We are beginning, again. How is it possible that the words of Torah continue to have power in our lives? How is it possible that year after year the same words continue to have relevance?

Torah is often compared to water, and like a river, it is impossible to be read in the same way twice. Though the words do not change, we do. Reading Torah is always the meeting of the same words and a different “you.” We are gifted with the ability to read and reread these words to continually have the possibility of hearing God’s voice within them.

How does one know if the voice that you are hearing is God’s voice? How does one know if the words of Torah are truly divine?

I have a suggestion. Hearing God’s voice in Torah is an exercise in your creative capacity – the most Godly of all our gifts. Torah begins by God speaking, and creating the world. Words create and calls chaos into order. It is a powerful ability – and one we have, too.

At humanity’s beginning, we were famously fashioned b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image. The immediate blessing which follows was “be fertile and increase.” Our blessing was to exercise our biological creative ability – the capacity to increase life on Earth.

Of course, all life has the capacity for reproducing itself, thus exercising it’s physical creativity. All life has that spark of Godliness. We have more. We have the capacity to create with our words.

God sees that it is not good for Man to be alone. “God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name.” (Genesis 2:19)

We have the Godly power to create with our mind. Whatever inspires that creative ability, has a measure of Godliness within it.

Think for a moment about what sparks the most creativity in the world. What inspires art? What inspires music? What inspires volumes and libraries of books?

Along with the natural world, Torah is undoubtedly a primary source for much of the creativity in the world. Torah continues to be an impetus for creativity (this weekly column for example). Torah continues to be a mirror for us to measure how we are changing each year.

The words of Torah may stay the same from year to year, but we are never the same. We are always creating, and we are always changing. May this year be a year of renewal for the Jewish people, and the world!

Rabbi Ari Kaiman is Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Bnai Amoona and a member of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association.