Pemikiran Yahudi Kejadian 1:5: Akeidat Yitzchak, Derush Chiddushei HaLevanah, Duties & Derashot HaRan

Before creation, the term "Time" was meaningless, since it can only assume meaning in relation to events prior and after creation. As long as there was only G'd, there had been no need to create "Time." Once the process of creation had begun, we find "evening" and "morning." These are pivotal points against which events can be measured, can be timed. The concepts of "before" and "after" came into existence once there had been a bereshit, a "beginning." The term zeman, season, refers to time as a general framework for events, the term eyt, "time" as a specific time frame for clearly defined happenings. The term "under the heavens," is applied to all that occurs in our cosmos, which is by definition a mobile one, in constant motion. The same does not hold true for the supernatural. In that abstract world, there is no motion, therefore neither progress nor regression. When the Mishnah in Avot 4,22, states that "one hour of repentance in our world is worth more than the whole of the future world," the meaning is twofold. A) Even a short time frame is extremely precious. B) When such time is spent constructively, it can double and triple its value, since it represents the entrance fee to a world of permanence. For this reason, Rabbi Meir advises people to minimise their earthly activities, and to maximise their Torah study, since "Time" was granted for the purpose of busying oneself with Torah study. "You shall be preoccupied with it by day and by night." (Joshua 1,8.) Should one ask how it is possible to attain worldly goods, seeing that they require much toil and time to amass, the answer is "be of humble spirit before all men." (Avot ibid.) Should one spurn Torah in favour of the acquisition of transient values, one's own end will be as finite as that of the commodities to acquire which one spent so much time and effort. The reverse is true if one concentrates on the acquisition of Torah values. To counteract any possible feeling of despair arising from the monumental nature of the task, Rabbi Tarfon adds: "it is not up to you to complete the task, yet you are not free to desist from it." Should someone not feel adequately rewarded for the effort, Rabbi Tarfon adds "your employer is faithful to pay you the reward for your work, but know that the reward of the righteous will come in the hereafter." This is based on the verse "which I command to you this day, to perform them." (Deut. 7,11) The Talmud Avodah Zarah 3, interprets the meaning as "to perform them today but not to receive the reward today." Since man is apt to lose sight of the swift passage of time, and the brevity of his stay on earth, the Torah commands us to count seven year cycles and fifty year cycles to remind us how quickly the time allotted to us passes, and to alert us to use such time wisely. "Man worries about the loss of his money, but fails to worry about the loss of his time. His money does not really help him, whereas his time is lost irretrievably." (Sefer Hachayim, 10,1) When the Torah legislates the counting of the cycles, (even of forty nine days ) it says "you shall count for yourself," meaning for your own benefit. The seven year cycles are symbolic of different stages of the average man's life cycle.

The term echad, one, is applied to items that are whole, not to parts of any unit. Anything that is incomplete, either through being defective or being surplus, redundant, cannot qualify for the description "one." G'd will be perceived as "One" in the messianic age, even though to our limited intellect He may appear as possessing many facets. "He will be one, and His name will be one." (Zecharyah 14,9) The Jewish people are goy echad, one nation. We have a mission in life, in history, which requires all parts of the nation to be part thereof. "It was evening, it was was night, one day." (Genesis 1,5) A day is not a night plus a day, but the total of the twenty four hour period is one day, one unit. When Joseph told Pharaoh that the repetition of his dream showed that the dream was one, he meant that each dream separately was meaningless, only when viewed together did it form a unit. Anyone who transgresses a single commandment of the Torah, destroys the unity of Torah, and is as if he had transgressed all the laws. The same applies to anyone tampering with Torah by either adding or subtracting a single law from it. (5 species for the lulav for instance) Man without woman is not really man at all, he cannot fulfil his purpose in life. When one person sins, he destroys the unity of the nation, makes the nation unable to achieve its destiny, its purpose in G'ds universe. Our sages view the relationship between Israel and G'd in such a manner that the unity of G'd is impaired when Israel does not enjoy His favour through acting in a manner contrary to His wishes. When Achan sinned by concealing treasure captured at Jericho, the whole nation was considered as having sinned. "Israel sinned." (Joshua 7,11) As a result, the people lost the first battle of Ai. In the case of Korach, when Moses asked "shall one man sin and You will be angry at the whole nation?" Moses reasoned that since Korach's sin had been due to deliberate opting out from being part of the national purpose, such action should not come under the heading of collective responsibility. Moses was taught that he had erred. A few people, trying to collect manna on the Sabbath are considered as if the whole nation had refused G'ds commandments. "How long are you refusing to observe My commandments?" (Exodus 16, 28)

Afterwards, the verse mentions making a distinction between the light and the darkness, which is the same as stated in God’s original intent, to make a distinction between the day and the night, as “God called the light, day.”³³Bereishis 1:5....