What is the theme of the stories of Genesis?
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The Summary

This is an abridged version of the essay What is the theme of the stories of Genesis?, written by Rabbi Sacks in 2011.

One of the most fundamental questions about the Torah is one of the hardest to answer. What is the key religious principle that is taught through the stories in Bereishit?

We know what the first chapters are all about: they teach us the fundamentals of faith: that God brought the universe into being and declared it good, then He made the humans in His image; He gave us freewill and moral responsibility.

It is also easy to see what Shemot to Devarim teach us: They tell of how God rescued us from slavery and set us on the free road to the Promised Land; He made a brit with the people on Har Sinai, He gave them 613 commands and a purpose: to establish Bnei Yisrael as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. In short, Bereishit is about creation and Shemot to Devarim is about revelation and redemption. But what is the latter half of Bereishit about, after Creation and before the Exodus? 

There is an answer, but it is an unexpected one. Whenever a member of the family leaves their space and enters the wider world of their contemporaries, we see them encounter a world without marital ethics.

Three times, Avraham and Yitzchak were forced to leave home because of famine. Each time, the husband feared he will be killed so that the local ruler could take his wife. They pretended that their wife was their sister. (The fear of death was real, otherwise the avot would never have lied.)

When Lot moved to Sodom, he faced a mob of people around his house wanting to consort with his guests. He offered them his daughters instead. Then there was Shechem, a local prince who abducted Dina when she “went out to visit some of the local girls.” He held her hostage, and Shimon and Levi practised deception and bloodshed in retaliation.

Finally, in this week’s Parsha, Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Yosef. Failing, she accuses him of attacking her and has him imprisoned. In other words, there is a continuing theme in the second half of Bereishit, contrasting Avraham and his people with their neighbours, and their acts of adultery, promiscuity, seduction, rape and violence.

Compare the adultery in these cases (practised by other nations, and those who went out and were influenced by other nations), with the loyal, loving marriage of Avraham and Sarah. It becomes clearer now that the testimony of Bereishit is that faithfulness to God means and demands faithfulness to our marriage partners. Faith between us and God (and between us and our fellow humans) means love, loyalty and acting out of more than just desire.

What the stories of the avot and imahot tell us is that faith is the language of relationships and the choreography of love. It is about the importance of the moral bond, in particular as it affects our most intimate relations. It represents the love that brings new life into the world.

The God of Abraham is the God of love and trust. He speaks gently to us, inviting an answering response of love and trust. Bereishit’s argument against idolatry – all the more impressive for being told, through a series of stories – is that it leads to a world in which the combination of unchecked sexual desire, the absence of a code of moral self-restraint, and the worship of power, leads eventually to violence and abuse.

When a society loses faith, eventually it loses the very idea of a sexual ethic, and the result in the long-term is violence and exploitation. Women and children suffer. There is a breakdown of trust where it matters most. So it was in the days of the avot. Sadly, so it is today. Judaism, by contrast, is the sanctification of relationships, the love between husband and wife which is as close as we will ever get to understanding God’s love for us.

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In Parshat Vayeshev, Rabbi Sacks notes that while Avraham and his descendants introduced monotheism, their stories reveal a deeper and more nuanced theme: the contrast between their commitment to faithfulness and the moral chaos of the surrounding societies. 

Through the episodes involving deception, seduction, and violence, the Torah highlights how a world without a moral sexual ethic leads to exploitation and suffering. By centring faith around relationships - particularly marriage - Judaism teaches that love, loyalty, and self-restraint are foundational to a holy life. This covenantal faith mirrors God’s faithful love for humanity, offering a powerful antidote to the destructive forces of unchecked desire and power. 

For Jewish families, the lesson is clear: nurturing faithfulness in our homes and relationships is the key to building a world of trust, sanctity, and enduring love.

• How does faithfulness in relationships help build a just and loving society?

In a quiet town not so far away, there once lived a couple called Miri and Ezra. They were known for their kind and caring natures. Almost always smiling, they were good friends with all their neighbours, and ‘peace with all’ was their motto.     

But one day they inherited a large piece of land with a stream flowing through the middle of it. They both had big ideas for the land, and soon an argument arose between them.  

Miri felt strongly that they should plant an olive grove, and soon they would have enough olive oil for the village. Ezra was determined to plant etrog trees, to harvest every Succot for the community. Neither wanted to give in, and they became so upset that they turned their backs on each other and went to opposite sides of the stream, no longer speaking to each other.  

That evening, Miri went out to the edge of the land. She gathered stones and started to build a little bridge across the flowing stream. Ezra, seeing her work, felt his heart soften. Without a word, he went to the other side and gathered stones to help her. 

As they worked together in silence, something beautiful happened. With each stick and stone they placed, their anger melted away. When it was complete, they both climbed the bridge, meeting in the middle. Miri smiled. “A bridge for our orchard,” she said. Ezra nodded. “And our olive grove. And for us.” 

In the end, Miri and Ezra decided to plant both olive and etrog trees, and their orchard flourished. The little bridge stood as a symbol of their love - a reminder that when they worked together, they could overcome anything.

• What are some ways teamwork can be demonstrated between husbands and wives, between parents and children, and among siblings?

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Amos 2:6 - 3:8

Amos condemns Israel for its social injustices and moral failings. God accuses the people of oppressing the poor, selling the righteous for silver, and exploiting the vulnerable. 

This disregard for justice and righteousness angers God, who reminds them of His past deliverance and blessings. Despite these Divine favours, Israel’s sins persist. Amos declares that God will not ignore these transgressions and that punishment is imminent. Amos uses vivid imagery to emphasise that Divine judgment is unavoidable, saying, “The lion has roared—who will not fear?” (Amos 3:8). Amos highlights that God’s chosen people are held to a higher standard, making their sins more grievous. The passage underscores that God’s patience has limits, especially when it comes to injustice and oppression.

Rabbi Sacks quotes the first verse from the Haftara and says, “Economic inequality leads to inequality of power, and the result is often the abuse of the weak by the strong. This is a constant refrain of the prophets.” 

• Why do you think social injustice is so important and so emphasised in Neviim? 

There are multiple connections between this week’s Parsha and Haftara. First, in the opening verse of the Haftara, Amos berates those around him for the sale of the righteous for silver, a clear allusion to the sale of Yosef in this week’s Parsha. 

Second, the Parsha and Haftara both emphasise special relationships. In Vayeshev, Yaakov shows greater love to Yosef. In the Haftara, God states that He has a deeper love for Bnei Yisrael than for the other nations.

Third, in Amos 3:7, God reveals His counsel to the prophets. In Bereishit 40:8, God shows Yosef the interpretation of his dreams.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch notes two further connections; namely the events leading up to exile of the Jewish people, and the resistance of sin (although Yosef succeeds in the Parsha, the Jewish people fail in the Haftara).

Finally, in Amos 2:11 we are told of God raising up young men to be Nazirites. In the Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat 139a) we are told that Yosef did not drink any wine after he was sold by his brothers. Wine is also avoided by all Nazir men, as this is one of the restrictions they accept for themselves.

• Most of Ovadiah’s prophecy seems to be addressed to Edom (the descendants of Eisav). What is his main message, and who is it really for?

The Book of Amos delivers a powerful message about social justice, morality, and Divine judgment. 

Amos, a humble shepherd and farmer, is called upon by God to speak against the injustices of the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of prosperity. He condemns the people’s exploitation of the poor, their acts of idolatry, their hollow religious rituals, and the corruption among leaders. Amos warns that these behaviours violate God’s expectations and will bring about Israel’s downfall if they continue.

One of the book’s key themes is that God values justice and righteousness over sacrifices and ceremonies, famously captured in the line, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). 

Though Amos’s prophecies are largely warnings of devastating destruction, the book concludes with a hopeful vision: after judgment, God will restore Israel and renew His covenant with the people.

• Are there other books of Tanach which use marriage or a relationship to symbolise the connection between God and the Jewish people?