Shabbos Table

I loved a clean sheet of paper and a freshly sharpened pencil as a child.

I would carefully place the pencil’s point at precisely the place on the paper where I would draw the first line to create whatever my mind had thought of. I would create people and things and place them in the world with my pencil, and I dreamt up.

In this week’s parasha, we talk about everything G-d created in the heavens and the earth and all we still don’t know about. If we pay attention to this first Parsha of the Torah, we will know that like G-d created the universe, we can all pick up a pencil and a clean sheet of paper and create our own world too. Often times, we fail to take charge and allow the influence of snakes to overrule our decisions as Adam and Eve allowed the snake to influence and direct the outcome of their lives.

In this parasha, we learn that who we allow into our lives plays a role in how we create our world.

Bereshit is the beginning of all creation.

In creation, there was beauty, serenity, and love in the garden of Eden. But there was also temptation after G-d clearly stated that the first man and woman should not eat from a particular tree – the tree of knowledge.

My mom had a book collection that she explicitly told me not to read. So, when she went to bed, I went to that bookshelf and chose a book I would spend hours into the dark of night reading under the covers with a flashlight.
Later, I discovered that she knew the trick to building my curiosity and interest was by telling me not to do something.

I often wonder if the all-powerful G-d deliberately tested Adam and Eve’s loyalty and perhaps if these two humans he invested his time, effort, and love in were worthy of his trust.

Of course, we know that Eve failed when tempted by the serpent to take and eat the fruit of the tree – a fruit that wasn’t hers to take, yet she coveted it. She then when to Adam and enticed him with it. Adam, weakened by the power of the woman by his side, was easily manipulated and also ate of the fruit of knowledge.

I often wondered if the serpent knew that Adam may not have been easily influenced had he gone to Adam directly? Did the snake know Eve would easily be lured, and she would be the one to corrupt Adam?
It’s not a farfetched thought as we remember Delilah’s influence also weakens Sampson to his demise.

We learn that G-d banishes them, acting like a jilted lover, and rightfully so. In his anger, he vows that all women would suffer the pain of bringing a child into the world, and man would forever have to toil the land and work to provide for his family.

We try to protect our children from the world and its evil because we don’t want them to know the horrors of it. We shield them as much as we can, and one way of doing that is to caution them to be careful who they allow into their minds.

My mom used to remind me of the saying – “birds of a feather flock together.”

Who we have around us will influence our decisions if we are not careful and strong enough to remember what’s good for us.
We risk making a muck of our lives when we have the wrong people in our ears.

Adam was easily influenced by the woman by his side and lost his peace and happiness. He also lost G-d’s trust and favor, and although, as we would suspect, G-d might have forgiven him, we can also imagine Adam lived with the guilt and remorse of disobeying (hurting and coveting) what wasn’t his.

As we start this new year of the Torah, I hope we will make wiser decisions when choosing who we allow to influence our thoughts and actions. Because who we allow into our lives will shape the outcome of the rest of our days on earth. They will directly affect every aspect of our being – how we show our for our family, how we perform at work, how we ground ourselves spiritually, and how emotionally, mentally, and physically we grow.

Shabbat Shalom!

If you liked this take on the parasha, please share it.