The Bereshit Rabbah, a classic Midrashic collection that expands on the Book of Genesis, dives deep into the creation story. And in Bereshit Rabbah 3, Rabbi Shmuel bar Ami offers a beautiful, and somewhat radical, idea: "From the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to enter into a partnership with the creations below." What a thought! God, wanting to be in relationship with us, right from the start.
But here's where it gets even more interesting. The text then grapples with the way the days of creation are numbered. Instead of a simple "One, two, three," the Torah says "One day, second day, third day." Why? The Midrash asks, "If it [the counting of the days] was for the purpose of a tally, it should have said: ‘One, two, three,’ or else ‘first, second, third’; is it proper to say: ‘One, second, third?’ This is bewildering.”
It is bewildering! So, what’s the explanation?
The Midrash proposes that "one day" is an allusion to the One God, who attached His name to the day. It's like God is putting a little piece of Himself into the very fabric of creation, showing His desire to be together with us. The very act of creation, the very numbering of the days, is a testament to God's longing for connection.
But when did God truly "repay" this desire, this longing? When did this partnership really come to fruition? According to the Bereshit Rabbah, it was later, with the establishment of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Remember the verse, “The one who presented his offering on the first day” (Numbers 7:12)? This, the Midrash says, alludes to the first day of creation.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said: ‘It is as though I created the world on that day.’ What a powerful statement!
It was on that day, the first of Nisan (Exodus 40:17), when the Tabernacle was erected, that God’s original desire was realized and His Divine Presence, the Shekhinah, rested among His creations. The Shekhinah, that indwelling, palpable sense of God's presence.
The text goes on to say that day was conferred with ten crowns. Ten! It was… the first day of Creation; the first day for years of kings (Jewish kings counted their reigns from the first of Nisan); the first day for the princes (their offerings were presented for the dedication of the altar); the first day for the priesthood (Aaron and his sons began their service); the first day for the Divine Presence on earth, as it is stated: “They shall craft a sanctuary for Me [and I will dwell in their midst]” (Exodus 25:8); the first day for blessing (the Priestly Benediction); the first day for sacrificial service; the first day for the prohibition of improvised altars; the first day for slaughtering sacrifices in the north (offerings of the most sacred order were to be slaughtered in the north of the courtyard); and the first day for descent of fire from heaven, as it is stated: “Fire emerged from before the Lord…” (Leviticus 9:24).
That day, the day the Tabernacle was erected, was like a reset, a new beginning, a fulfillment of God's initial desire for partnership.
So, what does this all mean for us? Maybe it's a reminder that we are all part of something bigger. That God desires connection, partnership, and relationship with us. And maybe, just maybe, we can find a little bit of that first day, that moment of divine presence, in our own lives, every single day.