And There Was Evening, and There Was Morning – Why Does the Day Begin at Night?

Yehuda asks: "Why did Hashem start the creation of the world in the evening and not in the morning? Why is it stated in the Torah 'And there was evening and there was morning, one day', and not 'And there was morning and there was evening, one day'? Thank you, Rabbi, in advance".

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Shalom and blessings, Yehuda,

I have not yet found a clear reference to this in the commentators, so I will answer you with personal reasoning:

In the story of Genesis, it is first stated "And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep", then it says "And there was light".

First, there was absolute darkness, and only afterward was light created into reality, because darkness is absence, and light is existence. Therefore, darkness naturally preceded light.

Thus, the first day of creation began with the night – and into it, the light entered. Our day is based on the manner in which Hashem created the world, and this parallel also contains an amazing moral idea: every day the sunrise can teach us about the continuous renewal of creation, about the creation of each new day through the light that enters it, like in the six days of Genesis, from an initial state of night and darkness. As we recite in prayer: "He renews in His goodness every day perpetually the work of creation." Here we witness on a small scale the miracle of creation that begins from the night.