R. Judah bar Shallum said: The world was created for the sake of Israel. "From of old" is not written here (in Gen. 1:1), nor is "from the start" written here, but IN THE BEGINNING. What is the meaning of IN THE BEGINNING? This is Israel, which is called BEGINNING. It is so stated (in Jer. 2:3): ISRAEL IS HOLY TO THE LORD, THE BEGINNING OF HIS HARVEST. Where is the original proposition shown? From what we read on the subject: IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED.