The Jewish calendar is dated from the supposed year of the Creation. This is indicated by the letter 'AM' after each year - meaning 'Anno Mundi', Year of the World. For Judaism sees its origins in the Act of Creation and its own inceptions as being part of the Divine plan. In the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and later in the Talmud (a collection of commentaries on the Torah), the pattern and purpose of Creation is revealed and the important role assigned to humans is spelt out.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Some say that God also created the Torah at this time, and a mighty voice crying, "Return, you children of men". God said, "Let there be light". And there was light. And God saw that it was good, God divided the light from the darkness, naming them ' day' and 'night'. Evening and morning came - the first day. God said, "Let the waters be divided". And God made the arch of the sky to hold back the waters from the earth. He placed some above the arch and some below. Some tell of the waters arguing about this division, and thus disagreement entered the universe. Of this day God did not say, "It is good". Evening and morning came- the second day. God said, "Let the waters under heaven come together, and dry land appear". Thus the earth arose, and [plants and trees grew, and God saw that is was good. Evening came and morning came - the third day. God said, "Let the great light and the small light appear in heaven to govern day and night. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came - the fourth day. God said. "Let the waters fill with creatures and the sky with birds". God saw that it was good, and blessed them. Evening came and morning came - the fifth day.
God said "Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature". God saw that it was good. Then, last of all when the earth was ready God said. "Let us take dust and create man, Adam, to be master over all creatures". So Adam was created in God's own image.
God saw that Adam needed a friend - woman. Some say that the earth was worried and asked. "How shall I feed all her children?" God replied, "Fear not, together we shall find food". So Lilith was made from the dust, also in God's image. But Lilith would not live with Adam and went her own way. So God made a woman before Adam's eyes, but Adam turned from her. Finally, putting Adam in a deep sleep, God took one of Adam's ribs and made Eve, and placed the couple in Paradise.
On the seventh day, God finished his work and rested. And Paradise was blissful, until Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden them to do. God punished them, and cast our parents out of Paradise to struggle in this earthly life.

The Break in the relation ship between God and first humans is however not seen as a final one. Through the Covenants with Abraham and Moses, the Jewish people have a close relationship with God; they are to act as a model of the way God wishes people to live and to use the world. The world is a larder full of good things but it is ours on trust and we must care for it as well as use it.

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