In the Image of God: Parashat B'reishit

This week we begin Torah again, with Parashat B'reishit, the first portion in the book of Genesis. As you probably know, Genesis begins with the Creation narrative, where God creates the world in six days and completes the work of Creation by resting on the seventh day, the Sabbath, or Shabbat. As just about each aspect of Creation is completed, God observes it and admires it, proclaiming it 'good.' When God creates human beings, God proclaims the work completed that day, טוב מאוד, very good. Why are that day's creations, especially the creation of humanity, 'very good,' and not just, 'good'?

When God sets to the task of creating human beings, God says, "'Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness...' And God created man in God's image, in the image of God, God created him; male and female God created them" (Genesis 1:26-27). What does it mean for us to be created in God's image?

Pablo Casals writes, "Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moemnt that never was before and will never be again - and what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two is four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them, 'Do you know what you are? You are a marvel! You are unique. In all of the world there is no other child exacly like you. In the millions of years that have passed there has never been another child like you. And look at your body, what a wonder it is. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.' And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is like you, a marvel? You must cherish one another. You must work - we all must work - to make this world worthy of its children."

This is what it means to be created in the Divine image: it is to recognize the spark of God in each and every human being and to teach our children to recognize that spark in one another. But we are failing. Since Rosh Hashanah, four teens have taken their own lives because they were being bullied based upon their actual or perceived sexualities.

15-year-old Billy Lucas took his life on Rosh Hashanah day, Thursday, September 9. He never told anyone he was gay, but his classmates believed he was and taunted and bullied him because of it. He hanged himself in his family barn, where his mother found him. We are failing our children.

18-year-old Tyler Clementi took his life on Friday, September 22. Tyler jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly set up a webcam and broadcast his intimate encounter with another guy. We are failing our children.

13-year-old Asher Brown took his life on Thursday, September 23. Among other things, his classmates would perform mock gay acts on him during physical education classes. Repeatedly, he and his parents complained about bullying, but after he shot himself, school officials denied ever knowing about the ongoing harassment and bullying. We are failin ourchildren.

13-year-old Seth Walsh took his life on Tuesday, September 28, nine days after his suicide attempt. He hanged himself in a tree in his family's backyard, where he was found still alive, but he never recovered. In spite of an anti-bullying program in his school, no one stepped in to stop his bullies.

The Human Rights Campaign is calling on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to include gender identity and sexual orientation in anti-bullying programs nationwide. Sign the pledge.

Dan Savage has created a YouTube campaign to tell gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer youth everywhere that "It gets better," through his project, the It Gets Better Project. Here's his video with his husband, Terry:



B'reishit teaches us that we are created in the image of God. How we treat one another reflects the relationship we have with God. By failing to act, we are failing our children. But we can do better. Our children need to know that they are marvels, and that it gets better. We were too late for Billy, Tyler, Asher and Seth, along with so many others - zichronam livracha, may their memories be a blessing - but we don't have to be too late for anyone else. It gets better.