We get a glimpse, a tiny peek behind the curtain, in Genesis 1:31: “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.” Simple enough. But hold on, because our sages aren't ones to leave a stone unturned. They delve into the deeper meaning, the unspoken implications. And that's where things get really interesting.
Bereshit Rabbah, that magnificent collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, dedicates a whole section – Bereshit Rabbah 9 – to unpacking this verse. And it starts with a quote from Proverbs 25:2: “The glory of God is concealing a matter, but the glory of kings is investigating a matter.” for a second. It’s a profound statement about the nature of divine knowledge versus human understanding. Rabbi Levi, in the name of Rabbi Hama bar Hanina, takes this idea and runs with it. He divides the Book of Genesis itself along these lines! "From the beginning of the book until here," he says, "it is 'the glory of God,' [calling for] 'concealing a matter.'" In other words, the initial creation story is shrouded in divine mystery. We can only grasp so much.
But then, something shifts. “From here on,” Rabbi Levi continues, "'the glory of kings is investigating a matter' – the glory of the words of the Torah that are likened to kings, as it is stated: 'Through me kings reign' (Proverbs 8:15), [calling for] investigating a matter."
Whoa.
So, what does that even mean? Well, the Torah, in this interpretation, is like royalty. It empowers us to rule…to rule over our own understanding, to delve into the complexities of creation, to investigate the very matters that were once concealed. The Torah, personified as Wisdom, proclaims "Through me kings reign!" (Proverbs 8:15). This suggests that true leadership and understanding come from engaging with the Torah's teachings.
Think of it like this: God sets the stage, creates the universe, lays down the fundamental laws. That's divine work, a realm beyond our full comprehension. But then, God invites us to participate. To question. To interpret. To find meaning. The rest of Genesis, and indeed the rest of the Torah, becomes an invitation to investigate, to explore, to become active partners in understanding God's creation.
It's a powerful reminder that our role isn't just to passively accept what we're told. We are meant to engage, to wrestle, to find our own understanding within the sacred text. It’s a call to intellectual and spiritual curiosity.
So, the next time you read "God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good," remember that it's not just a simple statement of divine satisfaction. It's an invitation. An invitation to investigate. An invitation to become, in our own way, kings and queens of understanding.