In the Beginning...
- Jul 30, 2025
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 27, 2025
In the Beginning... (Genesis Chapter 1)
I’ve always loved the feeling of a fresh start. Whether it's sitting in front of an empty email inbox or watching the first pitch of a new baseball season, I can breathe in the fresh air that comes with hope and possibility. The same is true when I read the opening words of Genesis, Chapter 1. The first verses of the Torah fill me with a sense of promise—that even amidst the tohu vavohu (chaos and void) of life, there is always the potential for renewal.
I write these words at a time of great challenge for the Jewish people worldwide. Fierce differences of opinion—on nearly everything—run through our communities and beyond. Yet as I sit down to write this first post for our new blog, I’m filled with excitement. Not only for myself, but for all of us—for the possibility of conversation, for the journey of self-discovery, and for the insights we will uncover together.
May our sacred traditions help bring order to the chaos of our time. I look forward to hearing your voices and your teachings as we move forward.
Off we go!
-Rabbi Jason Bonder
I am trying to understand Genesis 1:26 " made in our image and our likeness". I have found commentarly in Everett Fox that basically says "The "our" is an old problem...".
Are there any contemporary commentators who address the weaving of multiple strains of text that were compiled from the four sources J, E, D and P. As J was the earliest, might this reveal something about the beliefs of this source?