Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

In the kiddush for Friday night, Shabbat is referred to as “Zikaron L’ma-aseh Beraisheet” – a reminder of creation. It is the only holy day mentioned in the Torah that is connected to creation. “On the seventh day God finished the work that had been undertaken: God ceased on the seventh day from doing any of the work.” (Genesis 2:2)

According to our rabbis, (Pirke Avot 5:1) the world was created through ten utterances. (Let there be light, let there be heavens, let the waters separate, etc.) What do we learn from this, ask the Rabbis, for if God had wanted, God could have spoken only once and brought everything into being!  God created the world through ten utterances to emphasize the complexity of creation, the importance that God placed on every level of creation, the attention and thought and concern that God put into fashioning every detail of our world. Therefore, when the wicked do things that destroy our world, it increases the consequences of their sinfulness. God is more than justified to punish them severely. In the same manner, when the righteous act to sustain the world, their reward for doing so is amplified.