בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The opening verse takes the existence of God as a given. It does not address questions about God’s origin or nature; rather, God is understood to be the absolute existence from which everything begins. Already at the beginning of the account of Creation, heaven and earth appear as distinct entities and as a framework for all of creation, as detailed in the rest of the chapter.

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

The earth was unformed and empty [ tohu vavohu ]. The earth was completely lacking any structure or order. The heavens too were unformed and empty, but the verse initially focuses on the earth, its structure and content. Although these two terms appear together in other places in the Bible, the precise meaning of the word vohu is difficult to ascertain; it is even uncertain whether vohu refers to a distinct concept. And darkness was upon the face of the deep. The deep may refer to deep waters, or to the unstructured universe, that existed at the time. At this early stage of Creation, nothing had yet to receive definite shape; nothing had been revealed. Therefore, the darkness upon the face of the deep was merely the absence of the light that was about to be created. Some commentaries maintain that the darkness was not the absence of light, but an entity in itself, based on the verse “I form the light, and create darkness.” And the spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water. Water is the first actual substance mentioned in the Torah, as the heaven and the earth are not substances but general entities or zones. The verse does not discuss the creation of the primeval substance that served as the foundation for all of existence. In any case, the Torah indicates that God’s power, or will, exists in some form in this reality. God is not located within these entities, and He certainly is not to be identified with them; rather, He hovers close by while remaining separate from them.

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃

The process of Creation begins: God said: Let there be light, and there was light. It is difficult to understand the meaning or significance of the phrase “God said.” The most that can be understood from this cryptic description is that God transmitted a kind of message that there should be light, and His instruction came to pass. Light was the first creation to emerge from tohu vavohu . It was unlike any form of light known to mankind; it did not emanate from a prior source. Perhaps it was not even a physical light, but a unique phenomenon.

וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

God saw the light that it was good. As soon as the light emerged from the unformed universe, God evaluated it and distinguished between good and bad. And God divided between the light and the darkness. Once light was created and discerned as good, the next phase of its creation began, namely, the stage of separation, which established the light as a clearly defined entity. The act of discerning and separating between good and bad would continue till the end of time and manifest itself also in human history and civilization.

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ (פ)

God called the light day. From the inception of the concepts of light and day, there was some measure of synonymy between them. Nevertheless, they are clearly and independently defined. Aside from day’s association with daylight, the day denotes a specific period of time. At this early stage of the Creation, with the formation of light comes the establishment of time. Until this point, the universe was in a raw state, completely unstructured and undefined; even space and time were not yet defined. These concepts came into being when God willed it. And to the darkness He called night. Darkness as well is removed from its previous status as a description of space alone and placed in a framework of time. The concepts of day and night as they appear in this verse express what the Sages called the order of time, in other words, the notions of before and after, relative concepts that did not apply when the earth was still unformed and empty. The verse introduces additional new concepts: It was evening and it was morning, one day. The essence of time is comprised of evening, which is related to darkness and night, and morning, which is related to light and day. After the passage of evening and morning, one day comes to an end. Therefore, the term “day,” which previously referred specifically to the hours of light and was even identified with light, now receives an additional meaning: A unit of time that includes both the hours of light and darkness. The verse refers to this first day of Creation as “one day” instead of the first day, as the day itself is a distinct entity. In other words, the existence of one day did not indicate the existence of a second. The acts of creation that followed occurred spontaneously. Consequently, the next day may be considered the second day only in the sense that there was already one day preceding it; its existence did not derive from the existence of the first day. The creation of light, therefore, was unique, as its appearance allowed for the basic arrangement of space and time.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים יְהִ֥י רָקִ֖יעַ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַמָּ֑יִם וִיהִ֣י מַבְדִּ֔יל בֵּ֥ין מַ֖יִם לָמָֽיִם׃

God said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water. This was not a geographical division, but a metaphysical one. And let it divide between water and water. The breaking up of the all-encompassing primordial waters was vital to the continuation of Creation. These waters would be confined and transformed into two separate entities, with the firmament separating them from one another.

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִים֮ אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ֒ וַיַּבְדֵּ֗ל בֵּ֤ין הַמַּ֙יִם֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ מִתַּ֣חַת לָרָקִ֔יעַ וּבֵ֣ין הַמַּ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֖ר מֵעַ֣ל לָרָקִ֑יעַ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃

God made the firmament and divided between the water that was under the firmament and the water that was above the firmament; and it was so. This division served to separate between the material and spiritual planes. From this point forward, physical matter and spirit became distinguishable from one another. They would now exist separately, in some ways interconnected but essentially independent from one another.

וַיִּקְרָ֧א אֱלֹהִ֛ים לָֽרָקִ֖יעַ שָׁמָ֑יִם וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם שֵׁנִֽי׃ (פ)

God called the firmament heavens [ shamayim ]. Some expound the word shamayim as sham mayim , meaning “water is there.” However, it is more likely that shamayim is the double form of sham , there there, meaning that it is located beyond. The second day of Creation also brought with it an element of measurement not with regard to space but with regard to time: It was evening and it was morning, a second day. On this day, the universe achieved a new structure. Although it did not yet resemble the universe as we know it, it now contained a hierarchical structure in addition to light.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יִקָּו֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם מִתַּ֤חַת הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ אֶל־מָק֣וֹם אֶחָ֔ד וְתֵרָאֶ֖ה הַיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃

God said: Let the water under the heavens be gathered. This refers to the physical water under the firmament, similar to the water of today. The lower waters were called upon to be gathered to one place, and let the dry land appear. When the water was collected in one place, the dry land underneath would be exposed. And it was so.

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לַיַּבָּשָׁה֙ אֶ֔רֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵ֥ה הַמַּ֖יִם קָרָ֣א יַמִּ֑ים וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃

God called the dry land earth. It should not be inferred from these verses that the dry land already existed as a distinct entity, albeit under water. Rather, it seems more likely that just as the light burst forth from within the darkness, so too the dry land was initially incorporated within the water, as it were. Only on the third day did the land dry, consolidate, and become a separate entity that would now be called earth. And the gathering of the waters He called seas. The place in which the waters gathered would become a distinct entity. This includes not only actual seas, but also discrete bodies of water, such as lakes of any size. Even the basin in the Temple, which King Solomon fashioned so the priests could wash their hands and feet, is known as a sea. From this point forward, the earth and the sea would be the two largest entities in the world. And God saw that it was good. Unlike the mystifying creation of the first day, or the traumatic separation of the second, the creations of the third day were already the beginnings of the fully formed universe. The earth and the seas were given their own space and unique characteristics that would enable the flourishing of those creatures that would inhabit each of them respectively. The existence of the earth and the seas was possible only because they had been separated from each other. This combination of dry land and water, and their subsequent division, was seen by God as good.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים תַּֽדְשֵׁ֤א הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ דֶּ֔שֶׁא עֵ֚שֶׂב מַזְרִ֣יעַ זֶ֔רַע עֵ֣ץ פְּרִ֞י עֹ֤שֶׂה פְּרִי֙ לְמִינ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ב֖וֹ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃

From an outsider’s perspective, the exposure of dry land, with its tall mountains, plains, and ravines, would have seemed a most dramatic event. However, on the very same day there was another creation, even more significant for humanity: God said: Let the earth sprout grasses. The earth was commanded to bring forth various types of vegetation. If until now the Torah dealt with metaphysics and physics, the third day introduced the concept of biology. The novelty of this creation was not in the actual growth or spread of the grass; such processes occur even in a puddle of water or a mound of earth. Rather, the sprouting of the grass was unique in that it contained within it a novelty known in classical philosophy as the vegetative soul. The grass was the basis for all higher life forms that would be created later, not only because the latter depend upon vegetation in order to survive, but because they are themselves more advanced forms of things that grow. The creation of biology includes not only growth but also proliferation: Vegetation yielding seed, and fruit tree bearing fruit in its kind, in which there is its seed, upon the earth. The definition of the biological system according to a process in which a cell or group of cells start to grow, and indeed to propagate, is not new. Although this phenomenon of growth and reproduction runs counter to all considerations of physics, as it violates the laws of entropy, it is nevertheless the very definition of life. And it was so.

וַתּוֹצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ דֶּ֠שֶׁא עֵ֣שֶׂב מַזְרִ֤יעַ זֶ֙רַע֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וְעֵ֧ץ עֹֽשֶׂה־פְּרִ֛י אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ב֖וֹ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃

The earth produced grasses, vegetation yielding seed in its kind, and a tree bearing fruit in which there was its seed in its kind. The Torah does not classify the various species of vegetation; it does not even provide the criteria for categorizing them. The verse instead emphasizes that each of these creations was a species to itself; the creation of plant life was a deliberate, ordered process. And God saw that it was good. In addition to being the day on which the dry land was exposed, the third day was the day on which life was first brought forth. The significance of the emergence of life on the third day is expressed in the double appearance of the phrase “it was good” (see verse 10). Before the third day, the universe consisted only of inanimate entities; on the third day life began, even if it was not yet intelligent. Although vegetation does not share all the characteristics of more complex life forms, it possesses the foundation and source of life, namely, the ability to tend to its own survival, to grow, and to multiply.

וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם שְׁלִישִֽׁי׃ (פ)

It was evening and it was morning, a third day.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיּ֖וֹם וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃

God said: Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens. From this point objects would exist that would generate and emit light. These were distinct from light itself, which was created on the first day. The addition on the fourth day of entities responsible for the light was part of the continued structuring and ordering of the universe. These lights would exist to distinguish between the day and the night. The division between day and night was significant not only from a celestial perspective, but also in establishing the rhythm of time. The function of the lights is first and foremost to measure time and divide it into segments. Specifically, let them be for signs, phenomena which occur in heaven and on earth, and for seasons, and for days and years.

וְהָי֤וּ לִמְאוֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהָאִ֖יר עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃

Let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth; and it was so.

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־שְׁנֵ֥י הַמְּאֹרֹ֖ת הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים אֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃

God made the two great lights, as they appear today: the greater light, the sun, to rule the day, and the lesser light, the moon, to rule the night, and the stars.

וַיִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛ם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם לְהָאִ֖יר עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth

וְלִמְשֹׁל֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם וּבַלַּ֔יְלָה וּֽלֲהַבְדִּ֔יל בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֣ין הַחֹ֑שֶׁךְ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃

and to rule during the day and during the night. The sun and moon appear to human beings as rulers over day and night, as it is impossible for one to fail to notice the presence of the sun or its absence, and it is likewise impossible to miss the appearance or disappearance of the moon. And these lights also serve to divide between the light and the darkness. Although earlier verses already referred to day and night, and to morning and evening, and connected them to light and darkness, these entities were not completely defined until now. And God saw that it was good.

וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם רְבִיעִֽי׃ (פ)

It was evening and it was morning, a fourth day.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים יִשְׁרְצ֣וּ הַמַּ֔יִם שֶׁ֖רֶץ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֑ה וְעוֹף֙ יְעוֹפֵ֣ף עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ עַל־פְּנֵ֖י רְקִ֥יעַ הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

From vegetation and the heavenly bodies, the verse addresses the creation of animals: God said: Let the water swarm with swarms [ sheretz ] of living creatures [ nefesh ḥaya ]. These creatures would not grow and develop blindly, like vegetation, but would have the ability to move and some measure of will. The word sheretz may allude to wanting, retziya , or running, ritza . Note that the first appearance of the phrase nefesh ḥaya is in connection with aquatic creatures; it appears again only later with regard to land animals. Perhaps this is because water is the first source for creation and for the continued existence of life. And let birds fly above the earth on the face of the firmament of the heavens.

וַיִּבְרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־הַתַּנִּינִ֖ם הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים וְאֵ֣ת כָּל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ הַֽחַיָּ֣ה ׀ הָֽרֹמֶ֡שֶׂת אֲשֶׁר֩ שָׁרְצ֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם לְמִֽינֵהֶ֗ם וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־ע֤וֹף כָּנָף֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃

God created the great serpents [ taninim ]. In several places in the Bible, the tanin is identified with the livyatan or some creature resembling it. In modern Hebrew, livyatan refers to a whale while tanin refers to an alligator, but these are not their biblical meanings. Rather, the tanin and livyatan are mysterious aquatic creatures that were created in the water and whose relationship to our world is unclear. In several places in the Bible they are depicted as enormously powerful monsters, which at times do not accept the authority even of God. And every living creature that crawls, with which the water swarmed in their kinds. The variety of living creatures ranges from tiny fish that fill rivers, lakes, and streams to powerful sharks, and even to the great sea monsters, whose existence borders on the abstract and which may possess some form of intelligence. And every winged bird in its kind, a myriad of species. And God saw that it was good.

וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ אֹתָ֛ם אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֗וּ וּמִלְא֤וּ אֶת־הַמַּ֙יִם֙ בַּיַּמִּ֔ים וְהָע֖וֹף יִ֥רֶב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the water in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. Vegetation propagates automatically; it does not require action on its own part to multiply. By contrast, the reproductive processes of animals, whether flying, aquatic, or amphibious, involve the search for a mate. Consequently, they required a special blessing that would instill within them the active drive to be fruitful and multiply.

וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם חֲמִישִֽׁי׃ (פ)

It was evening and it was morning, a fifth day.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים תּוֹצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ נֶ֤פֶשׁ חַיָּה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ בְּהֵמָ֥ה וָרֶ֛מֶשׂ וְחַֽיְתוֹ־אֶ֖רֶץ לְמִינָ֑הּ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃

Up to this point, God had created aquatic creatures and birds, the latter being either more advanced forms of sea life or creatures formed from swamps, a combination of land and sea. On the sixth day, God created land creatures: God said: Let the earth produce living creatures in its kind, animals of many types, not just domesticated ones, and crawling creatures. This is not meant as a zoological definition, but as a description of animal life from a human perspective. That is to say, the term “crawling creatures” refers to the small animals that swarm on the ground, such as mice and snakes. And let the earth produce beasts of the earth in its kind. The Torah distinguishes between animals [ behema ] and beasts [ ḥaya ]. Some suggest that ḥaya refers to predatory animals, whereas behema refers to herbivores. And it was so.

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִים֩ אֶת־חַיַּ֨ת הָאָ֜רֶץ לְמִינָ֗הּ וְאֶת־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ וְאֵ֛ת כָּל־רֶ֥מֶשׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃

God made the beasts of the earth in its kind, and the animals in its kind, and every creature that crawls upon the ground in its kind; and God saw that it was good.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֔ים נַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אָדָ֛ם בְּצַלְמֵ֖נוּ כִּדְמוּתֵ֑נוּ וְיִרְדּוּ֩ בִדְגַ֨ת הַיָּ֜ם וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֗יִם וּבַבְּהֵמָה֙ וּבְכָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֖מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

This verse is the climax of the entire account of Creation: God said: Let Us make Man in Our image, in Our likeness. Although in a physiological sense man is very similar to other living creatures, he is nevertheless a category of being to himself. Unlike other creations, man was fashioned in the image of God, not in terms of his appearance, but in terms of his essence. Aside from man’s superior intelligence, this likeness is expressed principally in man’s freedom to choose. This quality is unique to man and God. The rest of creation moves within its respective circles, always subject to a long chain of cause and effect. Humans are not bound by these chains. And let them dominate over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the animals, and over all the earth, meaning over the inanimate substances, and over every crawling creature that crawls upon the earth.

וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃

God created man in His own image, granting him freedom and the capacity to expand and alter his surroundings; in the image of God He created him. The verse notes: Male and female He created them. The Torah will later elaborate on this statement. In theory, man could have been created as one, just as God is one. The fact that man was created male and female indicates that mankind is part of the world’s system of living creatures. The Torah’s emphasis on this fact indicates that it does not refer to man as an individual, but as a species, whose beginnings are described in this verse. On the other hand, although the other creatures were also created male and female, the Torah mentions the creation of male and female counterparts only with regard to mankind. This serves to emphasize that the difference between man and woman is not merely biological, but fundamental as well.

וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

God blessed them; and God also said to them: Be fruitful, and multiply. Since the propagation of mankind, unlike that of plants, requires a conscious reproductive act, this was the first command addressed to man as a subject with free will. The second commandment is: And fill the earth. It is not enough for man to be fruitful and multiply. He must also spread out across the entire planet, settle it, and subdue it. Of course this does not negate the presence of other creatures on the earth. Nevertheless, man has a special obligation to populate the world, to cultivate and tame it. And finally, you must rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living creature that crawls upon the earth.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּה֩ נָתַ֨תִּי לָכֶ֜ם אֶת־כָּל־עֵ֣שֶׂב ׀ זֹרֵ֣עַ זֶ֗רַע אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָעֵ֛ץ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֥וֹ פְרִי־עֵ֖ץ זֹרֵ֣עַ זָ֑רַע לָכֶ֥ם יִֽהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָֽה׃

God said: Behold, I have given you, for now at least, all vegetation yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which there is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food. You may take your sustenance from all types of plants, herbs, vegetables, and fruit, as you see fit.

וּֽלְכָל־חַיַּ֣ת הָ֠אָרֶץ וּלְכָל־ע֨וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם וּלְכֹ֣ל ׀ רוֹמֵ֣שׂ עַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ֙ נֶ֣פֶשׁ חַיָּ֔ה אֶת־כָּל־יֶ֥רֶק עֵ֖שֶׂב לְאָכְלָ֑ה וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃

And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that crawls upon the earth, in which there is a living soul, I have given all green vegetation for food. And it was so. It is possible that when all life forms were first created, they were herbivorous. However, perhaps there was no prohibition against receiving sustenance from living creatures or their carcasses, only against killing living creatures. It is permitted for man and beast to derive their sustenance from vegetation, because they each possess an animate soul, making them superior to plants.

וַיַּ֤רְא אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי׃ (פ)

God saw everything that He had made, in its entirety, from light to man, and, behold, it was very good. It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.

וַיְכֻלּ֛וּ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ וְכָל־צְבָאָֽם׃

The heavens and the earth and their entire host, the abundance of creatures contained within them, with all their abilities and roles, were completed.

וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃

God completed on the seventh day His works that He had made on the previous six days; He rested on the seventh day from all His works that He had made. Concluded is the process in which new, unique creations were formed on each day. From this point forward, the world will continue its existence according to the order that has been determined for it.

וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃ (פ)

Due to the unique nature of the Sabbath, God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it with additional holiness; because on it He rested from all His works that God created to make.