And wouldn't you know it, the rabbis of old were wrestling with that very idea!

Let's turn to Bereshit Rabbah, that sprawling collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. We find ourselves in Chapter 15, diving deep into the very beginning of beginnings.

The text focuses on a single word: mikedem (מִקֶּדֶם). Now, usually, mikedem means "to the east." But our rabbis? They’re never ones to take the simple route. Here, they're playing with the word's other possible meaning: "beforehand." This tiny word becomes a portal to a much larger question about God's plan.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman jumps right in. He says, "You may think that mikedem means before the creation of the world, but in fact, it means only before the creation of man." (Bereshit Rabbah 15).

Wait a minute. Why does this matter?

Well, think about it. The rabbis are trying to understand the timeline of God's planning. Was God thinking about us before He even made the universe? Or did we come into the picture a little later?

The Midrash points out that humans were created on the sixth day, while the Garden of Eden was ready and waiting on the third day. So, was that preparation happenstance? Or was something else going on?

To bolster this idea of God’s pre-planning, the Midrash then turns to a verse from Psalms 74:12: "For God is my King from times of old [mikedem], working salvation in the midst of the land." The Midrash reads into this: "Look at His benevolent works, as the Holy One blessed be He prepared my reward even before I [mankind] began to do anything." (Bereshit Rabbah 15).

This is a powerful image, isn’t it? The idea that God, in His infinite wisdom, was already thinking about our well-being, our "reward," even before we took our first breath. Before we even had a chance to earn it. That's grace.

It suggests a profound level of care and intention behind our creation. We weren't an afterthought. We weren't a cosmic experiment. According to this reading, we were part of a divine plan from the very beginning.

Now, what does this mean for us today? Maybe it's a reminder that we are valued. That we are cherished. That even when we feel lost or insignificant, there's a divine purpose at play. That even before we strive, there's love and support waiting for us.

It's a comforting thought, isn't it? To know that even before we existed, we were already on God's mind.