Shalom UpStart Collaboratory and welcome to the GrowTorah Farmily! GrowTorah is a proud member of Cohort 12 of the UpStart Venture Accelerator.

We invite you to take a deep dive into some Torah text study to accompany your planting below!

Dominion or Responsibility over Creation?

Mazal Tov! You now have a mini “garden” to steward; with great soil comes great responsibility. When reading these three passages, explore potential conflicts of values - in the texts, and in our lives. How do you navigate the tension?

בראשית א׳:י׳-י״ב

וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹקים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים וַיַּרְא אֱלֹקים כִּי־טוֹב׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקים תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ־בוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיְהִי־כֵן׃

Genesis 1:1-12

God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good. (11) And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so.

בראשית ב׳:ט״ו

(טו) וַיִּקַּ֛ח ה' אֱלֹקִ֖ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיַּנִּחֵ֣הוּ בְגַן־עֵ֔דֶן לְעָבְדָ֖הּ וּלְשָׁמְרָֽהּ׃

Genesis 2:15

The LORD G-d took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to work it and guard it

בראשית א׳:כ״ח

כח) וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁהָ

Genesis 1:28

(28) G-d blessed them and G-d said to them, “Be fertile and multiply, fill the earth and master it”

Consider this:

The two psukim in Bereisheet seem to be in conflict with one another. Is Hashem telling us that we have the responsibility to work, guard or master the earth? What do these different responsibilities mean to you?

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