By Jacob Isaacs
Published and copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society
The word of G-dbrought everything into being: heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, and every living thing. In the beginning, G-dcalled into existence the heaven and earth. Within six days He shaped a world of order and beauty.
The First Day
On the first day, G-dsaid, “Let there be Light” -- and there was Light.
The Second Day
On the second day G-dmade the sky, and called it Heaven.
The Third Day
On the third day, G-dput the earth into good shape. At His command the waters of the earth gathered together at certain places. The waters formed seas and oceans, lakes and rivers, so that in other parts, the dry land became visible.
At G d’s further command, the earth was made to produce all kinds of plants, grass, and trees, shrubs and flowers. Each contained its own seed for further growth and reproduction.
The Fourth Day
On the fourth day, G-dmade the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, to shed light upon the earth. And so He set a time for day and a time for night, a time for the week, the month, and the year, and a time for each of the four seasons.
The Fifth Day
On the fifth day, G-dfilled the seas with fishes and other water animals. In to the air above the earth He put many birds of all kinds and colors and sizes.
The Sixth Day
On the sixth day, were created all the other animals, large and small, those that walk and those that creep or crawl on the earth. And towards the end of the sixth day, G-dput a divine soul into a body which He made of earth and clay. This was the human.
To the human G-d granted high mental ability that one could think and reach one’s own conclusions. G-dalso gave the human the power of speech and He made humans superior to all other creatures of the earth.
G-dplaced all the creatures of the earth and the powers of nature in the control of the human.
The Seventh Day
By the seventh day, everything was created and put into shape and order. And G-drested on the seventh day and He glorified it as a day of rest. Therefore we should work for six days and rest on the Seventh day, Shabbat, which G-dblessed and sanctified for all time to come. By observing the Shabbat day, we show that we believe in G-das the Creator of the world.