Could it be that the best translation of the first sentence of the bible would be: “With a first cause of wisdom God created the heavens and the earth.” At least the 2100-year old translation from the hebrew into aramaic formulated it that way. And indeed, I see this confirmed within the numbers of that first sentence.

Wisdom as a word is not present within these first seven words of the bible. Wisdom is written with four letters: חכמה CKMH, 8_20_40_5. The total value of these four letters is 73. The sum of all the seven words in Genesis 1,1 is 2701. The only way to write that number in a product is 37*73. There I see“wisdom” already present inlayed within the number 73. And even further 2701 is the 73th triangular number; 1+2+3+…+72+73= 2701. All parts of wisdom are summarized together in that first sentence of the bible. So, there is a strong connection between the word “wisdom” and the numbers present in this first sentence.

But Gerald Schroeder shows a different way of how to come to this conclusion. He quotes a bible commentator from the middle ages: Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac (1040-1106 AC)**. Rabbi Solomon pointed out that the first word of the bible “Bereshit” is a compound word out of “B`” and “reshit”. “B`” means “with” or “in” and “reshit” means “a first cause”, “chief”, “firstfruit” or “first in time”(beginning). 

Schroeder explains the problem with the well known translation: “A traditional translation of that crucial verse is „In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.“ That is the traditional reading. But there is a problem here. Bereshit in its simple sense translates as „In the beginning of.“ But there is no object in the Hebrew text for the preposition „of.“ We would read „In the beginning of God created the heavens and the earth.“ In the beginning of what?”

“In the beginning”  would be written “bereshona” but it is written “bereshit”.*** The “t” in the end asks for an object. That’s why some translations turn the verb “created” into the object “creation”: “In the beginning of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth.” Both translations seem to be missing something: one turns the verb into an object and the other ignores the “t” ending of the first word of the bible. 

Many hebrew words of the bible are compound words. For example “and” is not a separate word in biblical hebrew but, rather to say “and” the sixth letter of the Alephbeth is placed before the word that is to be connected. If the second letter “beth” stands before a word it means “in” or “with”. 

“B`reshit” therefore would mean with or in “reshit”. This word “reshit” appears the first time as a solely standing word in Genesis 10,10.* Reshit is often translated either with beginning, firstfruits, first or chief. Or as Schroeder puts it: “the first cause”. A fruit is the cause of the tree’s activities. And “reshit” is the first cause, the first product of the tree. 

Rabbi Solomon points to proverbs 8,12 where wisdom speaks in the first person singular: “I, wisdom…” I don`t know of any other place where an abstract person speaks in the bible (other than God himself and the Angels). Later in proverbs 8,22 „The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old.” or as Schroeder translates freely: “God made me as the beginning of God’s way.“ So, Rashit, the firstfruit of God, is “wisdom” that was created in the beginning before the heavens and the earth was made (read Proverbs 8,22-30). 

Schröder, as a jewish scientist, goes on pointing out that quantum physics has told us that the substrate of the universe, the fundamental layer of the universe, is wisdom (or Information). This makes such a beautiful connection between the words of the bible and science:

Genesis 1,1 says “With the first cause of wisdom the heavens and the earth was made.” In Psalm 33:6 it is written: “With the word of God the heavens were made.” John 1,1 speaks about the logos: “In the beginning was the word…” And science comes to the same conclusion that underneath all there is information. 

As a believer in Jeshua Ha Mashiach we find even more really beautiful connections here. Because as John states in John 1,14 “the word became flesh”. And within this light the words of Paul start to make more sense to me: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” Through wisdom all things were made. 

Even one more detail speaks for this translation and understanding of the first sentence of the Bible: Genesis 1,1 is written with 28 letters and the word “rashit” as a solely standing word appears 28 times in the whole bible. 

*This on its own is a very interesting fact, because it stands for the 10 on the level of the chapters and the 10 on the level of the verses. The Name of the eternal is JHWH which says 10 5 and 5 if we turn the 6 into an “and”. So we get the 10 and a compound 10 out of 5 and 5.

** Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac (b. 1040–d. 1106), commonly known by his acronym Rashi, was the single most influential Jewish Bible commentator of the Middle Ages. Rashi’s works include a commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), a commentary on the Babylonian Talmud, and various Halachic works and responsa.

*** Schroeder explains it in this video.