this a clue that "Heaven" in this aspect is not simply "the sky" or "space" but is the force giving order to the universe.

Notes

†Complete Day Two

8​​​​​​​​​​​​

We have so far the following actions of God:

Bereshith bara

Moved upon

Said

Saw

Separated

Called

Said (expanse)

Made (expanse)

Called (expanse)

 The firmament, the expanse, as a full obedience to the dual commandment, first to exist and then to divide between the waters above and the waters below, becomes the face, the name, of the waters above to the waters below, the name, Heaven. By the action of naming the obedience, even though it was with complete assistance, the obedience is attributed to creation.  It is like a parent taking the hand of a child and moving it on the piano keys to play the right notes and then saying, "You did it!  That is good!"

With this accomplished, the limited obedience and the full obedience are a second day.

The second unfolding of the hidden imperative of Bereshith is called, the Second Day.

The third unfolding of the hidden imperative of Bereshith now begins…

The Text

9 ¶And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so.

Interpretive Readings

9​ ¶And God said, Let the waters under the (dominion of the) Heaven be attracted together unto one solid place, and let the dry solids appear: and it was so.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

Under the Heaven... This is as if to say under the dominion of the firmament, which is to say the Heaven, as G-d made the firmament to be the Heaven to all that was divided by it from the waters Above the Heaven.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ And "under the dominion of" is as though to say, under the influence of.  Insomuch that we may see the influence of the firmament to be to make firm, we can see that the gathering together of the waters below the firmament is connected to the direct influence of the firmament, the force of the Heaven itself.  

However, the effect is not automatic.  It is required that G-d should further command the waters below the firmament that they should become susceptible to the rule of the Heaven that is above them, which He has now made to be the firmament.

Notes

9​  ¶Begin Day Three

This is, as it were, a second stage, or second level commandment of a compound commandment which began with the commandment of Day Two, the commandment of separation between the waters above and below. This is the commandment of Condensation - resulting in further separation of what is more resistant to this process and what is less resistant, I.e. The waters are gathered to the sides and sediment remains in the center.  What is furthest below comes to be the focus of all attention… Malchut…

Here, creation is able to obey the commandment completely on its own - do to the two levels of assistance and the Spirit of God embedded now within it.

This is a two-fold commandment: “Let the waters below… be gathered; Let the dry land appear.” The commandment is not only to the waters. If they are fully obedient, even so, they will not be able to rest in their new place, but will tend to return, unless the land is also given strength by the commandment.

The Text

10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Interpretive Readings

10​  And God called the dry solids Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw it to be good for the creation of Earth.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

Earth...Seas​​​​​​​​​​

​ = As the undefined and undifferentiated fluid tohu and bohu that was the "waters" of the original form of the heavens and the earth were separated by the firming force of the expanse or firmament, the portion of this fluid heaven and earth that was below, under the power of, the firming force became solid matter, earth. In the context of the divine narrative that is being given, these waters below were concentrated until they became the Earth.  However, the Earth was not entirely solid.  Some fluid forms remained.  Primarily these fluid forms were represented by the oceans or seas, meaning the Earth's whole hydro system.  Literal water thus became the primary representative of all fluid forms of creation from the beginning.

Notes

10 The heavens and the earth of Bereshith bara have now been fully differentiated and defined, the remnant of the waters below being seas, that is, partial waters, and the waters above being faced by the sparse expanse. This second level commandment of Day Two is fully obeyed by the waters below. Thus God is again positioned in the original position of commanding the commandment of the hidden Bereshith. This is indicated by the revelation: “God saw that it was good.” Here, however there is a new dimension to the  creation, a dimension of reward. For this rectification of the sanctification was itself within a compound set of commandments. This larger, encompassing set, is the set of the sanctification commandment for the purpose of the first generative commandment - which we will now see.

The Text

11 And God said, Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth. And it was so.

Interpretive Readings

11​​  And God said, Let the Earth bring forth grass, the reproductive herb, and the reproductive fruit tree; let them all reproduce true to their kind, reproducing their own seed, upon the Earth: and it was so.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

Grass... the herb...​​​​​​​​​​​​

which is to say, every form of elemental life of soil and water, each according to its level and system, which are necessary to support grass, which is the elemental form of life in its system, the most basic visible system of life.  From grass it is to be learned that the Earth is commanded to express life and the life that it is commanded to express is life that will further express itself by reproduction. The full expression of this knowledge is to be contained in the fruit trees.

Notes

11 The earth, the dry ground, the product of the obedient waters below the expanse, is rewarded with a further commandment. This is the commandment that the earth should bring forth, (become, like the body of the mother becomes the body of the seed of the child), the beginning forms of life. Here is the foundation for resurrection, that life should come from non-life.

The Text

12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Interpretive Readings

12​  And the Earth brought forth grass, reproductive herbs, each variety true to its kind, and also the reproductive fruit trees, each variety true to its kind: and God saw it to be good for the Earth.

Notes

12 As the water was fully obedient after having received the two levels of assistance, so the earth now is fully obedient, having received that assistance which is embedded now within creation.

This full obedience is called full obedience but does not fully rectify yet the obedience to Bereshit completely. Thus it is  in the form of the seed only, the germ of each life form named, grass, herb and tree, that the earth brings forth.

The Text

13 †And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Interpretive Readings

13​  †And the time of the mixture of darkness and potential light and the time of light overcoming the darkness were a third dawning of full illumination.

Notes

13 †Complete Day Three 

In this being the first complete day marker to be given in verse by itself,​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ t​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​here is an appropriate emphasis on the completing of Day Three - as this is the day which first marked the revelation of life.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​  Even though the sun has not yet been fully formed in the solidifying field of the heaven, life is already commanded to take form in the ecosystems of the newly formed Earth.

The Text

14 ¶ And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,

Interpretive Readings

14​ ¶And God said, Let there be distinct light transmitters in the firm expanse of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for marking time, for seasons, for days, and years:

Notes

14​  ¶Begin Day Four

There is here a marking of what is required to complete the rectification.

This marking will be seen to create the potential of the differentiation of good and evil.

Now even though God had divided the day from the night already himself, he here commands the light sources to exist for this very purpose. This accentuates the mystery of the relation of these lights to the light that already came into existence.

On the face of it the original light seems to be concealed by these lights but, as indicated in previous notes, in actuality these lights are a continuation of the process of revealing the full obedience to  the commandment of Bereshith.

This is not the creation of time. Time was created with the creation of light, when God added his imperative commandment, "Let there be light!" to His declarative commandment of "Bereshith bara...", and then when He went on to observe the goodness of the light and separate it from the darkness.  

That mystery, (the subject of this study), of how God involved the imperative commandment of His Word graciously in the process of the heavens and the earth fully realizing His will in the form and function of their creation, is how time was created.  

Now when the sun and moon and stars are created, their creation constitutes only the objective marking of time, for the sake of understanding from below.  For this reason, their creation constitutes a day in itself, in the process of the completion of creation.

The Text

15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so.

Interpretive Readings

15​ And let them be for lights in the firming field of the heaven to give light and understanding of time upon the Earth: and to this command there was perfect obedience.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

to give​​​​​​... upon the Earth​​​​​​​​​​​​​...​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​It has already been said that the light is not only to be of a physical nature but also of an intellectual nature, thus to give intellectual and spiritual energy as well as physical energy to the life of the Earth.

It has also already been said that all lights in the firming field of the heaven are to do this and it has been said that there is perfect obedience to this commandment - this means all lights, the stars and all heavenly bodies included.

Notes

15 There is complete obedience of creation here to all facets of this commandment, (“and it was so”), and this commandment, as given and obeyed, has in it reflections of all that has come before.

Here is a dependent compound imperative.  The lights are commanded to be in the expanse and also to do there what they are commanded, to shine light upon the earth.  Just as the bringing forth of the seed had reference to when the creation would be completed, so here to, the creation of the lights in the expanse has reference to when the creation would be completed.

The Text

16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.

17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

Interpretive Readings

16And God developed the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he developed the stars also.

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Notes on this Interpretive Reading

Developed​...  Every heavenly body is now formed but all must be balanced together by God in such a way as to continue working together perfectly until the exact point when God determines that all time should be "reset", a time known only by Himself. {Here is the secret of how and why God used the weakness of the vessel of Creation for His glorious purpose.  For it could not be that Creation should be so strong a vessel as to be able to have the knowledge contained within it when it was right for the time of its own existence to be "reset". It was only right that the Creator alone should know this. Therefore, because Creation was a weak vessel that could not immediately come into existence in full expression of all the light and life that God intended, God's Word entered into a dialogue of commanding and listening and commanding again with Creation.  This allowed God's Word to retain the mystery of time and its relation to eternity from within Creation itself.}

17 And God set them as time markers in the firming field of the heaven to give light for life upon the earth,

Notes

16 And even though there is complete obedience here on the part of creation God must himself perfect the obedience, the work produced by the obedience, because even perfect obedience at this level is insufficient for here must be marked not only all that has  come to pass but all that must come to pass, and creation could not know or mark this. Therefore, God adjusted what creation did in order to produce this work.

17 This is an aspect of the commandment that is implicit, that they should not only be in the firmament (perhaps wandering there) but that they should be set in the firmament. And this aspect God does Himself, assisting the creation as before and as always attributing the success to the creation…

We have so far the following actions of God:

Bereshith bara

(et heaven et earth)

Moved upon (face of waters)

Said (light)

Saw (light)

Separated (light)

Called (light)

Called (darkness)

Said (expanse)

Made (expanse)

Divided (waters)

Called (expanse)

Said x2 (waters below / dry land)

Called (earth)

Called (seas)

Saw (gathering)

Said (earth)

Saw (life)

Said (lights)

Made (lights)

Set (lights)

Notes

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

Again...

Out of the process of the Spirit hovering upon the face of the waters which resulted from the partial fulfillment of the Bereshith… commandment, and out of the further commandment of God, the specific commandment that light should shine from the fluidity of the heavens and the earth, we come to this place where orbs of light are formed in the expanse of the heaven. This occurs in the process of God’s assisting Creation to fully obey the Bereshith…, which He does in a manner to ultimately attribute what is done through His assistance to Creation, having elevated Creation to the place where it merits this attribution of what is done through God’s grace to its own matured level of obedience.  

This process will be completed in the six days.  When God rests on the seventh day He will rest with this as His accomplishment.  

If Adam demonstrates Creation’s mature ability to exist and shine with light to the praise and glory of God, and leads all Creation in doing this, then all Creation will rest with God.  If not, then yet the design of God will carry itself forward and repeat, as it were, at a deeper level, with an unfolding of each day of creation until Adam’s work is redeemed and all Creation rests on the seventh day with God, the Father and Creator of all.  

Yet, here on the fourth day there is this mystery. There is, as it were, the appearance of a great suspension of the process of creation by days or stages.  For instead of going directly from the universal light to life and the mediation by Adam between light and life, we have come to new commandment that creates a contracted form of light.  In this mystery God has concealed the knowledge of the relationship between time and eternity from the "nature" of Creation.  He has kept it to Himself.  He has, however, not concealed the fact that He has concealed this knowledge.  He has revealed the question, the mystery, in order that there might be a seeking for the answer.

How do we see this in the narrative?  We see this in the narrative because from God’s creation of light on the first day we are looking backwards from the sun, moon and stars as mirror reflectors, so to speak, to the place where the heavens and the earth will be ultimately seen to shine in full obedience to the Bereshith of God, without the need for the further assistance of God.  

So when we get to Adam, it will be Adam’s responsibility to expand the light of the orbs of the expanse back to that spiritual state where the light of obedience to the Word of God is not contracted, but radiates from all things.  This purpose of Adam will be seen in the design of Adam, especially in the design of the soul of Adam, which is only indicated in this first account of creation and is made more fully explicit in the second, more detailed account of the pivotal aspects of creation, in Genesis chapter Two.

Notes

God set the time markers in the sky for understanding from below.  ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are coming now​​​​ to the express purpose for which God set the lights in the expanse.  We are coming to learn for whom and for what reason He did this.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​  God set the lights in the sky​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ to rule over the day and over the night and to divide them one from the other, that is, to divide light from darkness.  We see that God has already done this Himself.  Now He prepares for the understanding from below to be elevated to the level that is above.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

It would have been the job and position of the Et-​Heavens​and the Et-E​​arth themselves from the beginning not only to shine with light but to distinguish light from​​ darkness​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, had they been able to​​​​​​​​​​​​​ fully obey the commandment of Bereshith bara​​​​​… fully, without further assistance from God​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​. When all the works of God are finished, because all of the assistance of God is both ​​​​​gracious and glorious​​​​​​​​​​​​​, all obedience will be perfect,​ all obedience being​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ attributed​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ to the Heavens and the Earth themselves.  Therefore the time is set for when the sun and the moon and the stars are no longer needed to measure and mark change, for all Creation will do this as one together with a knowledge that is in perfect harmony with the knowledge of God through perfect obedience to the commandment of His will.  

In order for this to come to pass, a soul of understanding must first be created who can lead all Creation to this end. It is for this reason that the acts of God's grace assisting and developing the Creation are being narrowed down to the ground of the earth.

The Text

18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

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Interpretive Readings

18  by ruling over the day and over the night, and by dividing the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good for Creation.

Notes

18

In verse five the light created is itself called, Day.  The darkness is itself called, Night.  If the orbs of light created here are to rule over the day and over the night, then in some sense they are to rule over the light and over the darkness that were created on the first day.  So, in some way, we are seeing that multiple lights were created to rule over the singular light.  We see, in fact, that the singular light is concealed in this fashion.

What do we know about the singular light?  We know that it did not, when created, eliminate the darkness entirely, but rather, while it overcame the darkness in obedience to the commandment that it should shine, it was then divided from the darkness.  The nature of this light was then to establish the very process of the days or stages of creation.  Had the heavens and earth fully obeyed the implicit imperative of Bereshith from the outset they would have been complete and entire at once and with a light that left no darkness at all.  As perfect and complete obedience to be the heavens and the earth as God willed have been expressed in the glorious light of that obedience, darkness would then have been distinguished as being that "nothing" which was before obedience to the Word of God.

But the darkness was left in a pattern of evenings and mornings through the manner of the assistance of God in commanding the light to shine in order that the obedience of heaven and earth might be redeemed finally to that place of the perfection of obedience to the commandment of Bereshith..., and thus there would be a "setting of the sun" to usher in the Sabbath, but no "setting of the sun" to end the Sabbath, for the Sabbath would be a day forever in which there would be no end to light.

The Text

19 †And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

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Interpretive Readings

19  †And the time of the mixture of darkness and potential light and the time of light overcoming the darkness were a third dawning of full illumination.

Notes

19 †Complete Day Four

Light was contracted to lights and the nature of the day and the night was made hereafter dependent upon this contraction of lights..., until the Sabbath should come.

The Text

20 And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.

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Interpretive Readings

20 And God said, Let the waters generate abundantly the freely moving creature that have life, and birds flying above the earth in the open expanse of the skies of Heaven.

Notes

20 ¶Begin Day Five

The seed of life has been created on the third day under the sky of singular light but its growth, as will later be clearly shown, has been suspended for the sake of the bringing forth of Adam first.  And this is for the sake of the spiritual work that Adam was made to do.  

Now, in an open mystery, the singular light has been concealed through the creation of the multiple, condensed lights, and now and only now, the animal kingdom begins to be created.

Ultimately, all sustenance for the animal kingdom is to be from the plant kingdom, thus it is indicated that the life of the plant kingdom is actually the basis of the life of the animal kingdom. The Narrative of God has hinted that just as the true source of the creation of the plant kingdom was and is the light from before the creation of the sun, as the animal kingdom depends on the plant kingdom for its life, so the light of the sun depends on the light before it for its life.

However the manifestation of this relationship is concealed here, being divided by the process of the days.

The birds represent a bridge between sea and land and sky.  On this level, the level of creation, birds are an emblem of the original obedience, and of what would have been realized had that obedience been immediately complete - there would have been no need for the formalizing of divisions in creation and all creatures would therefore have been at home in all domains, as birds are even yet.

That the waters are the first source of animal life is both a reward to the waters, as being first and first to be elevated in levels of worthiness, and also it is an indication of the primary nature of water is a reminder of the primary nature of this Creation itself, the fact that it has an inherent need to be elevated by the grace of God.  

The plant seed/root was the first form of life on Earth, a testimony that the first light itself was the first form of life, being the source of life.  Indeed the first limited obedience of heaven and earth to the declarative commandment of Bereshith bara... brought a measure, a potential, of life to all things which themselves were not yet articulated due to the limited nature of that obedience.  Thus it is in the whole of Torah obedience that all forms of life are essentially related, for the Torah is the Wisdom of God, the Bereshith bara...

God so specified His commandment to the gathered waters that, as those waters brought forth, they brought forth the greatest of animals - all of which yet waited upon the creation of Adam for the spiritual labor that would first bring them the food of God's grace and elevation in light and then would bring them liberty from the need for food.  But would Adam succeed in this, or fail..?

The Text

 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

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Interpretive Readings

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.

Notes

21  

God so specified His commandment to the gathered waters that as those waters brought forth they brought forth, the greatest of animals were brought forth - all of which waited upon Adam for the spiritual labor that would first bring them food and then bring them liberty from the need for food.

We have so far the following actions of God:

Bereshith bara

(et heaven et earth)

Moved upon (face of waters)

Said (light)

Saw (light)

Separated (light)

Called (light)

Called (darkness)

Said (expanse)

Made (expanse)

Divided (waters)

Called (expanse)

Said x2 (waters below / dry land)

Called (earth)

Called (seas)

Saw (gathering)

Said (earth)

Saw (individuated family life)

Said (lights)

Made (lights)

Set (lights)

Created (whales)

Saw (waters)

The Text

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.

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Interpretive Readings

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

Notes

22

God’s blessing is itself a commandment branching from the creation imperative.  This is a most profound imperative because it is one that comes in the form of a blessing, a blessing that calls the representatives of  heaven and earth to reproduce, re-create, and is addressed to the already created entity, not to the agent of creation out of nothing.

Birds are created by water but re-create in the earth!  The emblem of redemption.

The Text

23 †And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

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Interpretive Readings

23 †And the time of the mixture of darkness and potential light and the time of light overcoming the darkness were a third dawning of full illumination.

Notes

23 †Complete Day Five

Here it is the blessing that completes the day, the fifth day.

The Text

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so.

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Interpretive Readings

24 ¶And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

Notes

24 ¶Begin Day Six

The great hidden secret is that this imperative* includes Adam, but God will step in (because the earth cannot accomplish this without help) and cause this commandment to be obeyed in a manner that He intends in the case of the creation of Adam - so that Adam is not made until God initiates the process Personally.

* ​"Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds..."​​​

 ​

The Text

25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

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Interpretive Readings

25 And God made the beast of

the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Notes

25

The earth obeys the commandment of God and yet God, as it were, obeys the commandment with the earth, making each type of creature that is brought forth by the earth to stay true to its kind.  Although the obedience of the earth is without fault the earth itself is unable by itself to prevent degeneration of kind, for the earth as yet is corruptible.  But the the Hand of God has placed a design within this obedience which is a hidden design of redemption:  “and God saw that it was good.”

The Text

26 ¶Then God said, Let  us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

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Interpretive Readings

26 ¶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Notes

26 ¶Begin creation of Adam

How should God sustain within creation the process of His assistance to creation - the work of His Spirit, the  action of His own hidden work of obedience to His commands, which He can and does attribute to the heaven and earth themselves?  God determines to so fashion His action of assistance to the earth in obeying His command to bring forth souls after their kind that one soul becomes an agent of His assistance in His place.  This is the meaning of Adam.

The Text

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

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Interpretive Readings

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Notes

27  

Adam is male and female for Adam too is a soul that comes forth from the earth and reproduces after its kind.  The one who will be the agent of the grace of God for all other creatures is fashioned to be an obedience to the commandment in all ways.

Relationship with God becomes the essence of the manner of the being of the creature, Adam.  Here the commandment that branched into a commandment of blessing for the animal nephesh now branches again into a commandment of blessing for the creature, Adam, the male and the female.  And here the blessing continues into Adam’s commission of responsibility for all the other creatures.  This responsibility really is the responsibility of carrying on the work of God’s assistance to heaven and earth in obeying the Bereshith.

The Text

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful and  multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

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Interpretive Readings

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Notes

28

Relationship with God becomes the essence of the manner of the being of the creature, Adam.  Here the commandment that branched into a commandment of blessing for the animal nephesh now branches again into a commandment of blessing for the creature, Adam, the male and the female.  And here the blessing continues into Adam’s commission of responsibility for all the other creatures.  This responsibility really is the responsibility of carrying on the work of God’s assistance to heaven and earth in obeying the Bereshith.

The Text

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

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Interpretive Readings

29 ¶And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Notes

29

 It is necessary for the mortal to eat.  Food becomes the great bridge between all things.  Those life forms that are of the water are more heavenly in that only wherein the water is divided into one place so that the dry land appears is earth distinguished fully from the heavens.  Thus the life forms that are more earthly receive for their food the life forms that are more heavenly.  Thus it is that the manna comes to Israel from heaven.  Here are well developed hints to the Messiah of Israel.

The Text

30 And to every beast of the earth and to  every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so.

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Interpretive Readings

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

¶Complete creation of Adam

†Complete Day Six

Notes

30

As above.

This verse is worded as it is to create a link into the second chapter.  There we will learn more about how the creature Adam was to be able to carry on the supportive work of G-d for the heaven and the earth in their learning obedience to the commandment of Bereshith.

¶Complete creation of Adam

†Complete Day Six

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Midrash Haneelam Bereishit Zohar Chadash 6

Rabbi Judah said: Why did the Almighty mention the creation of heaven and earth first, when in fact the angels and the Throne of Glory werecreated first?

So that man should not meditate on things which are hidden from the eye and which were not revealed from the beginning.

Rabbi said: In order to show a man that he does not possess the wisdom to qualify him to receive the secrets of the Torah.

For Rabbi Isaac said: The secrets of the Torah are revealed only to the wise, who has studied the Scriptures and the Mishnah, has succeeded in his studies, is G-d-fearing and conversant with all other knowledge.

But if a man who has not reached this stage asks concerning the celestial secrets and mysteries, answer him: Why do you ask? Lift up your eyes and see how Scripture writes, "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth", but reveals nothing more.

Now, should you think that there are no esoteric teachings in the Torah, know that upon every word there are countless mysteries, laws and interpretations.

Thus Scripture writes, "His locks (k'vutzotav, here derived from kotz, a tittle) are curled (taltalim)" (Shir HaShirim 5:11): upon every jot and tittle there are mountains (tel, connected with taltalim in the proof-text) upon mountains of teachings.

Yehoshua in Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

COMMENT - MCK -

These things being so, that there are mountains of revelation built on every jot and tittle of the Torah, the new creation of the Word of God coming forth out from the Torah of Mashiach​ is truly unimaginably great!

We have an indication of just how great and naturally incomprehensible these Torah revelations of Mashiach are when we read Hebrews chapter six.  When we read there the admonition "Let us go on..." the place that we are to go on to is the place of instruction that the writer of the book would have liked to have been able to give.  It is the place of the Messianic maturity of Israel spoken about in Ephesians chapter four - when we all stand as one, as a worthy helpmeet of Messiah.