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Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of Eden, and commanded not to eat from the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” The serpent persuades Eve to violate the command, and she shares the forbidden fruit with her husband. Because of their sin, it is decreed that man will experience death, returning to the soil from which he was formed, and that all gain will come only through struggle and hardship. Man is banished from the Garden.
The obvious question arises: didn’t G-d know that they will sin? If yes, why didn’t He create someone more angelic, less likely to stumble?
The reason is that this was the purpose of creation. Hashem designed the world in a way that there’s room for failure, and there’s room for growth.
At the start of a new year, we must keep this in mind. We will have down moments, times when we’re not doing our best. It’s normal to fall, but we must get back up and continue our important work.
This is also the first “regular” Shabbat following the intensity of the holidays. It is said that the way we act on Shabbat Bereshit is the way our year will pan out.
Let’s make the most of it!
Candle lighting time: 5:49 PM
Shabbat Shalom!