According to the Talmud, the world was created on the first day of the month of Tishri: Rosh Hashanah. Our High Holy Day Machzor (the special prayer book for the Days of Awe) proclaims this at the beginning of the Shofar Service: “On this day the world came into being (הַיּוֹם הֲרַת עוֹלָם)!”
While clearly not based on the science of the origins of the universe, this tradition is part of our sacred narrative and serves several important purposes. First, it can help us to be more grateful. We didn’t create this world and, if we’re being honest with ourselves, given the way we treat it, we didn’t do anything to deserve such a gift: the only planet we know of that allows life to exist, let alone flourish. Second, it can inspire us to nurture our own creative juices. Our Torah tells us in the opening chapters of Genesis that we are created in God’s image. I like to imagine that God made us to be “makers” ourselves: to write poetry, to compose music, to choreograph a dance, to paint, to innovate, to build families and communities.
Creativity is one of our core values at Stephen Wise Temple, a value which we try to express through our worship, our learning, and even in the innovative ways we do our work.
Every year we choose an educational theme for Wise School. To help inspire our Wise School students and keep our yearly theme ever on their lips, we write a song each year on that specific subject. Last year, that theme was this core value of creativity. Yesterday, we were excited to share with our Wise community and the broader world a beautiful animated video we produced called “Creation.”
In just over a week, we will celebrate creation together as a community. May 5783 be a year of creativity for each of us. Whatever our vocation, whatever our interests, we are all in our ways invited to be God’s partners in the ongoing act of creating this world for ourselves and for others as well.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yoshi