BERESHIT 5765

 Genesis 1:1 - 6:8

THE BEGINNING -  Pablo Bien's Sermon on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah

SERMON  -  Rabbi Daniela Szuster

On this Shabbat we begin again the Torah’s reading cycle, where we read one of the classic myths on Western culture.  There’s nobody in the Western world who doesn’t know the Bible story regarding the creation of man and Paradise.  They seem to be fundamental in the humankind’s collective conscience.

But today, through Chavah, we can hear the other voice of the story, the voice that usually is skipped and hidden.

If  your imagination allows me, I invite Chavah, mother of humankind, to give us some words on this Bereshit Shabbat.  With you, Chavah.

I, Chavah, Eve, Em Kol Chai, mother of every living being must tell you something about my life.  Since G-d created Adam and me, me and my daughters and my daughters' daughters had to suffer thousands of years of oppression, violence, servitude, and privation.  Human beings misinterpreted G-d’s will.  In the same Bible text it says: “And G-d created man in his image, in the image of G-d He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27)

He not only created both in His image, which is hard to believe for some, but gave both the same mission:  “…Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and master it…” (Idem 1:28)

G-d dreamed of creating a woman and a man with the idea that together, with love and mutual comprehension, they could master the world.

But man wanted to equal the holy dream with the human dream.  With his desire for power, dominance, and control, not only did he ill treat other people because of their skin color or their beliefs, but even his own partner, mother of his children.

For centuries, my daughters were deprived of practicing their faith and religion in public, deprived of expressing their creativity, their philosophy, their thoughts.

For years, they had to follow orders from the other gender.  Years when the female voice was not heard nor valued.  Why?  Without reason.  Just because culture considered strength, power, and insensitivity as pillars of society.

Don’t talk about my little children who still suffer from violence, abuse and oppression.

For generations after generations they considered me and my daughters as seducers; tempting, chattering, weepers, and with little intelligence.

If you pay attention to the Bible text, I never seduced Adam to eat the fruit, but everywhere, in Arts, Literature, I’m seen as seducer.

As you well know, I ate the fruit.  I don’t know if you ever thought that fruit is the fruit of wisdom. It’s the fruit that made us different from the rest of the species, which don’t have conscience of themselves nor responsibility for their actions.

Thanks to that fruit  I ate we can differentiate good from evil.  At the moment, I understood the deep change it would bring for humankind to eat that fruit, and I didn’t want to leave Adam out.  I could have eaten it alone, but I believed it would be more appropriate to share the wisdom with my life partner.

I don’t know how this story would be if we had continued in that Paradise.  What I know is that it is a privilege to be a human being with ability to think, feel, distinguish, choose, dream, and know, all thanks to that fruit.

I could tell you many other things you don’t know, where History has turned its face.  I know you, Liberal Jews, have the ability to listen to the other voice, the wisdom not heard for centuries.  Don’t loose that ability because you could make a great contribution to humankind.

My daughters are still suffering of oppression and privation just for being daughters and not sons.

May G-d grant us the day when we value each human being for his/her qualities, actions and merits, and not because of color, gender, or age.

May G-d grant us the day when I, Chavah, as well as Adam, can be proud of our children.

May the day come when our children can respect, value each other, and live in harmony.

May the day come when all humankind can understand that G-d created woman and man in His image, and in both reside divinity.

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