Shabbat Greetings
This week we begin again. We open the Torah at the very beginning: Bereishit bara Elohim et hashamayim v’et ha’aretz — “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Tonight, we will also celebrate an aufruf, another way to think about beginnings because an aufruf is a beginning too. It is the moment when a couple stands before their community and says, in effect: We are about to begin something new. We are about to create a life together.
There is a beautiful idea in the opening chapters of Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) that speaks directly to this moment. After creating Adam, God says, “Lo tov heyot ha’adam levado” – “It is not good for the human being to be alone. (2:18)” God creates a partner for Adam, and the Torah describes this partner as ezer kenegdo – a helper, or perhaps more literally, a partner who stands opposite him. That phrase is fascinating. Why does the Torah not simply say “a companion”? Why ezer kenegdo?
A true partner is not simply someone who agrees with us or makes life easier. A true partner is someone who stands beside us and sometimes stands opposite us. Someone who sees what we cannot see, challenges us when we need to be challenged, encourages us when we are uncertain, and helps us become more fully ourselves. Marriage, like creation itself, is an act of bringing something new into the world.
The rabbis teach us that is exactly what God does throughout the opening chapter of Bereishit. God creates through distinctions: light and darkness, waters and sky, land and sea. Creation is not about making everything identical. It is about bringing different things together in a way that allows life to flourish. That is one of the great lessons of marriage.
Two people do not enter a marriage because they are exactly the same. They bring different histories, personalities, dreams, families, experiences, strengths, and imperfections. The challenge and the blessing is to create something from all of those differences. Furthermore, there is another detail in Bereishit that feels especially appropriate tonight.
At the end of each stage of creation, the Torah tells us: “Vayar Elohim ki tov” – “And God saw that it was good.” But after the creation of humanity, God says something different: “V’hinei tov me’od” – “And behold, it was very good.” The rabbis and commentators have wondered what makes this creation very good. Part of the answer is that goodness becomes greater when it is shared.
A beautiful life is not simply a collection of individual accomplishments. It is the relationships we build, the people we care for, the home we create, and the community we strengthen. That is what makes tonight so meaningful.
An aufruf is not only a celebration of two individuals. It is also a celebration of the community that surrounds them. We gather to bless this couple because we understand that no one creates a Jewish home entirely alone. A marriage needs family. It needs friends. It needs teachers, mentors, and community. It needs people who will celebrate with the couple in moments of joy and stand beside them in moments of difficulty.
And so, as we begin the Torah again this Shabbat, we also celebrate a new beginning in the lives of Rebecca and Paul. May they build a home characterized by the same values that animate the story of creation: curiosity, generosity, responsibility, and the willingness to make room for something new. May they always see in one another an ezer kenegdo -a partner, a source of strength, and someone who helps the other become the best version of themselves. May their home be filled with Torah, laughter, friendship, hospitality, and love.
SHABBAT SHALOM