Bereshit (1)

1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (1)

He begins by addressing the order of creation and the reason for the juxtaposition of the words Bereshit (“In the beginning”) and Bara (“created”) in the phrase Bereshit Bara Elokim (“In the beginning, God created”) up until the mention of “one day.” I have found it necessary to raise several questions regarding these verses:

The First Question

The first question arises from the verse Bereshit Bara Elokim... (“In the beginning, God created...”). If the Torah seeks to describe the order of creation and what preceded what, how can it state that the first thing created was the heavens and the earth? For these two encompass all physical existence, both above and below. If everything was created at the outset, then what remained to be created afterward? The commentators have addressed this difficulty by explaining that the Torah does not intend to present the chronological sequence of creation. Rather, they interpret the word Bereshit as dependent on what follows, reading the verse as: “At the beginning of God's creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void...” This is the approach of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and the Ralbag, though the latter further refines it with respect to the phrase “Let there be light.” According to him, the verse should be understood as: "At the beginning of God's creating the heavens and the earth, while the earth was still formless and void... God said, “Let there be light.”

However, this entire interpretation does not seem correct to me, for it would mean that the Torah never explicitly mentions the creation of the heavens and the earth, even though their creation is the fundamental principle of the doctrine of creation and belief in it. If one were to argue that this does not undermine the doctrine since the creation of the heavens is mentioned later in the making of the firmament (rakia), then what can be said about the earth, for which no creation is ever stated explicitly? Additionally, it is problematic to suggest that the Torah states “the earth was formless and void” before it even mentions that the earth was created. Moreover, the Torah describes aspects of the earth—such as the waters, wind, and darkness—before even mentioning the creation of the heavens, which should logically come first in the order of creation.

Ibn Ezra’s Interpretation and Its Problems

Ibn Ezra, for his part, interprets the term “the heavens and the earth” in this verse as referring to the firmament, which he considers a part of the air, and to the revealed land. Accordingly, in his view, the Torah does not mention the creation of the upper realms at all but rather speaks only of the fundamental elements and their combinations. If this interpretation is correct, then we find no explicit testimony in the Torah regarding the creation of the entire universe—only about the lower world. This interpretation is highly problematic, for it aligns with the view of the ancient astronomers (Baalei HaSibuv—the “theorists of celestial cycles”), who believed that the heavenly bodies and their movers were eternal, and that only the material world within the sphere of the earth was newly created, its form determined by the celestial influences. It appears that this sage inclined toward that view—may his Master forgive him (2).

And because he does not accept the foundations of our Torah, which affirms the absolute renewal of the world in its entirety, what use is there in disputing with him over the interpretation of this verse? (3) For we have no basis for dialogue with one who denies the beginning.

The Ramban’s View

However, the Ramban maintains that the Torah intends to convey the secret of creation. He writes that on the first day, the Holy One, Blessed be He, created from absolute nothingness (ex nihilo) only two formless, potential substances, which possess an inherent capacity (koachniyut) for change, akin to the primordial matter (hyle) described by the philosophers. From one of these, He subsequently fashioned all the upper worlds, and from the other, He formed all the lower worlds. It is concerning these two potential substances that the Torah states: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”—for these were the first things to be created. Following this approach, Rabbeinu Nissim and all the later commentators adopted this view. 

Moreover, earlier non-Jewish commentators had already preceded them in this idea. Even Rabbi Avraham bar Chiyya, in the second chapter of his book Megillat HaMegaleh, presents a similar explanation, as I will mention later. However, through proper reasoning and careful examination, several doubts arise regarding this interpretation.

. . .

(1) The translation of the first verse of the Torah, Bereshit Bara Elokim Et HaShamayim Ve’Et HaAretz (בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ), presents a fundamental interpretive challenge. Most traditional Jewish translations render the verse as: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This straightforward reading aligns with Abarbanel’s understanding, as well as with the classical approach found in many traditional and modern Jewish translations. Abarbanel insists that the Torah explicitly affirms the creation of the heavens and the earth as an absolute act of creation ex nihilo (yesh me’ayin), forming the foundation of Jewish belief in the world’s divine origin. 

However, major commentators such as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and the Ralbag offer an alternative grammatical reading, rendering the verse as: “In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and the earth...” According to this interpretation, Bereshit is not an independent statement but rather a dependent clause, meaning the Torah is describing events preceding the full act of creation.

Throughout this work, the translation “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” is used as the default, in accordance with Abarbanel’s reading. However, where necessary, the alternative rendering is used when discussing the views of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and others who interpret the verse differently.

(2) The phrase “may his Master forgive him” (שרי ליה מריה) is a Talmudic expression found in Bava Batra 14b, often used as a mild rebuke or a disapproving remark. Abarbanel applies this phrase to Ibn Ezra, criticizing his interpretation of Bereshit as referring only to the firmament and land, rather than all of creation ex nihilo. This rebuke is significant because it shows that Abarbanel saw Ibn Ezra’s view as dangerously close to Aristotelian eternity of matter, which contradicts the Torah’s fundamental doctrine of creation from nothing.

(3) Here, Abarbanel criticizes views that align with Aristotelian eternity of the universe. His words echo the Rambam’s warning in Moreh Nevukhim II:17, where he states that one cannot engage in Torah debate with someone who denies creation. Abarbanel applies this logic to Ibn Ezra, whose interpretation—whether intended or not—suggests a philosophical compromise with Aristotle’s belief in the eternity of celestial bodies. By stating that debate is useless, Abarbanel places himself within the traditional Jewish rejection of Greek cosmology.

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“This Bereshit excerpt is part of our upcoming Abarbanel Torah translation, featuring insights on Genesis.”