meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Sepher Torat Elohim/Torah/Sepher Torat Elohim on Genesis/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Sepher Torat Elohim on Genesis
  ספר תורת אלוהים על בראשית
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Sepher Torat Elohim on Genesis
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  In the beginning, God created: The verse is telling that when it went up into His will, may He be blessed, to create the world, He created the material of all of the creation in one instant; as the heavens that are mentioned here includes all of the existence of the upper world, and the earth includes all of the existence of the lower world. Except, given that all of the things were mixed up together and without order, the Creator decreed to refine all of the offspring of the heaven and the offspring of the earth in six days; in order that everything should be in its place that is fitting for it, and that it should act according to its law. For example, He commanded that the waters should gather and the dry land should be revealed; He commanded the earth that is should bring forth grasses and that it should bring forth living souls; he commanded the waters that they should swarm living souls; and so [too] with everything. Behold that all of these commandments were refinements, not new creations - since they were made and completed from material [already] created on the first day; however that material was created <i>ex nihilo</i>. And hence, the verse here did not say, "God said, 'let there be heavens, 'let there be earth;'" to teach us that the first creation was from absolute nothingness - since it is not possible to have the expression of speaking [to something] before the creation of [that] something. As behold, there was not yet material or anything that God, may be blessed, could command to bring out the heavens and the earth. But with the other creations that [emerged] from something else - even though they were miraculous and similar to <i>ex nihilo</i>, nonetheless, there was already material that they could emerge from - about them, it is fitting to say "And God said;" which is to say that He commanded to that in existence to bring forth something else. Still, in spite of this, even the heavens and the earth were created with His proclamation and through His will, may He be blessed, as it states (Psalms 33:6), "With the word of God were the Heavens made," and so [too] our Sages, of blessed memory, stated, "'In the beginning' is also a proclamation." 
  In the beginning: [It is] like 'at the start.' And the intention is 'at the start of the being of all that exists;' since before then, there was nothing in existence besides the Creator, may He be blessed, alone. And also from the expression, "In the beginning," we learn the truth of creation of the world [<i>ex nihilo</i>]. 
  Created: The expression of creation relates to new existence and also the expansion of something. And there is no difference between the term, 'creation' (<i>briah</i>) and the term [in the phrase], 'healthy (<i>briot</i>) and good;' except that one is natural and the other is miraculous. Since the essence of the word is about the going form nothing to something like in this verse, and it is [borrowed] also for the addition to what exists and the extension of a being's power. 