Parashat: Bereshit

Parashat: Bereshit
Torah Reading: Deuteronomy Genesis 1:1-6–8

“And on the seventh day, God ceased all of the work which God had made and God rested on the seventh day from all of the work that God had made, and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it God rested from all of God’s works of creation that God had done.”

— Genesis 2:2-3

I have always had a soft spot for our Torah’s primary portion — after all, this is the story of the world, the story of humanity, and the story of how life as we understand it began — the fact that it is also my bat mitzvah portion is just a plus! God’s creation stories (the first of which ends at Genesis 2:3) are an important reminder of how we might (but often don’t) deal with the world. We [sometimes] cease from work, but we [rarely] rest from it. More often than not, our “free time” is spent thinking about the work that we have to do, the task that’s coming next, the event we need to plan or get to go to.

For this particular week, I invite you to see what might happen if you let yourself truly rest on any part of the seventh day — not just by stopping your work/homework/chores, but also by letting yourself fully do a little bit less and to immerse in some important rest. That helps us recharge and, when the Havdalah candle meets its sweet companion, we might head into our week feeling a little more whole.

— Rabbi Amanda K. Weiss