The heavens -- הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם

"In the beginning, God created the heavens..."  The heavens -- the sky or universe as seen from the earth; the firmament.  I find this another tell... the heavens are defined by the human perspective.  Clearly, this creation story is from and for humans.  From Plato's explanation of the heavens to the description of the heavens as a dome in which the stars are set, humans continue to explore, to imagine, to wonder about the heavens in much the same way as we continue to explore, to imagine, to wonder about God.  And while our science indeed continues to provide a better understanding of what the heavens are, science only provides a description of that which God has created for us.  We can explore, experiment, and expound all we want, but that only gives us a better description of the creation, not the Creator.  Because while we in human existence can probe the heavens, we can only surmise, based upon the Bible's teachings, of how me may enter Heaven where God resides.  At least where God resides based upon human conceptions.

  

ברא bara

   ברא   Bara -- the Hebrew word for creation of which only God is capable  How very useful a word "bara" is because when we think of "creation" we impose human conceptions of the word.  Like measures of time and space, words are limited by our human conception.  From now on, I will try to remember that "In the beginning, God  ברא bara..."  "Created" is too limiting a concept to signify that of which God is capable.  Our conception of "creation" is far too simplistic.

Thank you to Couboo for the picture.