Tim Johnson Oct. 18, 2025
This Shabbat is where we start all over again on the Parashot, or Portions of Scripture. So today is Bereshit, which is Genesis 1. This week, I began reading in English, but I wanted to see it again in the Hebrew, so I did that. Then I had a notion for this teaching, to read and explain the Hebrew of the first part of the Bible. So that’s the plan.
The Hebrew Tanach I read out of is called the Stone Edition Tanach. I like it quite a bit. First of all, I like it because the Hebrew is pretty large, and I can see it. The English translation is not my favorite because there are many places where Talmudic thought overshadows the literal translation. However, the English is nice overall because it tends to follow the Hebrew phrasing, and makes it easier to keep tabs on what you’re reading in Hebrew for the beginning reader.
And I am still a beginner in Hebrew. I will share with you a few of my insights as we go along, but keep in mind that I am not one of those “Bible Experts”. I do have, however, over fifty years of Biblical experience, and I have sat under many quite good Bible teachers. I am certainly no Hebrew expert, but I have read the entire Tanach, and many parts of it multiple times.
In Hebrew, a big part of understanding the language is to recognize root words. This is because the root words are changed in many ways to express things differently. In every word, you have the possibility of Past, Present, and Future tenses. You have all the different pronoun forms, such as I, you, him, her, them, y’all, and they are generally represented in the word itself. In Hebrew, instead of having words like “the”, or “in”, or “to” separate the way they are in English, in Hebrew they are part of the word, usually at the beginning.
There is also a thing in Hebrew called “Binyanim” which means “Little Boxes”. These are verb cases. They take a root word, a verb, and change it into different forms, such as simple active, simple passive, reflexive (which is back on one’s self), causative forms and intensive forms. These forms can actually change the meaning of the original word. For example: catav in Hebrew means write, as in writing a word on a page. But in its intensive form, citev, it means to carve, such as in carving a word in stone. Notice that it is spelled and pronounced a little differently, but it is the same root word.
This is just to say that there is a lot to the Hebrew language. As I said, I’m no expert. But as just a normal guy with some experience in reading Hebrew, I will share with you the beginning of Genesis.
So we begin at the beginning. Bereshit is the first word in the Bible. The root word is rosh. Rosh is head, or first, or beginning. Rosh Hashanah is head, or beginning of the year, shanah being year. “B” at the beginning of bereshit means in. And the form of the word, “reshit”, means beginning. So bereshit means “In the beginning.
The next word, Bara, means created. This is the simplest form of that word. Past tense, singular, masculine. Bereshit bara, in the beginning created… Elohim. We know this word. El, the beginning of Elohim also means God in the Hebrew, and you will see it in scripture, but it is not commonly used. It is almost always Elohim, which is plural. I don’t know all the ins and outs of that word, but suffice it to say, that God is magnificent, multi-faceted, and complex. To use a plural word to refer to Him is appropriate… even though we know from the shema that God is one. Bereshit bara Elohim: In the beginning, created, God… the heavens and the earth. But the very next word is not “the heavens”, but the word “et”. Et is a word that is uniquely Hebrew. It is called the “Direct Object Identifier”. Which means that every time you see et, it is pointing very specifically at the object of the previous verb. In other words, what did Elohim create? Et ha’ shamayim, et the heavens. Et is also spelled aleph and tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew aleph bet. Many people have gone into that and said that it refers to Yeshua because he said himself that he is the aleph and the tav, the first and the last. I’m not so sure about the significance of that in Genesis 1:1, so I’ll just leave it alone. I’ll just deal with it grammatically.
Bereshit bara elohim et ha’shamayim v’et ha’aretz.
God created “exactly” the heavens, et ha’shamayim, and “exactly” the earth, et ha aretz. “V” means “and” here. V’et. Ha means “the”, shamayim means heavens, and aretz means earth, or world. Bereshit bara Elohim et ha’shamayim, v’et ha aretz. These are the first seven words of the Bible, and they say a lot. They set the entire Bible on a firm foundation, and say things that every human being needs to understand.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Aretz. There is another word in Hebrew, which is used for the ground instead of the earth. That word is adamah. The root word adam, means“red”. That is also where Adam, or man came from. It’s the same word used for mankind: Adam. Adamah is ground or dirt. Aretz is earth or world. God is choosing his words carefully to communicate exactly what he wants to say.
Note here, that God does not begin the Bible with an argument for believing in His existence. No. That is assumed. God knows that if a human being is honest, he or she can see God in all aspects of His creation.
Romans 1 (KJV)
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Just look at the stars. Look at a leaf on a tree, for crying out loud. That is one thing that happened to me as a young child. My vision was excellent. I looked up at the light showing through a fresh leaf in springtime on a tree in our front yard. The sun was bright, and I could see the cells, the veins… I could sense the very life of that tree in that leaf. And all it was, was just a leaf. The magnificence of a simple leaf, if you look closely at it, indicates the existence and presence of its creator. It takes an evil spirit, and a wrong mind to declare that God does not exist, and that we are bleakly alone in this vast universe. No, we are not alone. God created us. He is here with us. But first of all, God created the heavens and the earth.
The next phrase is: V’ha’aretz haitah tohu va’vohu. And the earth was, or became, without form and void. That word haitah can be translated “was” or “became”. I believe it means became. The heavens and the earth became tohu va’vohu, or without form and void. And I believe that because of Isaiah 45:18. This verse says:
Isaiah 45:18 (New Jerusalem Version)
For this is what YHVH says,
Who created the heavens,
The God who formed the earth and made it,
Who established it and did not create it a waste (tohu),
Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am YHVH, there is no other.”
God did not create the world tohu, which is bleak and empty, or without form. No. He created it to be inhabited. He is YHVH, and there is no other. Isaiah said so. We know the character of God. This God of all light, love, clarity, and goodness would not create the world this way. No, he would not. So if He did not create it tohu, that means it must have in some way gotten that way. Tohu va’vohu is a figure of speech, I think. The words are not identical, but they are so similar, and sound the same, that when you read them or say them, they sound powerful. Tohu va’vohu. They mean “ without form and void”. But it’s like a double stamp there to show you just how bleak, dark, and empty the creation had become.
In my understanding, this tohu va’vohu took place after the fall of Satan, or ha’satan. Ha’satan means: the accuser, or the adversary. If you know the story from the Bible, there was a rebellion in Heaven that he did against God. I believe he tried to take out God in this rebellion, or take over.
Isaiah 14 (KJV)
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
He really thought he himself should be in charge instead of God? He thought he could be like Elyon, the Most High? How ridiculous is that? He is a created being, and God is… God. But that is how pride works, isn’t it? We’ve seen the way pride works in ourselves and in others. It is not a good thing. Whenever we recognize pride in ourselves, it would be a good idea to repent and stop it immediately.
Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)
Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
But this is what the Accuser tried to do. Or he tried to render God ineffective, or at least destroy God’s creation. The aftermath is what we are now dealing with. At least that’s what makes sense to me. So I believe this tohu va’vohu in Genesis is after his fall. And the next phrase is: v’choshech al pnei tahom. Choshech is darkness. “Al pnei” is on the face of. And tahom is the deep. And darkness was on the face of the deep.
The next phrase is: v’ruach elohim merachephet al pnei ha’mayim. And the spirit of elohim hovered, or brooded like a hen over her chicks, on the face of the waters. This is where God begins to put things back in order after the cataclysm. He’s hovering, brooding.
Then: va’yomer elohim y’hi or: and said Elohim, let there be light! It doesn’t say he created light here. That happened in verse one. But in bringing things back into order, the first thing God says, is “Let there be light!” That is a basic first step, but so important. God knows what he is doing. The next phrase after “y’hi or”, is “va’y’hi or”. God said “Let there be light, and there was light. Va’yar elohim et ha’or ci tov. And Elohim saw specifically the light that it was good.
Va’yavdel elohim bein ha or u’vein ha choshech. And God separated. Yavdel means separated. We see the same root word in the word “havdallah” where we separate the Shabbat from the rest of the week on Saturday night.
Va’yavdel elohim bein ha or u’vein ha choshech. And separated Elohim… “Bein” is between. Ha or, the light, uvein, and between ha choshech, the darkness. God separated the light from the darkness. This has overtones like crazy. But it’s also simply light versus darkness. It’s important for us as believers to separate as well.
As a young believer, one time I had a vision, or a dream. And this vision was significant and powerful to me, but very simple. The vision was this:
It was as if I were floating out there in space all by myself. And around me there was a cloudy, misty kind of light. There was also darkness. But the light was mixed with darkness, other wise it would have been brighter. When I saw the vision, I knew exactly what it meant. Yeshua was showing me that I was allowing the darkness of the world to mix with the light that was in me. I knew from this that I needed to change. I knew I needed to be throwing off the things of darkness, of the flesh, and going closer to the light, to God and His ways. So over a period of time, I did pursue that, and did succeed, at least somewhat. But this kind of thing does not just go away. It is a lifetime pursuit.
This vision was based on a statement by Yeshua in Matthew:
Matthew 6 (KJV)
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (that was the warning in the vision)
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (We must decide whom we serve.)
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Romans 13:12 (KJV)
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Eph. 5:11 (KJV)
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
II Corinthians 6:14 (KJV)
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
We separate from the darkness, we cling to God who is light. Separating and clinging is part of righteous living. The world is constantly trying to woo us into its darkness. Actually this is the enemy, ha’satan, the accuser trying to do this to us. He will do anything to try to make us less effective, or ineffective for God. We have to resist him.
James 4 (NJV)
6 …Therefore it says,
“GOD RESISTS THE PROUD,
BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double minded. 9 Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
That’s how James, or Jacob the brother of Yeshua says to do it. We do well to listen to him.
To finish off this first section in Genesis, we continue: Va’yikra: and called Elohim “la’or” or to the light: Yom, or day. V’la’choshech kara lailah. And to the darkness called: night. Va’y’hi erev, va’y’hi boker, yom echad. And there was erev, or evening, and there was boker, or morning, yom echad, or Day One. Most usually translated one day, or the first day, but literally it is Day One.
One could spend a long time just looking at the simple language of those few beginning verses in Genesis and see more and more. God is a master of saying things without always explaining. But if we look carefully, there are many times explanations, especially when we are familiar with the whole of scripture. God will illuminate our minds to see His truths if we seek them honestly, and if we delight in His ways.
I’ll continue with Genesis. Verse six reads: And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” The Hebrew reads: Va’yomer Elohim y’hi rakia b’toch ha’mayim. And said Elohim, let there be a rakia, a firmament, a space… b’toch ha’mayim: in the midst of the waters. Rakia always sounds to me like something one could build with two by fours. But it’s not that at all. It is space, the final frontier. It is very large space, and very empty (remember, God has not yet made the sun, moon or stars): Miles and miles, light-years upon light-years of space. In the midst of the waters is where it is. Again with the separating, this time separating waters from waters… va’y’hi mav’dil bein mayim la’mayim. And let it (the rakia) be a separator, (mavdil, the havdallah word again) between mayim, water la mayim, to water.
Vay’ya’as… and made elohim et ha’rakia… specifically the expanse… va’yavdel- and separated, bein ha mayim mi’tachat la’rakia: between the mayim (water) from underneath the rakia, or expanse; u’vein ha mayim asher me’al la rakia- and between the water (mayim) that was above the rakia… va’y’hi cein. And it was thus, or so. Va’yi’kra elohim and called Elohim la’rakia- to the expanse: shamayim, or “heaven”. Va’y’hi erev, va’y’hi boker, yom sheini. And there was erev, or evening, and there was morning (boker) yom sheini, day two.
The way I understand these verses, I believe that on the outside of the universe there is water. It’s most likely ice, because it’s cold out there, but if I’m reading this correctly, I think it’s there. But it’s a long, long ways off. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the way I see it.
Genesis 1:9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
Va’yomer- and said, Elohim, yikavu, let be gathered, ha’mayim- the waters, mi’tachat- from under, ha’shamayim- the heavens (under the rakia, remember?), el makom echad- to one place. Makom is place, echad is one. V’tera’eh- and let appear, ha’yabashah- the dry land… va’yehi cein- and it was so. Va’yikra- and called, Elohim, la’yabashah- to the dry land, eretz- earth, or world, or land. U’l’mikveh- and to the gathering of, ha’mayim- the waters, kara- called, yamim- seas. Va’yar- and saw, Elohim, ci tov- that it was good. Va’yomer- and said, Elohim, tadshe ha’aretz deshe-
This phrase is powerful in the Hebrew. Tadshe ha’aretz deshe. Tadshe and deshe are different forms of the same root word. The root word is deshe, and in the lexicon is defined as: Be green (pastures), let sprout, new fresh grass after a rain, greenness, or vegetation. It’s kind of like saying, “Let’s green the earth with green grass and vegetation”. The two “green” words there really emphasize that God is making the earth green. Let the earth sprout vegetation… but it’s powerful, you see? Tadshe ha’aretz deshe.
The next phrase is powerful too. Esev miz’ria zera. Esev is grass. Zera is seed, but the way it says it is like: Grass which is seeding seed. It’s strong.
Then we have another one: etz pri oseh pri. Etz is tree. Pri is fruit. In English, it’s: fruit tree making fruit… another powerful phrase. The next word is l’min’o: after it’s kind. Then, asher zaro bo- in which his seed goes, referring back to the fruit of the tree. Then: al ha’aretz, va’y’hi cein- on the earth, and it was so. Now we see the result: Va’totze- and brought forth, ha’artz- the land, deshe- pastures of green after a shower, esev- grass, maz’ria zera- seeding seed, l’minehu- after their kind, v’etz- and trees, oheh pri- making fruit, asher zaro-bo- where the seed goes, l’mine’hu- after their kind. Va’yar- and saw, Elohim, ci tov- that it was good. Va’y’hi erev, va’y’hi boker, yom sh’lishi. And there was evening, and there was morning, day three.
Alright, I hope that was not too much, but the Hebrew is so rich, and I thought it might be nice for us all to see some of that. But now I thought I would shift gears, and just talk about some of the concepts and thoughts about the next section of verses here in Genesis, staying mostly in English.
Genesis 1 (NJV)
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens (rakia of ha’shamayim) to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth;” and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. (v’et ha’chochavim) 17 God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 and to rule over (memshelet) the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
That is the whole section of the fourth day. Note with the lights in the rakia of ha’shamayim, that there are reasons for them: First to divide, or separate the day from the night. Secondly, they are to mark seasons, which are moedim in Hebrew, which are God’s feasts, they are to mark days, and years. And Third, they are to be for lights in the rakia ha’shamayim to give light on the earth.
So then we have the identification of the sun and the moon. The sun to rule the day, the moon to rule the night. Oh, and by the way, he made the stars also. The stars also. Have you ever looked at the stars on a clear night in the desert, away from the lights of a city? They are beyond magnificent. There are colors in the Milky Way… Oh, yes, he made the stars also. What an understatement! The other thing I think about here is that the relative size of the sun and the moon to a viewer on earth is almost exactly the same. This is not by accident. God did this. Because of this we can occasionally see a perfect eclipse of the sun. They are extraordinary. If they were a different size visually, this would never happen. How can someone who doesn’t believe in God think they just accidentally ended up that way? That is not good critical thinking. The probability of that happening naturally is very, very small. God made them that way. They are for lights for the earth.
Good critical thinking, even if from just a completely human perspective, should allow for the existence of God, because the evidence is everywhere. But that’s not how modern science works. Modern science starts from a postulate of saying that the first thing is that there is no God. Then we figure out things from here. That is illogical and wrong. God made everything, not evolution, or the Big Bang.
I Corinthians 1
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the Torah scholar of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the proclaiming to save those who believe. 22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Messiah crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks. 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Messiah is the power of God and the wisdom of God; 25 because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
I Corinthians 2
13 We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Ruach HaKodesh teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. 14 Now the natural man does not receive the things of the Ruach Elohim, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, and he himself is judged by no one. 16 For “WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF YHVH THAT HE SHOULD INSTRUCT HIM?” But we have the mind of Messiah.
I Corinthians 3
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “HE HAS TAKEN THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS.” 20 And again, “YHVH KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF THE WISE, THAT THEY ARE FUTILE.”
I wanted to finish at least the seven days of creation, but kind of ran out of time. So you’ll just have to read and ponder yourself. I will conclude with words of “The Preacher” from the very end of the book of Ecclesiastes, one of my favorites:
Ecclesiastes 12
9 Further, because Kohelet (The Preacher) was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 Kohelet sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written blamelessly, words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 12 Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
14 This is the end of the matter; everything has been heard: fear God and keep his mitzvot, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.
Shabbat Shalom.