The Origin Story Of Spreading Torah - Bereishis

The Rebbe teaches that Bereishis, the beginning of the Torah, is about the creation of the world and about the creation that happens within each of us. Every year when we begin the Torah again, Hashem gives us the strength to begin again too. He calls on us to bring light where there is darkness. As I thought about this idea, I began to reflect on my own beginning, the start of my journey with writing and what it has meant to me over the years.

For those that don't know, I started writing when I was in eighth grade. Life felt complicated, school was challenging, and my relationship with spirituality was uncertain. Writing became my way of making sense of things. I did not want to write long, heavy pieces filled with deep commentary. I wanted something short, personal, and honest. Something that would help me grow, inspire me, and maybe inspire someone else along the way.

It started small. I began with a short weekly email that went out to eighteen people. Then it grew to twenty-seven, and before long, more than three hundred were reading it regularly. (I am still uncertain if those people actually signed up for the emails or if I just volunteered them. Looking back, though, the reactions from most were positive and encouraging.) The feedback meant a lot and kept me motivated to continue.

Writing has always been there to help me slow down, reflect, and find meaning in my experiences. Sometimes the ideas come from moments of happiness, other times from challenge or uncertainty, but they all come from real life. My hope is that when I share them, they not only help me process what I am feeling but also give others something relatable, encouraging, or uplifting to take with them.

Eventually I created the Spreading Torah website, and that was when it started to feel real. Over the years I dreamed of expanding it into something bigger, but lately I have realized that I just want to return to what it was always meant to be: a space to think, to feel, to share, and to connect.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way. Family, friends, readers, and even those who helped edit my writing or offered encouragement when I needed it most. Some supported by reading each week, others by donating or simply sharing kind words that reminded me why I keep doing this. It has truly been a community effort, and I do not take that for granted.

Now, as I begin a new chapter, I am starting another series to run alongside the weekly parsha reflections. This one will go through Sefer HaMitzvos, exploring each mitzvah one at a time. I do not plan to send every post by email unless there is strong interest, but they will be available on the website for anyone who wants to follow along. My hope is that this new series, like the rest of my writing, continues to bring meaning, inspiration, and connection to all who read it.

Good Shabbos

All the best!

Avroham Yehudah Ross