Bereshit, Bereishit, Bereshis, Bereishis, or B'reshith (—Hebrew for "in beginning" or "in the beginning," the first word in the parashah) is the first weekly Torah portion (, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. The parashah consists of Genesis 1:1–6:8. In the parashah, God creates the heavens, the world, Adam and Eve, and Sabbath. A serpent convinces Eve, who then invites Adam, to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden to them. God curses the ground for their sake and expels them from the Garden of Eden. One of their sons, Cain, kills his brother Abel out of jealousy. Adam and Eve have other children, whose descendants populate the Earth. Each generation becomes more and more degenerate until God decides to destroy humanity. Only one person, Noah, finds God's favor.
The parashah is made up of 7,235 Hebrew letters, 1,931 Hebrew words, 146 verses, and 241 lines in a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah). Jews read it on the first Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in October, or rarely, in late September or early November. Jews also read the beginning part of the parashah, Genesis 1:1–2:3, as the second Torah reading for Simchat Torah, after reading the last parts of the Book of Deuteronomy, Parashat V'Zot HaBerachah, Deuteronomy 33:1–34:12.
Readings In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or , aliyot. In a Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Parashat Bereishit has ten "open portion" (, petuḥot) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter (pe)). Parashat Bereshit has several further subdivisions, called "closed portion" (, setumot) divisions (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter (samekh)) within the open portion divisions. The first seven open portion divisions set apart the accounts of the seven phases of creation in the first reading. The eighth open portion spans the second and third readings. The ninth open portion contains the fourth, fifth, sixth, and part of the seventh readings. The tenth open portion corresponds to the maftir (concluding reading, ). Closed portion divisions further divide the third, fourth, sixth, and seventh readings.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, The Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2006), pages 2–31.
First reading—Genesis 1:1–2:3
The first reading reports God's creation of the heaven and earth. The earth was unformed and void (, tohu wa-bohu), darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved on the face of the water.. (Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:2.) God spoke and created, in six phases—literally "days": First phase: God spoke light into existence and separated light from darkness.. The first open portion ends with the end of verse 5.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 3. (Genesis 1:3, Genesis 1:4, Genesis 1:5.) Second phase: God created a firmament in the midst of the waters and separated the waters from the firmament.. The second open portion ends here with the end of verse 8.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 4. Third phase: God gathered the water below the sky, creating land and sea, and God caused vegetation to sprout from the land.. The third open portion ends here with the end of verse 13.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 5. Fourth phase: God set lights in the sky to separate days and years, creating the sun, the moon, and the stars.. The fourth open portion ends here with the end of verse 19.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 6. Fifth phase: God had the waters bring forth living creatures in sea along with the birds of the air and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply.. The fifth open portion ends here with the end of verse 23.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 7. Sixth phase: God had the earth bring forth living creatures from the land, and made humankind in God's image, male and female, giving them dominion over the animals and the earth, and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply.. God gave vegetation to them and the animals for food and declared all creation "very good".. The sixth open portion ends here at the end of chapter 1.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, pages 9–10. Seventh phase: God ceased work and blessed the seventh phase, declaring it holy.. The first reading and the seventh open portion end after the seventh phase (Genesis 2:3).See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 10.
Second reading—Genesis 2:4–19
In the second reading, before any shrub or grass had yet sprouted on earth, and before God had sent rain for the earth, a flow would well up from the ground to water the earth.. God formed man from the dust, blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and made him a living being.. God planted a garden in the east in Eden, caused every good and pleasing tree to grow there, and placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.. A river issued from Eden to water the garden, and then divided into four branches: the Pishon, which winds through Havilah, where there was gold; the Gihon, which winds through Cush; the Tigris, which flows east of Asshur; and the Euphrates.. God placed the man in the garden of Eden to till and tend it, and allowed him to eat from every tree of the garden, except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil, warning that if the man ate of it, he would surely die.. Saying that it was not good for man to be alone and that God would make for him a fitting helper, God formed all the beasts and birds out of the earth and brought them to the man to name.. The second reading ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 14.
Third reading—Genesis 2:20–3:21
In the third reading, the man Adam named all the animals, but found no fitting helper.. So God cast a deep sleep upon the man and took one of his sides and fashioned it into a woman and brought her to the man.. The man declared her bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh and called her woman.. Thus a man leaves his parents and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh.. The man and the woman were naked, but felt no shame.. The serpent, the shrewdest of the beasts, asked the woman whether God had really forbidden her to eat any of the fruit in the garden.. The woman replied that they could eat any fruit other than that of the tree in the middle of the garden, which God had warned them neither to eat nor to touch, on pain of death.. The serpent told the woman that she would not die, but that as soon as she ate the fruit, her eyes would be opened and she would be like divine beings who knew good and evil.. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing in appearance, and desirable as a source of wisdom, she ate some of its fruit and gave some to her husband to eat.. Then their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked, and they sewed themselves loincloths out of fig leaves.. Hearing God move in the garden, they hid in the trees.. God asked the man where he was.. The man replied that he grew afraid when he heard God, and he hid because he was naked.. God asked him who told him that he was naked and whether he had eaten the forbidden fruit.. The man replied that the woman whom God put at his side gave him the fruit, and he ate.. When God asked the woman what she had done, she replied that the serpent duped her, and she ate.. God cursed the serpent to crawl on its belly, to eat dirt, and to live in enmity with the woman and her offspring.. A closed portion ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 18.
In the continuation of the reading, God cursed the woman to bear children in pain, to desire her husband, and to be ruled by him.. A closed portion ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 19.
In the continuation of the reading, God cursed Adam to toil to earn his food from the ground, which would sprout thorns and thistles, until he returned to the ground from which he was taken.. Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother to all.. And God made skin garments to clothe Adam and Eve.. The third reading and the eighth open portion end here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, pages 19–20.
Fourth reading—Genesis 3:22–4:18 In the fourth reading, remarking that the humankind had become like God, knowing good and bad, God became concerned that they should also eat from the tree of life and live forever, so God banished them from the garden of Eden, to till the soil.. God drove them out, and stationed cherubim and a fiery ever-turning sword east of the garden to guard the tree of life.. A closed portion ends here with the end of chapter 3.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 20.
In the continuation of the reading in chapter 4, Eve bore Cain and Abel, who became a farmer and a shepherd, respectively.. Cain brought God an offering from the fruit of the soil, and Abel brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock.. God paid heed to Abel and his offering, but not to Cain and his, distressing Cain.. God asked Cain why he was distressed, because he had free will, and if he acted righteously, he would be happy, but if he did not, sin crouched at the door.. Cain spoke to Abel, and when they were in the field, Cain killed Abel.. When God asked Cain where his brother was, Cain replied that he did not know, asking if he was his brother's keeper.. God asked Cain what he had done, as his brother's blood cried out to God from the ground.. God cursed Cain to fail at farming and to become a ceaseless wanderer.. Cain complained to God that his punishment was too great to bear, as anyone who met him might kill him.. So God put a mark on Cain and promised to take sevenfold vengeance on anyone who would kill him.. Cain left God's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.. Cain had a son, Enoch, and founded a city, and named it after Enoch.. Enoch had a son Irad; and Irad had a son Mehujael; and Mehujael had a son Methushael; and Methushael had a son Lamech.. The fourth reading ends here.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 24.
Fifth reading—Genesis 4:19–22 In the short fifth reading, Lamech took two wives, Adah and Zillah.. Adah bore Jabal, the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amidst herds, and Jubal, the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe.. And Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who forged implements of copper and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.. The fifth reading ends here.
Sixth reading—Genesis 4:23–5:24 In the sixth reading, Lamech told his wives that he had slain a young man for bruising him, and that if Cain was avenged sevenfold, then Lamech should be avenged seventy-sevenfold.. Adam and Eve had a third son and named him Seth, meaning "God has provided me with another offspring in place of Abel".. Seth had a son named Enosh, and then men began to invoke the Lord by name.. A closed portion ends here with the end of chapter 4.See, e.g., Menachem Davis, editor, Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Bereishis/Genesis, page 25.