Torah Stories By Hannah Parasha Bereshith

This week’s story starts at the very beginning of the Torah! Bereshith means: “In the beginning…” and is the story of how the earth was created. It starts like this:

In the beginning HaShem created heaven and earth. The earth was unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the earth and a wind from HaShem sweeping over the water. HaShem said: “Let there be light” and there was light. HaShem saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. He called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

After this HaShem said, “Let there be an expanse (area) in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water.” He made the expanse, and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. And it was so. HaShem called the expanse: Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Then HaShem said: “Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. He called the dry land Earth and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And HaShem saw that this was good. And HaShem said: “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And HaShem saw that this was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

On the fourth day HaShem said: “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for set times - the days and the years; and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. HaShem made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. And HaShem set them in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And HaShem saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

Then HaShem said: “let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” HaShem created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms and all the winged birds of every kind. And HaShem saw that this was good. HaShem blessed them saying: “be fertile and increase; fill the waters and the seas, and let the birds increase in the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

HaShem said: “Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: Cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts of every kind.” And it was so. HaShem made wild beasts of every kind and cattle of every kind, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth, and G-d saw that this was good. And HaShem said: “let us make man in our image, after our likeness; they shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on the earth.” And HaShem created man in His image. In the image of G-d He created him; Male and female He created them. HaShem blessed them and said to them: “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky and all the living things that creep on earth.”

HaShem said: “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all; the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food, and to all the animals on land; to all the birds of the sky, and to everything that creeps on earth in which there is the breath of life, I give all the green plants for food.” And it was so. And HaShem saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The heaven and earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day HaShem finished the work that He had been doing, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. And HaShem blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it, He rested from all the work that He had done. This is the story of heaven and earth when they were created.

When HaShem made earth and heaven – when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because HaShem had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth – HaShem formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

HaShem planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom He had formed. And from the ground HaShem G-d caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.

A river runs from Eden to water the garden, and then it divides and becomes four branches. The name of the first is Pihon, the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is. (The gold of that land is good; bdellium is there, and lapis lazuli.) The name of the second river is Gihon, the one that winds through the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Then HaShem G-d took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. And HaShem G-d commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat it, you shall die.”

Then HaShem said: “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting helper for him.” And HaShem formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name. And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; but for Adam no fitting helper was found. So HaShem cast a deep sleep upon the man; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in that spot. And HaShem fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. Then the man said,

“This one at last

Is bones of my bones

And flesh of my flesh.

This one shall be called Woman,

For from man she was taken.”

For this reason a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh.

The two of them were naked, the man and his wife, yet they did not feel ashamed. Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts that HaShem had made. He said to the woman: “Did HaShem really say you shall not eat of any tree of the garden?” The woman replied to the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden. It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that HaShem said: ‘You shall not eat of it lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman: “You are not going to die, but HaShem knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then their eyes opened and they saw that they were naked; and they sewed together fig

leaves and made themselves loincloths.

They heard the sound of HaShem moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from HaShem among the trees of the garden. HaShem called out to the man and said: “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you moving in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and so I hid.” Then He asked: “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?” The man said: The woman You put at my side – she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And HaShem said to the woman, “What is this that you have done!” The woman replied: “The serpent duped me, and I ate.” Then HaShem said to the serpent:

Because you did this,

More cursed shall you be

Than all cattle

And all the wild beasts;

On your belly shall you crawl

And dirt shall you eat

All the days of your life.

I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your offspring and hers;

They shall strike at your head,

And you shall strike at their heel.”

And to the woman He said:

“I will make most severe

Your pains in childbearing;

In pain shall you bear children.

Yet your urge shall be for your husband,

And he shall rule over you.”

To Adam He said: “Because you did as your wife said and ate of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘you shall not eat of it,’

Cursed be the ground because of you;

By toil shall you eat of it

All the days of your life:

Thorns and thistles shall it spout for you.

But your food shall be the grasses of the field;

By the sweat of your brow

Shall you get bread to eat,

Until you return to the ground,-

From it you were taken.

For dust you are,

And to dust you shall return.”

The man named his wife Chava, because she was the mother of all the living. And HaShem made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

And HaShem said: “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and bad, what if he should stretch out his hand and also take from the tree of life and live forever!” So HaShem banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he was taken. He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Now the man knew his wife Chava, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have gained a male child with the help of HaShem.” She then gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to HaShem, from the fruit of the soil; and Abel, for his part, brought the best of the firstlings of his flock. HaShem favoured Abel and his offering, but did not like Cain and his offering. Cain was very upset and his face fell.

And HaShem said to Cain:

“Why are you upset

and why is your face fallen?

Surely, if you do right,

There is encouragement,

But if you do not do right,

Sin crouches at the door;

Its urge is towards you,

Yet you can be its master.”

Cain set out against his brother Abel and when they were in the field, he killed him. HaShem said to Cain: “Where is your brother Abel?” And he said: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Then He said: “What have you done? Listen, your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground! Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. If you till the soil, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become an endless wanderer on earth.”

Cain said to HaShem: “My punishment is too great to bear! Since You have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your Presence and become a restless wanderer on earth – anyone who meets me may kill me!” HaShem said to him: “I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken on him.” And HaShem put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who met him should kill him. Cain left the Presence of HaShem and settled in the Land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he then founded a city, and named the city after his son Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad produced Mejuhael, and Mejuhael produced Methusael, and Methusael produced Lamech. Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who dwell in tents and amongst herds. And the name of his brother was Jubal, he was the ancestor of all who play the lyre and the pipe. As for Zillah, she gave birth to Tubal-cain, who forged all implements of copper and iron. And the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

And Lamech said to his wives,

Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

O wives of Lamech, give ear to my speech.

I have slain a man for wounding me,

And a lad for bruising me.

If Cain is avenged sevenfold,

Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.

Adam knew his wife again, and she conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Seth, meaning, “HaShem has provided me with another offspring in place of Abel,” for Cain had killed him. And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh. It was then that men began to call upon HaShem by name.

This is the record of Adam’s line. – When HaShem created man, He made him in the likeness of Himself, male and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Man. – When Adam had lived 130 years, he produced a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth. After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had sons and daughters. Adam lived until he was 930 years old, then he died.

When Seth became 105 years old, he produced Enosh. After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years, and produced sons and daughters. Seth became 912 years old before he died.

When Enosh was 90 years old, he produced Kenan. After the birth of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and produced sons and daughters. All the days of Enosh came to 905 years, then he died.

When Kenan had lived 70 years, he produced Mahalel. After the birth of Mahalel Kenan lived 840 years and produced sons and daughters. Kenan became 910 years old, and then he died.

When Mahalel became 65 years old, he had Jared. After the birth of Jared, Mahalel lived 830 years and had sons and daughters. Mahalel became 895 years old before he died.

When Jared was 162 years old, he produced Enoch. After the birth of Enoch Jared lived 800 years, and produced sons and daughters. Jared became 962 years old, then he died.

When Enoch was 65 years old, he produced Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with HaShem 300 years, and produced sons and daughters. Enoch became 365 years old, and then he was no more, for HaShem took him.

When Methuselah became 187 years old, he produced Lamech. After the birth of Lamech, Methuselah became 969 years old, then he died.

When Lamech became 182 years old, he had a son. And he named him Noah, saying: “This one will provide us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands, out of the very soil which HaShem had placed under a curse.” After the birth of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and produced sons and daughters. He became 777 years old, and then he died.

When Noah became 500 years old, he produced Shem, Ham and Japheth.

When men began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them, the divine beings saw how beautiful the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that pleased them – HaShem said: “My breath shall not live in man forever since he too is flesh; let the days allowed him be one hundred and twenty years. – it was then, and later too, that the Nephilim appeared on earth – when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who gave birth to them offspring. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown.

HaShem saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time. And HaShem repented that He had made man on earth, and His heart was saddened. HaShem said: “I will blot out from the earth the men whom I created – men together with beasts, creeping things and birds of the sky; for I regret that I made them.” But Noah found favour with HaShem.