There is that cute story of a mother explaining to her inquisitive child the origins of the family. As she makes her way up through the family tree concluding with the first human Adam, the child has a confused expression on his face. "But, Mom. Dad said we come from apes!" "Right", she replied. "He's talking about his side of the family".
We're back to the very beginning. Several days ago, on Simchat Torah, we concluded the yearly cycle of the Torah reading and immediately returned to the beginning. In doing so we demonstrated that Torah is not simply a book of profound ideas, fascinating stories and a work of literary art. Rather it is our divine guide for eternity. Each year we gain new depth, insight and a greater appreciation for the messages contained in every line.
So, since the Torah is a guide book to life, why does it open with the story of creation? Must one know of the origins of the world in order to observe the mitzvoth and to lead a moral and ethical life?
While many are motivated and inspired to do the right thing, often the realities of life seem to interfere. Bills must to be paid, social expectations need to be met and keeping to all the rules may be inconvenient to achieving certain goals.
Therefore, the road-map of life begins with defining reality itself.
"Bereishit Bara Elokim" - G-d created heaven and earth and everything in between for a purpose. None of it can be a true contradiction to its divine destiny. Torah study and mitzvah observance is not simply a recommended way to live - it is life itself!
However, this truth seems elusive very often. The details of creation shed light on this issue as well. At first light and darkness co-existed and then G-d separated them making a clear distinction between the two. On the second day, two elements of water were separated to create a clear distinction between the heavenly and earthly domains. Likewise, truth and falsehood are freely mixed to provide us the freedom of choice that makes our every action valuable and precious.
This is the empowering message of Bereishit. Know that it was all created for a divine purpose and all the confusion and the distractions are there for us to make sense of it all through following the instructions of the divine manual - the Torah.
As we embark on the journey of the year 5777 we are granted the tools and the energy necessary for us to succeed.