~ One Hundred words on the Parsha - Bereishis

The name נח comes from the same root word as the word מנוחה - rest. The Meforshim explain that נח received this name because he invented much farming technology including the plow, thus elevating the tremendous difficulty of farming by hand which people had been doing previously.

Our treasured Shabbos is also praised for it’s מנוחה שלמה-total rest. In the שבת davening we say, “on the day of the queens` מנוחה they will praise your name. ” מנוחה-rest is clearly a positive concept. Chazal say that word will exist for seven-thousand years and the seventh millennium (After the coming of משיח) will be analogous to שבת. As time goes on, we are drawing closer to the seventh millennium. Simultaneously, the advances of technology are bringing us more and more מנוחה, leading to the ultimate מנוחה. If the people who produce beneficial technology would only do so with this intention they would be achieving greatness!

~ One Hundred Words on the Parsha – Beraishis

The Census

In this weeks’ Parsha, the world is created and the first man is created. Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of the day man was created.

Only B’Simcha Beraishis

בראשית ברא אלוקים

This is how the Torah begins. The rest of the Torah is predicated on this verse. If there is a Creator, then it is He who directs the world and personal affairs and commands his creations to live their lives as he instructs. Throughout much of history, most people worshipped gods of their own making, hence the commandment of these deities were likewise manmade.

Nowadays, as most people believe in random evolution as “the creator”, there can be no inherent rules, only people’s rules, most of which are based on not bothering others. However, humans who, as this week’s Torah portion tells us, have a spiritual soul implanted in them by their Creator, feel a need for spirituality. They are not satisfied by a purely physical existence. Many, therefore, seek ideas to “worship” and devote themselves to. But, the real place to look for our lives’ mission is in the Torah, our guide from the Creator.