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The Cantor's Voice
November 2007

Students in our religious school have been studying the biblical account of creation. Our K/1 students have prepared some beautiful booklets, with the assistance of their teacher Pari Moussasadeh, developing their own artistic spin based on their own interpretation of creation (see attached pictures).

Our 6/7 students delved a little more deeply into the text, examining the (arguably) two different accounts of creation. They were challenged by their text teacher, Chaya Oliver, as to why they thought there might be two different stories in B'reishit/Genesis. Here are some of their thoughts:

God might have created one story and told everyone both stories to see which they believed
One story might've been real but the other one might've been made up.
Two Bible stories are important, but I believe the second story more. Because the way that things happen. Like when Adam and Eve are made at different times, not at the same time.
One of the explanations....is that maybe they are the two most popular guesses as to how God created the earth and everybody and everything on it.
Another guess is maybe that the creation stories are actually the same idea but written in different perspectives, just like how different people see things differently.

Whether we agree with our students' interpretations is not important. Rather, what is fundamental is that our students are continuing a process of biblical criticism and self examination. This is what Torah is all about. And it is happening here, in our congregation and religious school, on a weekly basis. We should all be proud.

Keith Miller
Hazzan
Director of Education

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