Genesis B'reishit

B'reishit
Genesis 1:1−6:8

I. Summary

A. B’reishit = Greek translation of Toledot (“story) which is used many (13) times in first book. First word of book, however, = B’reishit, “In the beginning” (God created).

B. God creates heaven and earth. Two versions of creation order described.

1. First version (broken out by days): Day 1 = light; Day 2 = sky; Day 3 = water below collected in one place revealing land and vegetation; Day 4 = sun, moon and stars; Day 5 = swarms of living creatures from water and birds; Day 6 = cattle, wild beasts and humans; Day 7 = rest. (1:1-2:7)

2. Second version (citing order but making no reference to days): i) man (only); ii) Garden of Eden and trees; iii) a river (four branches) to feed the Garden; iv) wild animals and birds (all named by man); and v) woman from Adam’s rib. (2:8-2:24)

C. Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of Eden. Serpent’s convinces woman, to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of All Knowledge (“of good and bad”). She then “gave some to her man”. Their eyes open (awareness) and they make skirts of fig leaves. They hide from God. Upon being confronted by God for eating from the Tree of All Knowledge, man blames woman and woman blames serpent. (2:25-3:13)

D. God punishes all involved: 1. Serpent destined to crawl and be stepped on, 2. Woman given severe pangs in childbirth and “your husband shall rule over you” (first act of sexism?), 3. Man destined to toil over unproductive soil until he returns to dust from whence he came. Man names woman Eve (who names Adam?). God, fearful man has become too God-like, banishes Adam and Eve from Garden of Eden. (3:14-24)

E. Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain (farmer) and Abel (shepherd). Cain presents “an offering” v. Abel presents “the choice lambs of his flock and their fattest parts”. God rejects Cain’s (lesser) offering and Cain gets angry at God’s rejection. God tells Cain to get over it. Cain kills Abel. God punishes Cain by making him a “rootless wanderer on the earth” yet pledges to continue to protect Cain. (4:1-16)

F. Cain and his wife have a child, Enoch, whose descendants are listed while also recording occupations and technologies (suggests growth of culture). Adam and Eve have another child named Seth. Seth has a son, Enosh, at which time “men began to invoke the Lord by name” (culminating verse i.e. worship of God doesn’t come from the impure Cain but his presumably pure younger brother Seth). (4:17-26)

G. The Torah lists the ten generations from Adam to Noah, including many who lived longer than typically long biblical lives, e.g. Methuselah who lived 969 years. (5:1-5:32).

H. As people began to multiply and God saw that they were “but fallible flesh”, God regrets having created human beings (because of their wickedness) and decides to destroy everything on earth, but “Noah found favor with God” thereby saving everyone. (6:1-6:8)

II. Commentary (Plaut, various websites and prior Hevreh discussions)

A. B’reishit as foundation for rest of Torah – Many themes of Torah are identified in B’reishit … 1) free will and blessing/curses for following/disobeying God (God giving Cain choice to accept God’s rejection of Cain’s offering or accept it), 2) negotiation with God (Noah), 3) worship of God (end of Seth’s geneology), 4) morality (Cain acting out against Abel for God’s refusal of Cain’s offering). Consider that most major themes in Torah emanate substantively (rather than just temporally) from B’reishit.

B. Distinguishing two versions of creation - First creation version arguably describes bringing order out of chaos and separating things into tahor (ritually fit) and tamei (ritually unfit) which theme continues through Torah… less so with second version.

C. Power of naming - Bible and other ancient literature regards names not only as labels but also as symbols of the nature and essence of the given being or thing. Instances of significant namings: 1. Adam names animals (2:19 - animals brought to the man "to see what he would call them."). 2. Adam names God (Isaiah 47:8 - "I am Adonai, that is My name" means, per Numbers Rabbah 19:3, "That is the name by which Adam called Me.) 3. Adam names himself (source? - Then God asked him, "And you, what shall be your name?" He answered, "Adam."). 4. God renames Abram and Sarai (Gen 17:5,15 - "And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham … As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah." 5. Naming often appears in Genesis as a mother's prerogative. Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, the daughter of Shua (Judah's wife), and Tamar are all involved in the naming of their children. Both God and man/woman have power to name reinforces that humans are created in the image of God … all seek to bring order to our chaotic and dynamic world through the process of naming.

D. Tree of Life and free will – Fruit from Tree of Life (3:22) was not originally forbidden as Adam was created as an immortal; however, after Adam sinned and lost immortality, God did not want Adam to partake of fruit of Tree of Life and thus reverse God’s edict. If Adam were allowed to stay in Eden, God could have prevented Adam from reaching out to eat from the Tree of Life (by controlling Adam’s decision-making or by forcibly restraining Adam); however, such direct interference in Adam’s freedom of choice (free will) by God would have amounted to destroying Adam, because Adam’s ability to determine his own choices is the very essence of man.

E. Exile from Eden – At least three interpretations: 1) Ethical significance = provided humanity with moral discrimination and made humans capable of sin. 2) Intellectual significance = having tasted knowledge, humans will attempt to know everything and in doing so will over-reach and strive to become gods. 3) Sexual significance = discovery of sexuality.

F. Cain’s sin – Cain committed first sin (in rejecting God’s request to get over God’s rejection of Cain’s offering). Adam & Eve arguably did not commit first sin since they had no knowledge of good and bad, i.e. without morality or sense of right and wrong, sin not possible.

G. Taking responsibility – Neither Adam nor Eve take responsibility for disobeying God by eating of the Tree of Knowledge. Cain turns away from God’s knowing inquiry about Abel (4:9 - “Am I my bother’s keeper?). Establishes impropriety of not taking responsibility for one’s actions.

H. Noah’s negotiation with God – God intends to “wipe out humans”
(6:7) until Noah “found favor in the Eternal’s sight” (6:8). First instance of God giving in to human persuasion. God finding favor with Noah reflects God's judgment of Noah, i.e. Noah did not proactively convince God to do (or not do) anything; however, God's changing “his” mind and deciding not to destroy everything on heels of Noah finding favor with God is arguably the first instance in Torah of God using man's demonstrated behavior as a reason to do something different than God originally intended to do (God reacted directly in response to behavior of Adam/Eve and Cain but there is nothing written about God changing his mind). Suggests passive persuasion ... God's response to Noah's behavior ("righteous in his time ... walked with God", at beginning of parasha Noach) showed God's ability to change his mind (prerequisite to later true negotiations).

(revised 10/14/09)