After G-d created the sun He said, ”And it was good”. After He created water He said, ”And it was good”. After every creation, G-d ended with, “And it was good”, except for when G-d created man. Okay, so G-d said everything else was good except human beings. Ouch. I know I’m not perfect but why does G-d not conclude his formation of mankind, meaning ME, by also saying “it was good”? Does that mean that people can’t be good or don’t have the potential to be? Was G-d not satisfied with us? Why wouldn’t G-d end with, ”And man was good” just like every other creation? The answer is because we are not like every other creation. We have something that nothing else in this world was blessed with, and that is freedom of choice. We are the only creations that have the freedom to choose between good and bad, between smiling back or walking by, between giving that extra dollar or saving it for ourselves. G-d didn’t end with “And man was good” because it isn’t His choice, its ours. While regarding all others creatures and creations we apply the quote, “what you see is what you get”, mankind has a unique depth that is only apparent after it has been brought out by our decisions. G-d did not create us as good, but rather, we have the capacity to become good. It is up to each and every one of us, to be good. So use your gift of free will, not for destruction or evil, but for kindness and love, so at the end of your life you can look back and say, “Wow… that was good”.

Sara Gindi

West Coast Regional Board President