All Questions
Tagged with commentaries parashat-bereishit
31 questions
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What do we learn from the phrases "and it was so" and "and there was light" in the story of creation?
The chachamim learn halachos even from individual letters so there is nothing extra in the Torah. That being so what do we learn from וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן being recited throughout creation? Also rather than ...
- 4,685
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Why wait? Shabbos and the Tree of Knowledge
In Bereishis 1:29 we read:
And G-d said, Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, on which is the fruit yielding seed; to you it shall ...
- 11.7k
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Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Hoffmann: The tree of knowledge of good and evil and morallity
Rabbi Dovid Tzvi Hoffmann in his commentary to Bereishis 2:7 explains (thanks to AlHaTorah for making this available) that originally, it was the will of Hashem that man was going to learn knowledge ...
- 11.7k
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Textual parallel between Eve and Cain, why?
In Bereishit 3:16, Eve is cursed:
אֶֽל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ וְהֵֽרֹנֵ֔ךְ בְּעֶ֖צֶב תֵּֽלְדִ֣י בָנִ֑ים וְאֶל־אִישֵׁךְ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ וְה֖וּא יִמְשׇׁל־בָּֽךְ׃
And to ...
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G-d formed man, why not right after creation?
The Torah tells us that on the sixth day of creation, G-d decided to create mankind (Bereishis 1:26-27):
And G-d said, Let Us make Mankind in Our image, after Our likeness
So G-d created Mankind in ...
- 11.7k
2
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2
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Why did G-d choose to speak creation into existence
“Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.” - Edward Hopper.
In Menoras Hameor R. Yitzchak Abuhav ...
- 751
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An unformed and unfilled earth covered
I was looking at Genesis 1:2 the other day and I was wondering if I understood it correctly was the earth unformed and unfilled and covered (surrounded) by water and darkness?
- 751
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Who or what did G-d use while creating?
I’ve a question,
G-d created the heavens and the earth, but in order to do so did He used an 'agent’ i.e. a tool or instrument of some kind, a way or manner in which others were involved?
The spirit ...
- 751
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3
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Skin color Adam and Chava
What skin color did adam and chava have? I learned that if all people indeed came from them at least one of them had to have a dark skin color.
- 751
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111
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How did Adam and Chava know what's good or bad before eating from the tree? [duplicate]
Hashem Elohim allowed the human being to eat the product which was produced by every tree in Gan Eden, except from the tree of knowledge (understanding) of what’s good and bad. So with this knowledge ...
- 7,596
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Zohar's interpretation of Bereshit 1
The Zohar's interpretation of the words 'Bereshit bara Elohim', usually translated as 'In the beginning G-d created', seems not to understand the word Elohim to be the subject of the verb bara, but ...
- 751
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Did Ralbag's predecessors help him, or make things more difficult for him?
At the end of his commentary to Parshat Bereishit, Ralbag writes that he had difficulty composing his commentary to this parshah because the earlier commentaries practically pushed him away from ...
- 50.3k
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What are the 3 worlds of the Kli Yakar?
The Kli Yakar talks about 3 created worlds. What is he referring to?
Kli Yakar Bereshit 1:1:
ויש עוד דרך שלישי, אבל אין כל אדם יכול לעמוד עליו והוא להכיר מציאת השם ית' מתוך החקירה וידיעת כל הנמצאים ...
- 44.8k
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Genesis 4:7 Timshol-bo
The verse of Genesis 4:7 ends with the words תמשל-בו (timshol-bo), and is often translated as 'you shall rule over it'.
But the prefix Bet often means 'in', 'with', 'at' or 'on'. Maybe there some ...
- 7,596
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2
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223
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Was Adam HaRishon made incomplete? If so why?
Rav Yosef Albo (Sefer Halkkarim 3:2) explains that the expression 'Ki Tov' is used to describe something that has reached i.e. fulfilled its potential and reached its (goal, purpose) shleimus (...
- 7,596
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Genesis 1 and 2 are both displaying a correct order based on the words 'making' and 'forming'?
Looking for a possible explanation why Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 seem to contradict each other, I noticed a difference in the order of things being 'made' in Genesis 1 and the order of things being '...
- 7,596
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2
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301
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Why couldn't man be alone, and what was the need for Ezer K'Negdo?
Genesis 2:18:
"וַיֹּאמֶר י"א, לֹא-טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ; אֶעֱשֶׂה-לּוֹ עֵזֶר, כְּנֶגְדּוֹ..."
And Y"E said: 'It is not good that (the) man should be alone; I will make him ...
- 7,596
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Taking control a command for men and it's meaning
With so many words which describe ruling, submission, dominion, leading, controling, reagning etc.
I wondered why the word mashal was chosen in Bereshit 3:16 and rarah and kabash in Bereshit 1:26-28,...
- 7,596
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5
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394
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Why add pain and travail to the birthing process?
After Adam and Chava went against the Will of HaShem, HaShem seems to give them some repercussions for their deeds. But why was it that HaShem said to Chava: 'I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy ...
- 7,596
2
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1
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173
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The light hidden in Torah?
In Bereshit 1:3-4 there is light(ness), and HaShem saw that it was good and seperated it from the dark(ness).
I read (Baal Shem Tov, Zohar), that HaShem hid this light in the Torah? Could someone ...
- 7,596
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4
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697
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When did G-d create darkness?
Bereshit 1:5 says:
וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ (פ
And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called ...
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The heart in Torah
בראשית ברא אלהים ... לעיני כל-ישראל
The Torah begins with the letter Bet – ב and ends with the letter Lamed – ל. Together they form the word Lev - לב
This seems to be a famous teaching which I ...
- 7,596
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137
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Yetzer machshevot libo
There is a phrase in Bereshit/Genesis 6:5 which reads in hebrew: '.... v'kol yetzer machshevot libo...'
I found different translations starting of with: The entire, every, the whole..
And ending ...
- 7,596
2
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1
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207
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What's the essence of the root עבד
The root עבד is often used as a verb in context of doing work, of service (doing work for someone), worship (doing work for a god). The noun (avodah) is used likewise. The related word עבד (eved) is ...
- 7,596
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Adam 's sin out of deveikut?
I found this online:
In his sefer "Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh," R' Itamar Shwartz emphasizes the important point that our existence in this world is for the purpose of being davuk to our Creator; to be ...
- 7,596
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How to translate Olam in the Torah?
Bereshit 3:22:
…וְלָקַח גַּם מֵעֵץ הַחַיִּים וְאָכַל וָחַי לְעֹלָם
In search for a definition of the word עֹלָם (Olam), as in this verse, I found different translations: 'Universe', '...
- 140
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3
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Understanding the bestowment and receiving the greatest good (HaShem Himself)?
The Ramchal, in short, teaches (Derech HaShem) that HaShem is absolutely, completely and perfectly good; His essence/nature so to speak is the totality of goodness. Because of this He wanted to bestow ...
- 140
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searching for the source for Kulo Tov?
What is the original source for HaShem being called 'Kulo Tov', 'Completely Good'?
It seems to be the source for the idea that HaShem created the creation to bestow His goodness.
Could anyone explain ...
- 140
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What is the opposite of shalom?
Could anyone explain me the antonym of shalom?
The antonym of light is darkness, but Yeshayahu seems to tell that the antonym of shalom is rah.. but isn't rah the antonym of tov, like in the etz hada'...
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Sforno on the Nachash
The Sforno on Bereishis 3:1 explains that the Nachash, snake, is not an actual snake but is rather the Satan/Yetzer Harah. With that in mind, what does the Sforno do with the curse Hashem gives the ...
- 4,707
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Is there a Jewish tradition of commentary on Genesis prior to Philo? [closed]
I'm interested to know where I might find out more about Jewish commentators on the story of the Creation, Fall and Expulsion from Eden as described in Genesis.
Is there a Jewish equivalent to the ...
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