Bereishis: Reminders

“The reminder isn’t what will remind you; it is the setting of the reminder that will have you reminded even before the reminder reminds.”

Bereishis 1:1: “Bereishis Bara Elokim Es Hashamayim V’es Ha’aretz: In the beginning Hashem created the heavens and the earth.” Rashi on Pasuk 1:14 explains: “And so all births of the heavens and earth were created on the first day, and each one and one was implemented on the day that was decreed for it, as it is stated, the heavens… and the earth.”

Rashi on Pasuk 1:7: “And the Lord made the firmament: He placed it on its stand, and this is [called] its making.”

Creation is a wondrous phenomenon. Children at a very young age all ask this same question; their curiosity for life is astounding, and they all arrive at this same ponder: “Where do babies come from?” Something from nothing seems like a crazy idea, but it is fact before their eyes, and now all that’s left for them is the life of questions and answers.

In my view this is the first moment of loss of innocence. Being completely innocent means that whatever is before me now is exactly how it is supposed to be. I don’t even know of anything else besides this and I have no clue how to even ask for any other reality. It is simple and plain; some may even call it dull, but it’s the kind of dull we are nostalgic about especially once we are forced to make something out of nothing on our own.

In Judaism we are taught to answer one question with another, and this should be no different. The proper lead to take, and so invite the child to the answer, is this: “You asked this question with your mouth; what made your mouth ask this question?” Let the child think. Inevitably, the child will say a word like “Thought” or “Brain” etc. in their answer. The answer to their question is as follows: “Just as you thought in your mind and conveyed it through words, so too every creation started off with a thought.”

The word Bereishis has the word Rosh in it, meaning head. Everything in creation started out in the thoughts of Hashem and trickled down into the physical world we experience today. Hashem’s initial thought, the spark that lit up the entire world, literally, held the entire past, present, and future in it: the tectonic plates, the food supply, the unfolding stories and events, differences in opinions, world politics, black holes in space, darkness and light, stars and angels. The entire balance of this gigantic mechanism we are part of was all seen and known in a flash of thought.

Think about the lightbulb moments we experience. They are visions of a possible destiny we can reach if only, if only, we take a moment to implement them into our lives.

In my personal life I have had many brilliant and not so brilliant flashes of thought that were seen clearly before me. In some cases I’ve chosen to dwell on negative visions, and at times even acted upon them. By acting upon them I brought those visions to life and they actually became part of my reality and history. But the truth is, so too have I acted upon many good thoughts that are now part of my reality. But what is really tough is to keep a thought alive without bringing it down to the world.

Just floating thoughts in our mind will eventually drift away and may possibly never be remembered until a much later date when our strength and power have already left us. We do need a lot of courage to get up and start something new, but as the sages say in Avos 2:1: “Calculate the loss of a Mitzvah against its reward, and the reward of an Aveirah against its loss.” The hard part of starting something new is only the fact that we are afraid of the unknown future. But what is clear is that the future of the lacking in action is bleaker than the one who tried.

So how do we rein in those floating thoughts and bring about birth into this world? Well, first make sure you don’t forget about your good thoughts. I have a paper filled with handwritten bills that have to be invoiced and sent out, and over the last few days I’ve had this recurring thought to do something about it. The first thing I made sure to do was put it into my pocket so that I am reminded of it more often by touch, and by now it is already sitting right beside me so that my eyes will see it.

Two weeks ago, as my son came home from school before Sukkos, he told me that he needed to bring his Rebbe a Tehillim. Knowing myself I knew that if I don’t write it down I’d forget until he reminds me again. And that would depend on how important and ‘front of mind’ it is to him, but with a long Yom Tov ahead it would be forgotten probably until one of us would remember. So instead of this unknown, all I did was create a reminder on my calendar, and guess what, I remembered every single day of Sukkos that next Monday night I should give him one to give to his Rebbe.

The basic first step is taking one. Sometimes what we can accomplish is a smile on someone’s face, and sometimes this little first step can change the future of many, but without the initiative what do we have?

Now let’s go to the next step, Rashi on Pasuk 1:7. For something to be made it needs to be placed in its correct place and put into motion. Finishing what was started is the ultimate building; it doesn’t mean that work is done, it means that the work can now begin. We say it in 2:3: “…Ki Bo Shavas Mikol Melachto Asher Bara Elokim La’asos: For in [Shabbos] He rested from all of His work, that Hashem created, to do.” Everything Hashem created was set in place in order for Him to have a perfectly functioning world that He can work with in the future.

So too ourselves. Whatever we create should be established and set so that we can come back and use it for our benefit and for the good of others. We aren’t just consumers; we are builders, creators, and birthers. Our thoughts initiate our mechanism and from there on we must be driven by a will that will make sure that we are focused and determined to get it done. Be it removing ourselves from old habits and sinful ways, or be it to construct a new path forward by starting something new. The days of sulking are over; now is the time for moving forward.

If a thought is deemed important we need to keep it front of mind. Other thoughts will chime in, some of the current reality, some of randomness and nonsense, but if this good thought is front and center you are most likely to be having more thoughts that will expand upon the original one. Start from the head, and set yourself a reminder, because the reminder won’t just remind you; it’ll keep you remembering!

Good Shabbos

Duvi Lemmer

LemmerHypnotherapy.com