InTurnAll

The creation narrative in Judaism is primarily detailed in the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Torah, which forms the foundation of Jewish understanding of the world’s origins. This story is not merely a historical account but a theological framework that emphasizes God’s sovereignty, the orderliness of creation, and humanity’s role within it. Genesis presents two intertwined accounts of creation, often seen by scholars as complementary perspectives rather than contradictory ones. The first is a structured, seven-day sequence, while the second focuses more intimately on the creation of humanity.

In the beginning, the earth was formless and void, with darkness covering the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovering over the waters. On the first day, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God separated the light from the darkness, calling the light “day” and the darkness “night.” On the second day, God created an expanse to divide the waters above from the waters below, naming this expanse “heaven” or “sky.” The third day involved gathering the waters under the sky into one place to reveal dry land, which God called “earth,” and the gathered waters “seas.” God then commanded the earth to bring forth vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit according to their kinds.

On the fourth day, God set lights in the expanse of the sky—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night, and the stars—to serve as signs for seasons, days, and years. The fifth day saw the creation of living creatures in the waters: great sea monsters, every living thing that moves in the water, and winged birds in the sky. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply.” On the sixth day, God created land animals: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts. Finally, God created humankind in His own image, male and female, granting them dominion over the fish, birds, animals, and every creeping thing, and providing them with every plant and fruit tree for food. God saw everything He had made and declared it “very good.” On the seventh day, God rested from all His work, blessing and sanctifying the day as the Sabbath.

The second narrative in Genesis shifts focus to a more anthropocentric view. It describes God forming the first man, Adam, from the dust of the ground and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, making him a living being. God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed Adam there to till and keep it. In the garden were various trees, including the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from which Adam was commanded not to eat, lest he die. Seeing that it was not good for man to be alone, God formed every beast of the field and bird of the air from the ground and brought them to Adam to name. But no suitable helper was found among them. So God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, took one of his ribs, and from it formed a woman, whom Adam called Eve, recognizing her as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

This story introduces elements of human responsibility, companionship, and the potential for moral choice, setting the stage for the subsequent events in the Garden of Eden. In Jewish tradition, these narratives underscore themes of divine order, human dignity, and the covenantal relationship between God and creation. Interpretations vary, with some viewing the days as literal 24-hour periods and others as symbolic epochs, but the core message remains God’s intentional and benevolent act of bringing the universe into being from nothing.