Day 18 - Your Birthday Is 'A Collaborative Effort'
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| Photo by "My Life Through A Lens" on Unsplash |
I'll never forget a disagreement we had with a number of couples. We were at a shared meal and a couple announced that they were expecting a baby. The bone of contention was over 'who' was pregnant. One person said you should use the term 'we' as in the couple is pregnant. One of the mothers present commented, "I'm sorry, but unless you push this baby out, there's no 'we'." The husband answered her, "Well, at least you can say it was a collaborative effort."
Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Harat Ha'Olam, the day that the world was created. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 29) says that the world was actually created on the 25th of Elul, but Rosh Hashanah is on the first of Tishrei, so why do we call this holiday Yom Harat Ha'Olam? The Midrash answers:
It comes out that you say on Rosh Hashanah (the first of Tishrei in the first year) in the first hour, [man's creation] rose in thought; in the second, [God] consulted with the angels; in the third, He gathered his dirt; in the fourth, He kneaded it; in the fifth, He weaved it; in the sixth, He made it a form; in the seventh, He blew breath into it; in the eighth, He placed him into the Garden [of Eden]; in the ninth, he was commanded [about the fruit]; in the tenth, he transgressed; in the eleventh, he was judged; in the twelfth, he was pardoned. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Adam, "This is a sign for your children: In the same way that you stood in front of Me in judgement on this day and were pardoned, so too in the future will your children stand in front of Me in judgement on this day and be pardoned in front of Me." When? "On the seventh month on the first of the month"
The world wasn't created on Rosh Hashanah, but our world, the world of humanity, was created. The Talmud makes a point that God created humanity alone, but the Midrash above gives another take. Our creation was a collaborative effort, although, admittedly, God did most of the heavy lifting! We see that God created the first human pretty much alone, but what about everyone after? The Talmud (Kiddushin 30b) says:
As the Sages taught: There are three partners in the forming of a person: The Holy One, Blessed be He, who provides the soul, and his father and his mother. When a person honors his father and mother, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: I ascribe credit to them as if I dwelt between them and they honor Me as well.
This is one of the many sources in our tradition where we see that we are actually partners in creation with God. Humans do not have one moment of creation; as our liturgy asserts, every day is an opportunity to renew creation. God is part of all of us, and every day, we interact with God's presence, oftentimes in the form of 'angels' who look like human beings. How many of us have been changed because of an angel, a person in our lives who nudged us on the path we needed to take?
Writing Prompt:
Think back on the positive accomplishments in your life. Who was a part of the collaborative process of creation that makes you 'you'? Write about a pivotal moment where someone made a difference in your life's direction. If you want to do some extra credit, write a thank you letter to that person.
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