Exegesis for the Parashah of Bereshit (Gen 1:1 – 5:8)

The Academy of Jerusalem – Torah from Zion Project,

The New Israeli Genesis Exegesis

(The Book of Genesis as a Redemptive Scenario and
Rebiographic Guide)

Exegesis for the Parashah of Bereshit (Gen 1:1 – 5:8)

QUESTION: WHAT DOES KABBALAH HAVE TO DO WITH REVELATION CHAPTER 10?

FIRST PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING FROM:

http://www.thehope.org/toreng1.htm


The following is an excerpt from the above referenced work:

A. The Place of the Book of Genesis in the Pentateuch, and the Pattern of the first Genesis Parashah-Portion. According to the teachings of later (Lurianic) Kabbalah, the whole of Being (HaWaYaH) is structured in a five-stratum pattern (each as if “below” the predecessor), which are called:

1. Adam Kadmon (Primordial Humanity),
2) Atziluth (Emanation or Divine Consistency),
3) Beri’ah (Creation),4) Yetsirah (Formation),
5) Assiyah (Making or Actuality).

Most of these names are gleaned from the prophetic verse (Isaiah 43:7), which details the work of Creation: “every one that is called by my name (and recall that Adam is the one who calls names – Gen. 2:20), for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, yea I have made him”. Of all these strata, only the one – the fifth and lowest one – is capable of {being known by} sensory perception.

We see the Action, but not the processes of Formation, not the thought that brings about the planning, and not the whole array of forces – “The Nature” or haTeva, which has the gematric value (the sum of the numerical values associated with the letters that make up the Hebrew word under consideration) of 86, which is the gematric value of Elohim (the word for “God” in the Book of Genesis).

(It should be noted that the word Elohim is in the plural form, as a plurality of forces or “Laws of Nature”. This means that, in a certain sense, Elohim-God is identical to “The Nature”, as we shall discuss in the sequel).________________________________________________

WHY STUDY THE ACADEMY OF JERUSALEM TEXT ON BERESHITH? WE NEED, FOR EXAMPLE, TO HAVE SOME AWARENESS OF KABBALAH IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE EXPOSITION OF YASHANET ON THIS CHAPTER OF REVELATION. THE EXPOSITION OF YASHNET ON REVELATION CHAPTER 10 IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND.
SEE THE FOLLOWING LINK:

http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/text/r10_1-11.htm

Midrash Rabbah - Esther VII:18 - How many hosts are at My service, how many lightnings, how many thunders,’ as it says, The Lord thundered with a great thunder (X Sam. VII, 10); ' how many Seraphim and how many angels! But My might shall go forth and fight with thee...’

KEY POINTS FROM YASHANET'S EXPOSITION OF REVELATION CHAPTER 10:

• THE ANGEL'S CLOUD CLOAK IS THE SHEKINAH.
• THE SEA AND LAND THAT THE ANGEL STRADDLES ARE WORLDS ABOVE AND BELOW.
• THAT THE THUNDERS WILL BE HEARD ABOVE AS WELL AS BELOW MEANS GOD'S JUDGMENT IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING ITS FINAL PHASE.
• THAT THE ANGEL IS SAID TO COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN MEANS THAT IT IS FROM A LEVEL ABOVE (BERIAH), AN ARCHANGEL, MOST LIKELY MICHAEL, OFTEN CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LORD HIMSELF, SPEAKING WITH A VOICE OF SEVEN THUNDERS.
• THERE IS A FINAL RECTIFICATION IN THE HEAVENLIES JUST PRIOR TO THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH. THIS IS INDICATED BOTH BY WHERE THE ANGEL IS LOCATED AND BY THE TRIPLE OATH THAT HE UTTERS.
• THAT THERE IS NO MORE DELAY HAS REFERENCE TO THE REVELATION COMING NOW FULLY TO THE GROUND LEVEL.

Ezekiel 3:12-13 - Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!" I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise.


The following pertains to the above entry.

The Kabbalistic exegesis found on this site does not imply a competing interpretation of Genesis from the literal reading. It is built on the understanding given in the literal reading that in the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth.

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Messianic teachings can clarify Jewish Kabbalistic teachings.

Read the complete note >>

Elohim As Binah

More From:
The Academy of Jerusalem – Torah from Zion Project

The New Israeli Genesis Exegesis

http://www.thehope.org/toreng1.htm

The text also testifies that the intention of the Creation was to form Adam-mankind beTsalmenu kiDemutenu - “in our Image-Tselem - after our Likeness” – (here too, God’s own regard to himself is in the plural form), as well as “so God created Mankind in his own image (Tselem), in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them (1:27). Namely: if the Adam is in the Image of God - also the converse is true: Elohim-God is in the Image-Tselem of “Adam”, and this is the hidden secret of “Adam Kadmon” – who is primordial and God-Elohim is made in his image.

In this context we may also note that the first word, Bereshit (commonly translated as “In the Beginning”, which gives less than one percent of its plethora of meanings) can also be read – as is done in the Zohar, not as the adverb ‘in the beginning”, but as a proper noun of a hidden entity who created God! “Bereshit created Elohim-God” – or, that through the agency of “the Beginning-Reshit” God-Elohim was created. The Book of the Zohar identifies this Bereshit with the Torah, and with this – with the Sephirah of Hokhmah-Wisdom, and bases this identification on the verse in the Proverbs (8:22), where Wisdom is personified as saying “the Lord created me in the beginning of his way”. This exegesis follows that of Bereshit Raba 1:1 that notes “there is no other Reshit (beginning) but the torah”.

The Zohar then equates the name Elohim (God) with the Sephirah of Binah (Understanding), which issues from Hokhmah-Wisdom. The first verse of the Book of Genesis can thus be understood as dealing with the creation of God-Elohim, or with the birth of heaven and earth, where Bereshit is the Father and Elohim-God is the Mother.

My Notes December 21, 2007
This can be understood in Mashiahch Yehoshua, through whom it can be seen that G-d made Himself a Creator when He created, that is to say that through beginning, Torah, wisdom, G-d created Himself into a Mother of worlds, the birth-giver of all structures = Elohim. This does not say that G-d could be created out of nothing but that the Eternal One could take on the aspect of the attribute of being created by creating. Through this attribute it was possible for G-d to be manifested in the flesh.

Elohim As The Laws of Nature

More From:
The Academy of Jerusalem – Torah from Zion Project

The New Israeli Genesis Exegesis

http://www.thehope.org/toreng1.htm

• The Book of the Zohar - which regards the Torah as an entity that preceded the creation of this world, something like a guidebook for the creation (see the introduction chapter above) – was revealed in our world at the precise beginning of the Sixth Millenium. Only at the sixth millenium of the Creation – or the sixth “Day” of the Hebrew Calendar, which is the “Day” for the creation of Adam – could there be performed the additional stage, the attempt to contend theologically with the concept of “Adam Kadmon”. From the Book of Etz Hayim (the Tree of Life) that relates the teachings of the Holy ARI of blessed memory, there is brought the conception that this Adam Kadmonis the primordial substance, which created the Torah, which in turn created God-Elohim who is the sum-total of the Laws of Nature.

My Note on this, written on December 21, 2007

In this paragraph Adam Kadmon must be understood as being the Thought of Mashiach in the mind of G-d before the Beginning. So that we have in John 1: "In the beginning was the word and the word was (already) with God, (for) the word was God."

General Note. Remember:

This Kabbalistic exegesis does not imply a competing interpretation of Genesis 1:1 from the literal reading. It is built on the understanding given in the literal reading that in the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth. The kabbalistic reading here is about how G-d did this and directs us to begin our thought about this with the understanding that in creating out of nothing, G-d added to His attributes, i.e., He created in and for Himself the attribute of being
a Creator - but since it is impossible for G-d to change in His attributes we have an apparent dilemma.

It would seem that either Creation always existed with G-d, or if it did not then G-d can change
in His attributes. Since neither of these can be true according to the revelation of the literal reading of Scripture, which we hear and obey by faith, then we must come to a place of understanding how both are true. The new Messianic Covenant Scriptures teach us how to come to exactly this understanding.

All new Messianic Covenant Scriptural teachings wrestle with nothing other than these paradoxes. There is no true Messianic theology that does not struggle to come to terms with
this. Misuse of Kabbalah and misunderstanding of Kabbalah have combined to turn traditional Christian theology away from its study. However, a study of these teachings which proceeds on the right basis can give great insight into all new Messianic Covenant Scriptures and teachings - as here with John 1:1. Likewise those Messianic teachings can clarify these Kabbalistic teachings.

Specific Note. Remember:

When we read here, then, that Elohim-G-d/Mother is equated to the Laws of Nature, we do not read this as proscribed by science, Taoism, Hinduism, etc., but as merely reflected in science, etc., in a very imperfect way. More precisely we should read this to say that when G-d said, Let there be (=Torah commandment) light (=Torah definition), there was light (=Torah obedience), a 'law of nature'.