Rabbi Howard Morrison

This Shabbat, we begin to read the Torah anew from the beginning. At the outset, before God creates anything, the divine One establishes order from chaos. Once order is restored, God goes on to distinguish day from night and create the world around us, vegetation, animal life, and human life.

For those of us who have struggled with chaos in our personal lives, perhaps we can use the teachings of the Torah anew to find order in our own lives.

For the Jewish people, the last two years have been chaos - The whereabouts of hostages, the brutal murders of October 7, the surge in acts of Jew-hatred. Now, with the living hostages restored to their homes and some of the deceased hostages back home, just perhaps, the Jewish people will see order coming out of the chaos. 

It is noteworthy that much of the world condemned Israel in its defensive war in Gaza. Now, Hamas is murdering its own people without any regard for life. Where is the public condemnation? There is still much chaos among the enemies of Israel. But hopefully, for our people, at the very least, we will see order over chaos in the new era of Bereishit - In the beginning . . . God created order out of chaos.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison