At the beginning of time, the Creator envisioned a form. The form was infinite and intangible. He created matter to embody that form. The matter was finite and tangible.

Then He created Man with the ability to shape matter into a form that would realize His vision.

And he gave the Torah to the Jewish people to instruct us how to do this.

Creation is about consciousness and perception. The goal of Creation is that we should come to perceive the Creator through His Creation.

The physical and spiritual are intertwined, and it is our job to reveal the spiritual hidden in the physical. The universe is our toolbox, and the Torah is the instruction book.

Creativity is one of those tools. Creativity deals with perception. It communicates one person’s perception to another, by manipulating the four basic elements within the parameters of Time, Space, and Soul.

For example, Music sends meaningful sound waves through the air over time. Fine arts reflect light to our eyes within space.

By utilizing materials from the inanimate, vegetable, animal and human domains, and binding them to their spiritual essence, we elevate them to a higher level than they were in their raw state. We affect a transformation which in turn creates a transformation in those who interact with them.

The difference between a journalist and a poet, for example, is that the journalist is trying to present the story in as objective and unbiased way possible. The poet interprets the reality he sees, and tries to communicate that interpretation, through metaphors, imagery and allusion, thereby revealing the meaning behind the bare reality. That is also the difference between the musician and the noisemaker, the artist and the news photographer.

But Jewish creativity goes beyond self-expression. Like everything else in the life of a Jew, it is a quest and a mission. We are endowed with the aptitude and qualifications to help Creation achieve its completion.

When we use our creativity to reveal the presence of the Creator in reality, we become a partner with the Creator, because we are fulfilling the role for which we were intended: to spread the consciousness of Him throughout the universe, to elevate reality to its source. Just as He chose the talented and inspired individuals to help with the building of the Tabernacle in the Desert, rather than simply fabricating it Himself, so today He calls upon creative Jews to utilize their talents to bring divine awareness to the world, that His wellsprings should flow to the four corners of the Earth.