First there was G‑d.
And nothing else.
All of reality was filled with the Divine Presence.
Purely and wholly.
Then, with a burst of creative energy, everything changed.
In the beginning…….the simple Oneness, the unbroken serenity, was eclipsed by complexity, diversity and multiplicity.
Welcome to our world.
G‑d is no longer the only Face of reality.
The world is a jumble of competing and seemingly disconnected forces. So many distractions, so much static.
On its face, our world shouts that global oneness can't really exist; the implied message: "Just look out for 'Number One,' and the world will take care of itself."
Reality was turned upside down; from oneness to multiplicity, from wholeness to fracture.
We, conscious human beings, can re-activate the oneness reality. That is our destiny. Our privilege. And our duty.
When we look to the Torah and lead meaningful lives, we bring a clear and palpable oneness to the world; we show harmony within the multiplicity.
In a way, the world and its many objects are like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The Torah is like the box top, showing us a picture of how a harmonious, connected world should look.
Every object I engage is another puzzle-piece. When I pick up that piece, I need to find its proper place in my life and in my world; I need to ascertain the meaning to be found in its existence, and give it the correct context.
That's how the world becomes one meaningful whole. Again.
'Wholeness' is a clear Torah objective; in Maimonides' words: The entire Torah was given to bring peace (wholeness) to the world.
Connectedness.
Shalom! In the beginning... Rabbi Akiva states: it is HaShem's bbH, His great loving kindness that He let it be known to Adam and Eve that man was created in His image i.e. with His attributes. To me, here in India, today, it is of awesome benevolence that HaShem bbH let us know via the Torah that there was a beginning Amen. You see, idolatrous nations, like Egypt Pharoah then and India Today, believe that there was no beginning...and hence, no end. They possibly understand and know Elokim...but not HaShem. "He knows every detail of the entire physical and
spiritual creation, for the existence of everything created is constantly
dependent on Him, as it is His unified will for each thing to be, all as
one from its beginning to its end. This is the fact that is expressed by
the statement,35 "I [God] tell the end from the beginning." -- Isaiah 46:10 - refer: 7 Gates of Righteous knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner. G d bless you all. Baruch HaShem He lets us know that there is a beginning.