Quotes and Readings of the Day

Genesis 1:1-2:3

This reading is from the special Torah reading for Simchat Torah. The complete Torah reading for the day is Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12, Genesis 1:1-2:3, and Numbers 29:35-30:1.

When God began to create heaven and earth--the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water--God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water." God made the expanse, and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. And it was so. God called the expanse Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

God said, "Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good. And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that this was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times--the days and the years; and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth." And it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that this was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms, and all the winged birds of every kind. And God saw that this was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fertile and increase, fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

God said, "Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts of every kind." And it was so. God made wild beasts of every kind and cattle of every kind, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. And God saw that this was good. And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth." And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth."

God said, "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, [I give] all the green plants for food." And it was so. And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day God finished the work that He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done. Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created.

From Parshat Bereshit. From THE TANAKH: The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society. Used by permission.

TAGS: Torah, Torah Reading, Judaism, Genesis

Angels keep the roof over our head. And the sun and the stars and the moon.

-Dan Martell,
"About Angels"

From "Angels Around Us." Compiled by Karen Maguire. Reprinted by arrangement with Andrews McMeel Publishing.

TAGS: Angel Quote, Angels, Head, Roof, Sun, Dan MartellBRAbout Angels

Overcome your uncertainties and free yourself from dwelling on sorrow. If you delight in existence, you will become a guide to those who need you, revealing the path to many.

-Sutta Nipata

From "Buddha Speaks," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.

TAGS: Buddhism, Buddhist Quote, Uncertainties, Existence, Path

There have been so many times in my life where God has saved me. For some reason it just wasn't my time – God had other plans for me. It's been amazing to watch it all unfold.

-Luther Elliss

TAGS: Entertainment Quote, Life, Celebrities, Football, Spiritual, God, Celebrity Spirituality, Entertainment, Motivational Quote, Sports Inspiration,, Motivation, Faith

In simple obedience to the One who gave His life so that we might live eternally, we should desire to abandon all we know for the unknown of giving our lives away for Him. Not just feeding the hungry, but entering into their hunger with them. Not just clothing them, but experiencing what it is like to want for basic necessities. Not just appeasing our conscience by writing a check, but by actually entering into their reality, a reality that needs to see Jesus.

-Steven Curtis Chapman

TAGS: Bible, Christian Quote, Christianity

Install storm windows to ensure that your home's heat is sealed in.

TAGS: Eco Tips

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.

-Harrison Ford

TAGS: Emotional Health Quote, Health Quote

Obedience to the call of Christ nearly always costs everything to two people- the one who is called, and the one who loves that one.

-Oswald Chambers

TAGS: Evangelical, Evangelical Quote, Christianity

Health is not simply the absense of sickness.

-Hannah Greene

TAGS: Health Quote

Morality is the birthright of high families, While immoral conduct's legacy is lowly birth.

Tirukkural 14:133

Excerpted from the Tirukkural, translated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. Copyright Himalayan Academy Publications.

TAGS: Tirukkural, Hindu Quote, Hinduism, Tirukkal

Remember the music is not in the piano.

-Clement Mok

TAGS: Glow, Holistic Living Quote, Spirituality, Holistic Living

Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.

-Josh Billings

TAGS: Inspiration Quote, Postage, Postage Stamp, Stamp, Stick, Determination, Success, Josh Billings

The divine test of a man's worth is not his theology but his life.

-Morris Joseph, "Judaism as Creed and Life"

Reprinted with permission from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.

TAGS: Judaism, Jewish Quote

Allah loves those who sacrifice their repose and arise in the depths of the night to glorify the word of their Lord; those who give in charity without making their identity public; and those who uphold their ranks even when their companions have been overcome.

-Hadith The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Ahd’Allah bin Mas’ud

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Ahd’Allah bin Mas’ud

From "The Bounty of Allah." Hadith translated by Aneela Khalid Arshed. Copyright 1999. All rights reserved. Used with permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York.

TAGS: Hadith, Islam Hadith, Muslim Quote, Muslim

Many people with weight problems also find themselves isolated and lonely. It makes sense that if you don't feel good about yourself, you'd rather not share yourself with others. It also makes sense that with the extra weight--it's just plain hard to get up and go. I want to encourage you to take a look outside. Look outside your window – there's a whole big world out there. There's a world of nature: trees, flowers, birds, plants, fresh air and sunlight. A world full of other people who also have problems; some visible, some not. Many who are also feeling isolated and lonely; people who would love someone to share their life with in a friendly way. Look outside yourself – know that you are not alone with your troubles. Know that there are millions of people experiencing difficulties, too. Know that there's a loving Spirit, always there, caring for you. Tapping into this Spirit and asking for assurance and care will help you reach outside yourself.

-Norris Chumley

TAGS: Weight Loss

Basically, the only thing we need is a hand that rests on our own, that wishes it well, that sometimes guides us. 

-Hector Bianciotti

TAGS: Relationships, Relationship Quotes, Living, Happiness