Bereishit Themes Conversation

Theme 1– Beginnings

Discussion

1. Have you had any beginnings recently, such as starting a new school, a new job, moving to a new house or community?
2. What did you feel before, during and after these beginnings?
3. What did you do, or can you do, to make these beginnings more successful?

Text

1. Why do you think the Torah begins with the story of the creation of the world rather than, say, with the story of יציאת מצרים?
2. What do you think it would have been like to be the first people on earth?

Quotes

1. “The beginning is the most important part of the work” (Plato).
2. “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning” (Meister Eckhart).
3. “All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time” (Mitch Albom).
4. “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end” (Seneca).
5.  “כל ההתחלות קשות, אך קשה מהן היא ההתמדה “(חיים נחמן ביאליק).

Theme 2—Creativity

Discussion

1. What are some creative things you have done recently?
2. What prompted you to do these things?
3. What kind of creative things would you like to do in the future?
4. What are some of the most creative things ever done by human beings?
5. When do you feel like being creative and when are you happy enjoying things as they are?

Text

1. How can there be light before there the sun was created?
2. Why do you think God created the world in 6 days as opposed to all at once?
3. Why do you think the animals and the humans were created on the same day?
4. Read 2:1-3. Does God need rest? If not, what is Shabbat all about?

Quotes

1. “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought” (Einstein).
2.  “Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun” (Mary Lou Cook).
3.  “You can be cautious or you can be creative, but there’s no such thing as a cautious creative” (George Lois).
4. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” (Maya Angelou).
5. “There is no innovation and creativity without failure” (Brené Brown).

Theme 3—Is the world good or bad?

Discussion

1. What are some good things in the created/natural world and what are some of the bad?
2. How would you categorize the following: water, fire, night, oil and gas? Why?
3. What are some of the dangers to the planet that we face in the years ahead?
4. Can we prevent these things from happening and, if so, how?
5. When was the last time you stopped to look at the world and appreciate it? Which part of the world do you notice?
6. What do you think we can do to help ourselves observe and appreciate the world more often than we ordinarily do?

Text

1. What word does the Torah employ to tell us about what God sees when He looks at His work after each day?
2. What day does not mention this word and what day mentions it twice? How can you explain this?

Quotes

1. “מָה-רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, יְהוָה–כֻּלָּם, בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ; מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ, קִנְיָנֶךָ.” (תהילים קד)
2. שירת העשבים / רבי נחמן

דע לך שכל רועה ורועה

יש לו ניגון מיוחד משלו.

דע לך שכל עשב ועשב

יש לו שירה מיוחדת משלו,

ומשירת העשבים נעשה ניגון של רועה.

כמה יפה, כמה יפה ונאה,

כששומעים השירה שלהם.

טוב מאוד להתפלל ביניהם,

ובשמחה לעבוד את השם,

ומשירת העשבים מתמלא הלב ומשתוקק.

וכשהלב מן השירה מתמלא ומשתוקק אל ארץ ישראל,

אור גדול אזי נמשך והולך מקדושתה של הארץ עליו,

ומשירת העשבים נעשה ניגון של הלב.

• “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” (Albert Einstein).
• “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads” (Henry David Thoreau).
• “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children” (Native American proverb).

Theme 4—Paradise

Discussion

1. If you could invent your own paradise what would it look like? Why?
2. What is the closest place to paradise that you have ever visited?
3. Is there a paradise-like place you would like to visit in the future?

Text

1. What is it about Gan Eden that makes people think it is like paradise?
2. Would you want to live in Gan Eden? Why or why not?

Quotes

1. ִּֽכי־נִחַ֨ם יְהֹוָ֜ה צִיּ֗וֹן נִחַם֙ כׇּל־חׇרְבֹתֶ֔יהָ וַיָּ֤שֶׂם מִדְבָּרָהּ֙ כְּעֵ֔דֶן וְעַרְבָתָ֖הּ כְּגַן־יְהֹוָ֑ה שָׂשׂ֤וֹן וְשִׂמְחָה֙ יִמָּ֣צֵא בָ֔הּ תּוֹדָ֖ה וְק֥וֹל זִמְרָֽה׃ (ישעיה נא, ג).
2. “בשבילי, שוק מחנה יהודה זה הכי קרוב לגן עדן” ( נתן שרנסקי).
3. “Life is a paradise for those who love many things with a passion” (Leo Buscaglia).
4. “Paradise is not the place you go when you die. Paradise is when your mind is in a perfect state” (Frederick Lenz).
5. “Life is paradise, and we are all in paradise, but we refuse to see it” (Fyodor Dostoevsky).

Theme 5—Jealousy

Discussion

1. What are some situations in which people are jealous of others?
2. What are some situations in which you were jealous of someone else?
3. Can you think of situations in which others may have been jealous of you?
4. Can jealousy ever be a good thing? If so, when?

Text

1. Read 4:1-5. Why was Cain distressed?
2. Can you think of a reason why God chose to accept Abel’s offering and not Cain’s?
3. What do you think Cain should have done to address his feelings of jealousy and frustration?

Quotes

1. הקנאה, התאוה והכבוד מוציאין את האדם מן העולם”. (פרקי אבות ד’, כ”ח).
2. קנאת סופרים תרבה חכמה (בבא בתרא כא, ע”ב).
3. “Jealousy… is a mental cancer” (B. C. Forbes).
4. “It is not love that is blind, but jealousy” (Lawrence Durrell).
5. “Jealousy is all the fun you think they had” (Erica Jong).