Bereshit: God, The Universe, And The Biggest Question You Could Ask

The Torah tells us about how the universe was created — light, darkness, sky, plants, animals, people — but it doesn’t tell us why. Why did God create the world, and human beings within it? What is our purpose on this earth? How can we achieve ultimate meaning in life? These are admittedly big questions — the biggest questions that we could possibly ask. But a mysterious verse in Parshat Bereshit — a verse that describes, of all things, the Tree of Life — may just hold the answer. (Hint: it’s not 42!) And while the answer is not altogether unexpected, the Torah’s way of teaching us the answer is nothing short of breathtaking.