He sees the very first verses of Genesis as a foreshadowing of the choices we all face. "The earth was emptiness (tohu vavohu)" – he says, that represents the actions of the wicked. But then, "God said, 'Let there be light'" – and that, my friends, embodies the actions of the righteous. It’s a powerful idea, isn't it? That even before there was anything, God knew the paths we would choose.

And it gets even more fascinating. "God distinguished between the light and the darkness" – naturally, that's between the actions of the righteous and the wicked. "God called the light, Day," representing the righteous, and "to the darkness He called Night," representing the wicked. “It was evening… and it was morning…” – wicked actions, righteous actions. It’s all intertwined, this constant dance between opposing forces.

But why does it say "one day" instead of "the first day," as it does with the other days of creation? Here, Bereshit Rabbah offers some beautiful interpretations. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Israel one unique day: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. A day of singular focus, of repentance, of being closest to God.

Rabbi Tanhum bar Yirmeya offers another idea: the first day was unique because mountains, the heavens, the earth, and light were created on it – pretty significant stuff! The creations on the first day were more significant than the others, and in that sense it is unique.

Then Rabbi Yudan chimes in. He says that on the first day, God was alone in His world. There was no one else. It was the only day on which God was truly "one," as on the second days there were already angels.

Speaking of angels, when were they created anyway? Now, this is where things get interesting. We have two different opinions presented. Rabbi Yochanan believes the angels, the malakhim, were created on the second day. He finds support in Psalms 104:3-4, "He covers His upper chambers with water; He makes clouds His chariot; He proceeds on the wings of wind," and then, "He makes the winds His messengers [malakhav]."

But Rabbi Hanina disagrees. He believes the angels were created on the fifth day, pointing to Genesis 1:20, "Let birds fly [yeofef] over the earth..." and connecting it to Isaiah 6:2, "And with two it would fly [yeofef]." The connection here is the shared root of the word "fly," suggesting a link between birds and angelic beings.

Despite their disagreement, Rabbi Lulyana bar Tavrai, quoting Rabbi Yitzchak, offers a crucial point: Both Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Yochanan agree that NO angels were created on the first day. This is important, because it challenges any notion that creation was a collaborative effort. We shouldn't imagine Mikhael and Gabriel holding up the heavens while God straightened things out!

Instead, as Isaiah 44:24 powerfully declares, "I am the Lord, who made everything; who stretched out the heavens alone, who spread the earth by Myself [me'iti]… who is with Me [mi iti]?" The text even emphasizes this idea by writing "by Myself" as two words, mi iti – "Who was with Me?" The answer is a resounding: No one. God alone brought the universe into being.

So, what does all this mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that even in the grand scheme of creation, we each have a role to play in choosing light over darkness. And maybe, just maybe, it's also a comforting thought that even when we feel alone, we are part of something much bigger, something divinely created and sustained.