|
Our Torah reading for this week (i.e., parashat Bereshit) commences the Bible with these famous words: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ, Gen. 1:1). Notice, however, that the Hebrew word translated as "beginning" (i.e., bereshit: בְּרֵאשִׁיתּ) means "with wisdom," since the word is based on the root idea of rosh (ראשׁ, "head," or "chief"), which suggests what is most important, i.e., "at the head of (all things)," "bechor," etc. Notice further the direct object "marker" (i.e., אֵת) of the verb bara (בָּרָא) in this opening verse. Read literally, it would say "With wisdom (or "within his own mind [i.e., rosh: ראשׁ] or counsel") God created all things - Aleph through Tav (אֵת) - namely, the heavens and the earth." Some have said the direct object marker here refers to Yeshua, and while it is indeed true that He is the "Aleph and Tav" (Rev 1:8), the Direct Object of the Universe -- "the One who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" -- in this verse he is Elohim (אֱלהִים), our Creator, which agrees with many other Scriptures such as Col. 1:15-17, Heb. 1:1-3; John 1:1-14; Eph 1:21; Phil. 2:9-11, Rom. 14:11 (with Isa. 45:22-24); Rom. 11:36, etc. Others have said "Aleph-Tav" here refers to the holy alphabet, or the power coming from the Word of God.
 |
 |
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 47:7 Hebrew reading (click):
<< Return
|
