In the Sephardic tradition, this first Shabbat after Simhat Torah - Shabbat Bereshit - is an especially celebratory Shabbat. Many special piyutim (religious poems) in praise of the Torah are recited, and the Torah scrolls are adorned with white. On this Shabbat, we celebrate the new beginning of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. It is customary for the Torah reader to precede the reading of the Torah's first verse by saying B'Simana Tava (the Aramaic version of "B'Siman Tov) - which means "May it be for a good sign" -- a good beginning.
In that same spirit, as I begin this new cycle of Sephardic Torah Weekly, I also say B'Simana Tava, and I pray that God shall give me the strength to write commentaries on every single parasha in the Torah in this coming year.
Speaking of prayer, I would like to devote my comments to Parashat Bereshit by exploring the special relationship in our tradition between God creating the world and our daily prayers.
Every morning in our prayers, we are reminded about God having created the world, and we affirm that on a daily basis, God creates the world anew:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates all. In compassion, God gives light to the earth and its inhabitants, and in goodness, God continually renews the work of creation, day after day.
This daily affirmation in our prayers of God as the Creator of the world lays the foundation for a deep relationship between God's act of creation and our offering of prayers. We who are praying begin the morning service with an acknowledgement that we are here by the grace of God. But at the same time, our prayers - especially the Amidah (which is considered the prayer par excellence) - help sustain the world that God created.
From where do we learn that our prayers help sustain God's work of creation?
In the Sephardic Yom Kippur Mahzor, the section of the Seder Avodah service (the service that recounts the Yom Kippur sacrificial rituals in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem) begins with a beautiful poem composed by the paytan Yose ben Yose, a 5th Century poet whose religious poems were adopted by Sephardic communities for their prayerbooks.
Yose ben Yose's poem - Atah Konanta - mysteriously opens the Seder Avodah sacrificial services with a description of God creating the world:
Atah Konanta Olam Me'Rosh
You, God, established the world from the beginning, and You laid the foundation of the earth.
Why would a description of the Yom Kippur sacrifices begin with a poem describing the creation of the world? Is there a connection between the sacrifices (the ancient form of prayer) and creation?
Atah Konanta continues with a poetic description of the highlights of the Book of Genesis, including the creation of light, the creation of human beings in God's image, the Tree of Life episode and humanity's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Noah and the flood, and the Tower of Babel.
This is followed by the election of Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob and the "twelve tribes" that came from him. Only one of the tribes is mentioned by name, and specific attention is placed on that tribe - Levi. The journey from the creation of the world ultimately leads to the Tribe of Levi, from whom came the first Kohen - Aaron, along with his descendants - who were charged with the responsibility of offering daily sacrifices in the Temple, and of performing the unique Yom Kippur Seder Avodah.
The idea behind Yose ben Yose's poem dates back to our belief that the altar upon which the sacrifices were offered in the Temple was built above the "foundation stone" from which God created the world. The source of all creation, according to the Talmud, started on Mount Moriah (aka The Temple Mount). It was from this spot that God created the world, it was from this mountain that God took "dust from the earth" and shaped it into a human being, it was here that Abraham went to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on an altar, and it was ultimately here where we would offer sacrifices every day, sacrifices that we believed helped sustain the world that God created -- all from this sacred spot.
The daily sacrifices in the Temple and the Seder Avodah on Yom Kippur were all meant as "prayers" for the continuity of the world and the sustenance of humanity. From the very spot where God created the world, the High Priest stood and offered sacrifices, accompanied by prayers on behalf of all of humanity's continued existence and wellbeing.
When the Temple was destroyed, our tradition replaced sacrifices with "Worship from the Heart" - prayers - but we continued the tradition to pray for the sustenance of all of humanity.
Indeed, in our prayer service, just a few minutes after we are reminded of God's daily renewal of creation, we then recite the silent Amidah - our most powerful prayer - which includes prayers for healing and health, rain or dew (depending on the season), justice and our conluding prayer for peace (Sim Shalom). These prayers are not limited to the Jewish people, but are recited on behalf of all of humanity.
My great Sephardic mentor Rabbi Abraham Shalem, of blessed memory, once taught me that the reason why Maimonides demands of us to have full Kavana (spiritual concentration) on every word of prayer, is because every one of our words has the power to help sustain the universe.
"Look at how God created the world - with words," Rabbi Shalem said to me. "In turn, our words, especially our words of prayer, have the potential of maintaining kiyum ha'olam - the existence of the world."
Every morning upon waking up, take a few moments to recite prayers - those in the prayerbook, or those from your heart. Doing so is our spiritual way to help sustain the world that God created for us.
From the foundation stone through the Temple sacrifices and throughout our long history, we continue to believe in the power of prayer, not only as a remedy for our own personal problems, but also for the larger purpose of keeping God's creation alive.
Barukh Atah Hashem, Shomea Tefillah - Blessed are You, God, who listens to prayer.
Shabbat Shalom