reach the last portion of Genesis — a good time to notice its firsts. When something happens in Genesis for the first time, that means it happens for the first time ever. For example, the first time a person expresses gratitude. Or prays. Or murders. There is depth in these firsts. I quote Lawrence Hajioff: “The Kabbalists [Jewish mystics] explain that the first time a word appears in the Torah is where we can derive its true essence and meaning. Since the concept of berachah, blessing, appears in relation to Shabbat, although it is used repeatedly to describe people, places and things later on in the Torah, its true source is Shabbat.” Set aside words used for the first time. Let’s focus on actions. A […]
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