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EDUARD SHYFRIN: Following death, the soul goes to Gehinom, where it is cleansed from evil and sin, after which it ascends to Gan Eden to stay there until the resurrection of the dead.
Gershom Scholem: the Tree of Life is from the eastern side
Ari Sacher: "He stationed from the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the blade of the revolving sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life." The word we translated as "to guard" – "shamar" – has more than one meaning. It can mean "to guard" and it can mean "to remember" or "to store information": after G-d punished Adam by throwing him out of the Garden of Eden, He wanted to ensure that he and his descendants would one day be able to return to the Garden.
Ari Sacher: This is the message of the "lahat ha'cherev ha'mit'hapechet", translated above as the "blade of the inverted sword". This translation is imprecise. The word "mit'hapechet" is in the present tense. It describes a sword that is constantly revolving. The gate to Eden is always open to a person who wants to enter, as long as he is willing to reinvent himself.
Yehuda Hakohen: The role of kruvim appears to be to stand at the border between different worlds in order to guard the entrance of the higher of those worlds. We will later see two kruvim atop the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, marking the place from which Divine revelation enters our world.
SHLOMO RISKIN: Here the cherubs appear to be negative creatures, holding the fire of the revolving swords in their hands, preventing the possibility of eternal life. Indeed Rashi refers to them as angels of destruction.
Efrem Goldberg: We must not passively wait for angels to descend from heaven, to relieve pain, offer support, provide help, and bring salvation. We must be those angels, proactively stepping up and stepping in to make a difference in the lives of others. You might be somebody’s only angel of the day, their gift straight from heaven.
SHMUEL RABINOWITZ: This week in synagogues around the world, another cycle of Torah-reading begins with Parashat Bereishit. This Torah portion tells the story of God creating the world and the events that occurred in the beginning of days.
Photograph Title: The Guyanese Gardener (John 20:15)
