EARNING “GOOD” BY DOING GOOD

Tishrei 29, 5781 / October 16-17, 2020

Parashat B’reishit

Torah: Genesis 1:1 – 6:8
Haftarah (Machar Chodesh): 1 Samuel 20:18-42

Candle-lighting for Friday: 5:59 PM PDT

Our Refuah Shleimah/Prayer for Healing List  can be found at: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing      

If you would like to have a name added or removed from this Prayer for Healing list, please write to me at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 

A list of all of our on-line activities can be found below. All our services and programs are available at: https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

A list of Zoom links to all our programs and services is available at:  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M5jzfligR7kovoXdiEeah3pd2R4fiJi8NHarmrMEEzM/edit 

Some excellent on-line resources are available at: 

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/  
 
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source. 

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EARNING “GOOD” BY DOING GOOD

 

'And God said, "Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness." ..... And God created humanity in God's own image; in the image of God did God create it; male and female, God created them.' Genesis 1:26-7

 

After creating plants, "God saw that it was good." (Gen. 1:12) After creating the fish and birds, "God saw that it was good." (1:21) After creating crawling things and land animals, "God saw that it was good." (1:25) At the end of all of this creating, "God saw everything that God had made, and behold, it was very good." (1:31)

 

In the context of all that had been created, humanity was part of all that was very good. However, even though God created humanity in the image and likeness of God, God did not see that humanity was itself good. How could it be that humanity, which the Torah regards as the acme of creation, with dominion over all the earth, could not be seen by God as good?

 

It is exactly because humanity differs from all other creation. We alone are created in the image and likeness of God. Only we have freewill. But let's not fool ourselves. We are not God; we are _only_ an image, _only_ a likeness - not an exact duplicate.

 

Our tradition teaches that everything that God wills is good. But as for us, "if one desires to conduct himself along the path of good and to be righteous, he is free to do so; and if one desires the path of wickedness and to be evil, he is free to do so.... The Creator does not decree humanity to be good or bad" (Maimonides) We are not seen by God, or by ourselves, as good unless we choose to be good. Unlike insects and vegetables, we have to _earn_ the title "good".

 

Shabbat Shalom! Chodesh Tov!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
TBH/CBM
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 87b
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO! 

Kabbalat Shabbat/Evening Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom, this Friday evening at 6:30 pm PDT.
 
Shabbat Morning Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Saturday at 10:00 am PDT.
 

Downloadable and printable Siddur for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and more, available at: 
http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0 

You can download both Siddur Sim Shalom and Siddur Lev Shalem at the above link. 

 
David Silon’s new class "Jewish DNA? The Science Behind the History, or Vice-Versa" will commence Sunday, October 18 at 11:00 am PDT. 

Join us every Tuesday at 12:30 pm PDT for Lunch and Learn, a 60 minute study session. We're learning the weekly haftarah. 

The study materials for the October 20 class, Haftarat Noach, can be found at: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZO4oVg3Qzis59h5ZgaS7dpKuhGppW9LC?usp=sharing 

You can subscribe to the Conservative Yeshivah’s weekly Torah Sparks via email here: 

https://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/torahsparks/ 

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