Parashat Bere՚shit (Genesis 1:1 - 6:8) בְּרֵאשִׁית
SYNOPSIS:
Parashat Bere՚shit contains four sidrot [order, part]. The first deals with the creation; the second, the Garden in Eden; the third, Cain and Abel; and the fourth, the history of mankind up to the flood.
First Sidra[1] (Gen. 1:1-2:3)
The Torah opens with the absolute affirmation that YHWH created the Universe out of nothing. Within six days the process of bringing order from chaos was completed and the entire Universe along with all that is needed for its self perpetuation came into being. Man - the pinnacle of creation - is the last thing to be created on the sixth day. After the creation of man, YHWH ceased from His activity and rested on the seventh day, calling it the Shabbat, meaning 'a day of ceasing'. The Shabbat is the culmination of creation, and was the first thing to be declared holy.
Second Sidra (Gen. 2:4-3:21)
YHWH then plants a well-watered and plentiful garden eastward in Eden [עֵדֶן - pleasure], placing man there to tend it and enjoy its bounty. The man - Adam - [אָדָם - mankind] is given but one command: "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it" (Gen. 2:16). YHWH realizes that it is not good that the man should be alone; so He creates woman from the man to be his companion. The serpent - the craftiest beast of the field - persuades the woman into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The woman then gives from the fruit of the tree to the man, and he too eats. This results in YHWH becoming very mad with the lot of them, giving each one of them a particular curse. He expels them from the Garden just in case they try and also eat from the Tree of Life. To guard the way to the Tree of Life, YHWH places cherubim - a type of angel - at the east of the Garden and a bright bladed revolving sword. At the end of the sidra the man names his wife Eve [חַוָּה - mother of all living].
Third Sidra (Gen. 3:22-4:26)
The parasha then proceeds to tell the story of Cain and Abel the two sons of Adam and Eve. Both Cain and Abel offer a gift-offering to YHWH. Cain, being a tiller of the ground, offers his from the crop; while Abel, being a shepherd, offers his from the flock. Abel's offering is accepted while Cain's is rejected, and Cain's countenance fell. God then tells Cain, "Why do you burn with anger, and why is your face fallen. If you do well is there not uplift, but if you do not do well, at the opening sin is crouching; and towards you is its desire, but you can rule over it" (Gen. 4:6-7). Cain becomes jealous of Abel, his brother. The jealousy consumes him and ultimately leads to Cain’s murdering Abel. YHWH curses Cain for the murder and Cain settles east of Eden in the Land of Nod. The third sidra concludes with the history of Cain's lineage, which includes such personalities as Jabal, the father of tent dwellers and herdsmen, and Tubal-Cain, the founder of the Bronze Age. In the penultimate sentence a new son is born to Adam and Eve whom they call Seth.
Fourth Sidra (Gen. 5:1-6:8)
The fourth and final sidra of the parasha lists the descendants of Adam through the line of Seth. This line includes the enigmatic Enoch - the man who "walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). Seth's lineage also includes the second father of mankind, Noah [נֹחַ - rest] - the man who "found grace in the eyes of YHWH" (Gen. 6:8). By the end of the parasha mankind has multiplied on the face of the earth and mighty leaders have come about, the world is filled with wickedness and only Noah's line is deemed worthy to be saved from the on coming deluge.
WHAT THE SAGES SAY:
Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ (10th century, Jerusalem)
In his "Epistle to Jacob ben Samuel" Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ asserts that the episode of the eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a lesson in the importance of personal responsibility. The individual is responsible for their own actions before God:
Here, Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ explains that we must all do our best to understand for ourselves the meaning of the commandments. Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ also shows how meaning may be derived from the narrative portions of the Torah. That is, the episode concerning the eating of the fruit of the tree does not contain any eternal commandments for mankind. Rather, we derive wisdom from these narratives and seek to apply this wisdom to our daily lives.
David ibn Marwan al-Muḳammiṣ[3] (9th century, Syria)
In his commentary on the Book of Bere՚shit, David ibn Marwan al-Muḳammiṣ wrote in summary concerning the Days of Creation:
David ibn Marwan al-Muḳammiṣ asserted that only a Creator could create such a diverse and intricate universe and the fact that the universe is so diverse and intricate is evidence for a Creator.
THE AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS:
God created us as social beings, "And YHWH God said, it is not good for the man to be alone; I will make for him a helper as his opposite" (Gen. 2:18). As social creatures we have a strong desire for companionship; to share our lives with someone like-minded - a soul mate. A man needs a woman and a woman needs a man to help each other along on this journey we call life. When it comes to magnetism two like poles detract and two apposing poles attract, so it is with man and woman, we need each other because of our differences and not in spite of them. The highest level of the relationship between a man and woman is becoming as one flesh:
It wasn't until I had been married for several years that I truly began to understand the full ramifications of "and both of them become as one flesh". This becoming "one flesh" is not an easy process and is fraught with arguments, quarrels, and tears. Marriage is not about two individuals who share the same name and bed, nor is it about give and take or continuous compromise; it is about a coming together. The husband feels that his wife is a part of his very essence; an extension of himself and the wife feels the same about her husband. This does not mean that some sort of marital harmony will be achieved; there will still be arguments and misunderstandings. Nor does it mean that both partners lose their individuality; they still will have their personal inspirations and aspirations. What it does mean is that the husband and wife become inseparably bound together in their journey, united by a clear understanding of what is needed in the context of their relationship for their mutual spiritual growth.
* * *
[1] The sidrot are according to the Aleppo Codex.
[2] Leon Nemoy (1952). Karaite Anthology. New Haven: Yale University. p118.
[3] Author of ՙIshrūn Maḳāla (Twenty Chapters) - the first work ever written on Jewish rational philosophy.
[4] Translated from the original Arabic by Sarah Stroumsa in From the Earliest Known Judaeo-Arabic Commentary on Genesis. p.394-5.
Parashat Bere՚shit contains four sidrot [order, part]. The first deals with the creation; the second, the Garden in Eden; the third, Cain and Abel; and the fourth, the history of mankind up to the flood.
First Sidra[1] (Gen. 1:1-2:3)
The Torah opens with the absolute affirmation that YHWH created the Universe out of nothing. Within six days the process of bringing order from chaos was completed and the entire Universe along with all that is needed for its self perpetuation came into being. Man - the pinnacle of creation - is the last thing to be created on the sixth day. After the creation of man, YHWH ceased from His activity and rested on the seventh day, calling it the Shabbat, meaning 'a day of ceasing'. The Shabbat is the culmination of creation, and was the first thing to be declared holy.
Second Sidra (Gen. 2:4-3:21)
YHWH then plants a well-watered and plentiful garden eastward in Eden [עֵדֶן - pleasure], placing man there to tend it and enjoy its bounty. The man - Adam - [אָדָם - mankind] is given but one command: "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it" (Gen. 2:16). YHWH realizes that it is not good that the man should be alone; so He creates woman from the man to be his companion. The serpent - the craftiest beast of the field - persuades the woman into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The woman then gives from the fruit of the tree to the man, and he too eats. This results in YHWH becoming very mad with the lot of them, giving each one of them a particular curse. He expels them from the Garden just in case they try and also eat from the Tree of Life. To guard the way to the Tree of Life, YHWH places cherubim - a type of angel - at the east of the Garden and a bright bladed revolving sword. At the end of the sidra the man names his wife Eve [חַוָּה - mother of all living].
Third Sidra (Gen. 3:22-4:26)
The parasha then proceeds to tell the story of Cain and Abel the two sons of Adam and Eve. Both Cain and Abel offer a gift-offering to YHWH. Cain, being a tiller of the ground, offers his from the crop; while Abel, being a shepherd, offers his from the flock. Abel's offering is accepted while Cain's is rejected, and Cain's countenance fell. God then tells Cain, "Why do you burn with anger, and why is your face fallen. If you do well is there not uplift, but if you do not do well, at the opening sin is crouching; and towards you is its desire, but you can rule over it" (Gen. 4:6-7). Cain becomes jealous of Abel, his brother. The jealousy consumes him and ultimately leads to Cain’s murdering Abel. YHWH curses Cain for the murder and Cain settles east of Eden in the Land of Nod. The third sidra concludes with the history of Cain's lineage, which includes such personalities as Jabal, the father of tent dwellers and herdsmen, and Tubal-Cain, the founder of the Bronze Age. In the penultimate sentence a new son is born to Adam and Eve whom they call Seth.
Fourth Sidra (Gen. 5:1-6:8)
The fourth and final sidra of the parasha lists the descendants of Adam through the line of Seth. This line includes the enigmatic Enoch - the man who "walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). Seth's lineage also includes the second father of mankind, Noah [נֹחַ - rest] - the man who "found grace in the eyes of YHWH" (Gen. 6:8). By the end of the parasha mankind has multiplied on the face of the earth and mighty leaders have come about, the world is filled with wickedness and only Noah's line is deemed worthy to be saved from the on coming deluge.
WHAT THE SAGES SAY:
Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ (10th century, Jerusalem)
In his "Epistle to Jacob ben Samuel" Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ asserts that the episode of the eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a lesson in the importance of personal responsibility. The individual is responsible for their own actions before God:
- Know, O our brethren, the Children of Israel, that each one of us is responsible for his own soul. Our God will not listen to the words of him who justifies himself by saying, "This was the custom of my masters," just as He did not listen to the excuse proffered by Adam when he said: The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat (Gen 3:12). He will not accept the words of him who says, "My wise men have beguiled me," just as He did not accept Eve's words: The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat (Gen 3:13). Rather, even as He has given to each one his due and just share, so also will the Lord deal with him who speaks thus.[2]
Here, Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ explains that we must all do our best to understand for ourselves the meaning of the commandments. Sahl ben Maṣliyaḥ also shows how meaning may be derived from the narrative portions of the Torah. That is, the episode concerning the eating of the fruit of the tree does not contain any eternal commandments for mankind. Rather, we derive wisdom from these narratives and seek to apply this wisdom to our daily lives.
David ibn Marwan al-Muḳammiṣ[3] (9th century, Syria)
In his commentary on the Book of Bere՚shit, David ibn Marwan al-Muḳammiṣ wrote in summary concerning the Days of Creation:
- The book of God, may He be exalted, has taught us that the diversity of creation was indeed (made) wisely and for a wise purpose... Thus informing us that the diversity of His works is an indication of His power and wisdom.[4]
David ibn Marwan al-Muḳammiṣ asserted that only a Creator could create such a diverse and intricate universe and the fact that the universe is so diverse and intricate is evidence for a Creator.
THE AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS:
God created us as social beings, "And YHWH God said, it is not good for the man to be alone; I will make for him a helper as his opposite" (Gen. 2:18). As social creatures we have a strong desire for companionship; to share our lives with someone like-minded - a soul mate. A man needs a woman and a woman needs a man to help each other along on this journey we call life. When it comes to magnetism two like poles detract and two apposing poles attract, so it is with man and woman, we need each other because of our differences and not in spite of them. The highest level of the relationship between a man and woman is becoming as one flesh:
- And YHWH God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept. And He took one of his sides and He closed up the flesh below it. And YHWH God built the side that He took from the man into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And the man said, "This time this is it! Bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh, this one shall be called woman, for from man she was taken." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother, and clings to his wife, and both of them become as one flesh. (Gen. 2:21-24)
It wasn't until I had been married for several years that I truly began to understand the full ramifications of "and both of them become as one flesh". This becoming "one flesh" is not an easy process and is fraught with arguments, quarrels, and tears. Marriage is not about two individuals who share the same name and bed, nor is it about give and take or continuous compromise; it is about a coming together. The husband feels that his wife is a part of his very essence; an extension of himself and the wife feels the same about her husband. This does not mean that some sort of marital harmony will be achieved; there will still be arguments and misunderstandings. Nor does it mean that both partners lose their individuality; they still will have their personal inspirations and aspirations. What it does mean is that the husband and wife become inseparably bound together in their journey, united by a clear understanding of what is needed in the context of their relationship for their mutual spiritual growth.
* * *
[1] The sidrot are according to the Aleppo Codex.
[2] Leon Nemoy (1952). Karaite Anthology. New Haven: Yale University. p118.
[3] Author of ՙIshrūn Maḳāla (Twenty Chapters) - the first work ever written on Jewish rational philosophy.
[4] Translated from the original Arabic by Sarah Stroumsa in From the Earliest Known Judaeo-Arabic Commentary on Genesis. p.394-5.
