Starting over

A fellow ordered a pair of pants to be custom-made by an expert tailor. When he came to collect the trousers, the tailor apologised and said they weren’t yet ready. Quite upset, the man said, “G-d made the whole world in seven days. How long does it take to make a single pair of pants?!” 

To which the tailor responded, “Yeah, but look at what a mess the world is in. Do you want your pants to look like the world?!” 

This is the week of Bereishith, Genesis, when the Torah reading in shul is the story of creation, with the famous opening line “In the beginning, G-d created heaven and earth”. But the Chassidic masters have interpreted this also to mean that “G-d created beginnings”. Not only did He create a new world, but he created new beginnings, and new opportunities for all of us. 

How critical and vital is this to our continued well-being, success, and happiness? Imagine if there were never a time or opportunity to start over again. 

You may be surprised to learn that, according to the Midrash and Kabbalistic tradition, ours was not the very first world created by G-d. He created other worlds too, but they did not please Him and so they did not endure. Only when it came to our world does it say, “And G-d saw that it was good.” 

Is the Midrash telling us that G-d made mistakes? That He messed up and had to keep trying until he got it right? “Oops! Not quite what I wanted. Let’s try again.” That doesn’t sound like the kind of perfect Supreme Being we subscribe to. 

It reminds me of my friend who is totally bald. On his desk he has a little plaque that reads, “G-d created only a few perfect heads. The rest He covered with hair.” 

Rav Joseph Ber Soloveitchik explained that of course G-d doesn’t need to practise until He gets it right. In creating several worlds before ours, Hashem was deliberately teaching us that it’s okay to make a mistake. That there can be new beginnings. 

Take Adam and Eve. Their son Cain killed his own brother, Abel, wiping out a quarter of the world’s population. Can you imagine how they felt? They could have been completely forgiven if they had decided not to bring any more children into the world. But they went on to have another child. His name was Seth, and he became the forefather of Noah and Abraham. 

What if Adam and Eve had given up hope? Where would we be? Would we, in fact, be? Thank G-d they started over and rebuilt their family. Thank G-d they made the correct decision based on hope and the possibility of starting over, and that there can indeed be new beginnings. 

If G-d could start over, if Adam and Eve could start over, then so can we. 

This Shabbat Bereishith, the first Shabbos following the festive yomtov season, is a bridge into the new calendar year and is rich with opportunity and potential. It helps us infuse the new year with the inspiration of our high holy day experiences. 

Even if there may be areas of our lives that haven’t quite gone the way we would have liked, it’s not too late to try again. Don’t be discouraged. Let’s grasp this wonderful opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning. 

• Rabbi Yossy Goldman Life rabbi emeritus of Sydenham Shul and president of the South African Rabbinical Association