Chumash Bereshit Sedra א Chapter 1 Verse 11

Chumash Bereshit Sedra א Chapter 1 Verse 11

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יאוַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים תַּדְשֵׁ֤א הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ דֶּ֗שֶׁא עֵ֚שֶׂב מַזְרִ֣יעַ זֶ֔רַע עֵ֣ץ פְּרִ֞י עֹ֤שֶׂה פְּרִי֙ לְמִינ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ב֖וֹ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן:

And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs and fruit trees producing fruit according to its kind in which its seed is found, on the earth," and it was so.

This is the fourth time that Hashem has used the word וַיֹּ֣אמֶר .   In a Midrash ( a kind of explanation of the text,)  G-d spoke ten times.  This time he brought living plants. This was to prepare the Earth for the animals and provide enough oxygen for the animals to breathe.  We all know that one of the by products of plant resparation is oxygen.  So it makes sense that the plants were created first.  It is amazing that the scientific record shows this too.  First water, then plants in the water, and slowly plants on land.  

All this took place in a day.  Whose's day?  The Sun, was not created until the third day, so who is to say that this "day" was not millions of years?  Am I going to limit G-d to having a day of our 24 hours?  No, The Kadosh Baruch Hu, קדוש ברוך הוא  day is different than ours, just as his actions are different than ours.  We can understand some of this but not all. 

Also in the Torah, there is no one way of reading, and that there is no linear line in the Torah.  The Torah is not a history book, and it answers different questions than science can can answer. Science can ask factual questions and then it can try to answer them.  The answers can change as we get more information about a subject, and do more research.  

The Torah, however asks and answers different questions about how we should treat our world, fellow men and women, children, the handicapped, and so on.  We learn today about the plants and we know that they have a very important place in our world. 

 We should realize that they are living beings and maybe have a sort of consciouness and feelings that we don't want to understand when we step on a flower, maybe that has some effects that we don't know about.  Let's be kind to plants. They were the first living things to be created by G-d. 

If anyone wants a very clear text of the Torah with the Haftora and the Megillot (Purim is coming soon!) 

Then I put this on my wishlist - hint hint, Ok, kidding really. 

The last time that I went on vacation, I went to Brussels and I stayed with the Chief Rabbi of Brussels, Chabad, Rav Lasry, and in the shul he had this Chumash for the congregation to study.  I grabbed it and studied it while I was waiting for the service to begin.  Nice clear text, great commentary in English and well, it made my stay there on that Shabbat much more enjoyable!

Rachael Alice Orbach at your service!