Our sages pondered that very thing, and they found a fascinating exception.

The Torah portion of Bereshit, Genesis, opens with the creation. And in Genesis 2:1, we read, "The heavens and the earth and their entire host were completed.” Completed. Finito. End of story. But wait.

Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, takes that verse and throws a curveball. It quotes Psalms 119:96: “I see an end to all great things, but Your commandments are exceedingly broad.” What's that about?

The Rabbis of the Midrash are pointing out that everything – even something as grand as the creation of the universe – has limits. “Everything has boundaries,” they say. “The heavens and earth have boundaries.” : space is vast, but it's not infinite in the way we conceptualize infinity.

So, what doesn't have boundaries? What escapes this universal limitation?

According to Bereshit Rabbah, it's the Torah.

Mind. Blown.

The proof text? Job 11:9: “Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.” The Torah's wisdom, its teachings, its capacity for interpretation…these are boundless. There's always something new to discover, a new angle to consider, a deeper layer to peel back.

It's a pretty radical idea, isn't it? That even the universe itself, in all its glory, is finite compared to the infinite potential held within the words and the wisdom of the Torah. The Rabbis weren't just talking about the physical scroll, of course. They were talking about the entire system of Jewish law, ethics, and understanding of the world.

Another interpretation offered in Bereshit Rabbah connects the "end to all great things" directly to the completed creation. The very act of creating the heavens and the earth was a bounded event. It finished.

So, where does that leave us? Well, maybe it's an invitation. An invitation to dive into that boundless ocean of Torah. To explore, to question, to learn, knowing that we'll never reach the bottom, never exhaust its treasures. And maybe, just maybe, that's the most exciting prospect of all. What limitlessly enriching wisdom awaits you?