…their array were completed.” (Bereishit 2:1) “All the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting was completed” (Shemot 39:32) “And God completed all the work that He had done” (Bereishit 2:2) “And Moses completed the work” (Shemot 40:33) “And God blessed” (Bereishit 2:3) “And Moses blessed” (Shemot 39:43) “And sanctified it” (Bereishit 2:3) “And you shall sanctify it and all its vessels” (Shemot 40:9)…
…of the Torah, they stopped, or even paused. Hence the reading of the beginning of Bereishit immediately after the conclusion of Devarim. The two honours of being called to read out the ending and the beginning were greatly prized, and soon became known by the name of Chatan, Bridegroom – Chatan Torah for the former, Chatan Bereishit for the latter. By the eleventh century the…
…“walked with God” (Bereishit 6:9). But God said to Avraham, “Walk on ahead of Me.” (Bereishit 17:1) When I learnt this Midrash, suddenly I understood a significant part of what faith is: In Judaism, faith means the courage to pioneer, to do something new, to take the road less travelled, to venture out into the unknown. That is exactly what…
…Rabbi Sacks sees this balance in the contrast between the language found in the first two chapters of Bereishit. The langue of Bereishit 1 is “subdue” and “conquer” while the language of Bereishit 2 is “serve” and “guard”. Alternatively, some interpret the term le’ovdah as “to work the land” and see the balance of sustainable development in the terms le’ovdah…
…about Jacob: two of them about his love for Rachel in preference to Leah (Bereishit 29:30-31, 32-33), the third about his love for Joseph in preference to the other sons (Bereishit 37:4). Both caused great grief within the family and had devastating consequences in the long run. This is how the Torah describes Jacob’s feelings for Rachel: “Jacob loved Rachel…
…achieve forgiveness? Why didn’t He tell Abraham, why didn’t He tell Noah to pray for them? Why is there no selichah, no mechilah, no kapparah, in Bereishit? It is there in Shemot, in Vayikra, Bamidbar, but not in Bereishit. And I asked myself, why? And here, I believe, is the answer. If you read the book of Bereishit, you will…
…first in rank and first in power” (Bereishit 49:3). Because of these parallels, the careful reader must hear in the law in our parsha a commentary on Yaacov’s treatment of his own sons. Yet that conduct seems to have been precisely the opposite of what is legislated here. Yaacov did transfer the right of the firstborn from Reuven, his actual…
…want to explore here is not simply the story of Babel considered in itself, but the larger theme. For what we have here is the second act in a four act drama that is unmistakably one of the connecting threads of Bereishit, the Book of Beginnings. It is a sustained polemic against the city and all that went with it…
…person’s life? Can we survive without them? How have your family relationships led to self-growth? The Family in Classic Jewish Sources Read the short biblical passages and then discuss the subsequent questions… The First Marriage: Bereishit 2:18-25 Core Questions Why is it not good for ‘man’ to be alone? (Do you think this is just men, or ‘humans’?) What can…
…- from the Sumerian city-states, to Plato’s Republic, to empires, ancient and modern, to the Soviet Union. It is the attempt to impose an artificial unity on divinely created diversity. That is what is wrong with universalism. The Dignity of Difference, pp. 51-52 Bereishit 2 (Adam) Bereishit 4:1-15 (Cain) Bereishit 6:9 (Noach) Bereishit 11:1-9 (Tower of Babel) Core Questions Why…