The surfer finds two things of immediate interest in this week's Torah reading. Right at the beginning we find: "the spirit of G-d was hovering over the water...."(1-2). The Kabbala tells us that this was the spirit of Mashiach, of Redemption. The question needs to be asked: why over the water? Why not over the mountain tops, or, even more relevant, why not in the Heavens?
The answer comes from the next statement: "G-d created light and saw 'that it was good'". The surfer takes an active part in creation. He attaches himself to the most sublime of all forces, and in a figurative sense, creates light, separating himself from the darkness of negativity in this world.
This devolution from the infinite to the finite, resulting in matter, specifically the oceans, is a concept so unfathomable to the human intellect, the Ramban(1-2) describes it in familiar terms to anyone who ever ventured out into the waves: "our knowledge of this is less than a drop in the ocean."
Shabbat Shalom to all!
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