Questions tagged [parashat-bereishit]
The weekly Torah portion of Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8)
341
questions
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Why does plant life come after the earth, waters and the firmament, but before the planets?
This question only addresses the blueprint of the creation as described in the first chapter of Bereshit. It does not address the sequence of the actual creation, as described in Bereshit 2, or the ...
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3answers
97 views
Order of Creation: why the creation of man was grouped with animals and did not stand alone?
On the 6th day, God created both animals and humans, according to the main creation narrative (Gen 1). I would speculate that it would be more reasonable to dedicate each day to a specific niche: a ...
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1answer
53 views
Why was Chanoch/Enoch taken but Noach/Noah was not?
In Beresheith/Genesis 5:24 it states:
וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ חֲנ֖וֹךְ אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְאֵינֶ֕נּוּ כִּֽי־לָקַ֥ח
אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹהִֽים׃
Enoch walked with G-d; then he was no more, for G-d took him
...
6
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1answer
113 views
Walking behind a woman if you can't see her
The gemara in עירובין יח has a very interesting discussion, it wants to know according to the מ"ד that אדם and חוה were created together back-to-back שני פרצופים, who walked first (i.e. which ...
2
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1answer
32 views
When did עבודה זרה start?
Rashi says on the posuk (בראשית,ד,כ) of:
וַתֵּ֥לֶד עָדָ֖ה אֶת־יָבָ֑ל ה֣וּא הָיָ֔ה אֲבִ֕י יֹשֵׁ֥ב אֹ֖הֶל
וּמִקְנֶֽה
וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה בּוֹנֶה בָתִּים לַעֲ"זָ, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר
סֵמֶל ...
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2answers
435 views
How did Rashi come to the conclusion that the heavens were created from fire and water?
In his commentary of Beresheith/Genesis 1:1, Rashi states:
And a further proof that the heavens and earth were not the first
thing created is that the heavens were created from fire (אש) and
water (...
1
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0answers
31 views
How did Serpent the animal know the wrong before Adam?
This question deals exclusively with the literal interpretation of the Serpent as a biological species, not as metaphorical evil (see my previous question "Stripping-satan-of-his-legs").
In ...
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0answers
24 views
Meaning of stripping Satan of his legs and walking on his belly
This question deals exclusively with the metaphorical interpretation of the Serpent as Satan/evil inclination/Devil/etc, not as a biological species.
The Serpent was cursed by God with :
"...
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0answers
28 views
Why is the Serpent, as the bad inclination, is not mentioned in the rest of the Torah?
I noticed that after the curse, the Serpent is not mentioned in the rest of the Torah - not as an angel, Satan, evil inclination, nothing.
He/It didn't influence anybody else in the Torah to sin, ...
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2answers
48 views
Why Shemot 20:11 (4th commandment) refers to Bereshit's history of six days earth creation and Devarim 5:15 doesn't refer to it?
Why Shemot 20:11 refers to Bereshit's history of six days earth creation and Devarim 5:15 doesn't refer to it?
In Shemot it refers to Bereshit's history of six days of creation,and in Devarim 5:15 it ...
1
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2answers
465 views
How are humans that were formed "from dust" different from animals that were formed "from earth"?
"וַיִּיצֶר ה"א אֶת־הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה" Genesis.2.7
"וַיִּצֶר ה"א מִן־הָאֲדָמָה כָּל־חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה..." ibid. 19
So according to Rashi and others, Adam was ...
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1answer
72 views
Why "God formed Adam dust" and not "from dust"?
"וַיִּיצֶר ה"א אֶת־הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן־הָאֲדָמָה" Genesis.2.7
Literally, the verse reads "God formed Adam dust from the earth", like if "dust" was an adjective. ...
2
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1answer
128 views
Overpopulation and the Tree of Life
Had it not been for the sin of Adam and Chava, I've read sources that say we would have been able to eat from the Tree of Life, which would means that humanity would never die. What would keep the ...
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2answers
96 views
Has anyone ever eaten from the Tree of Life?
Obviously, the Tree of Knowledge was eaten from by Adam and Chava, but is there any evidence or sources that discuss the Tree of Life?
3
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1answer
167 views
Why does the Torah not write about or mention the creation of the Angels/Melachim? When were they made?
It's something I've interested in for a while ;)
Thank you!
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1answer
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The descendants of kayin are going to be destroyed according to Baraishis, but we know descendants of kayin so how can this be?
Rashi (Beraishis 4:24) writes that the descendants of Kayin are to be decimated as it is indicated in the Pasukim, but we know people that are descendants of Kayin, so how can this be?
2
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0answers
26 views
Making sense of God's different actions of the creation
I'm trying to categorize different actions God takes in the process of creation as appears in Genesis.1:
Part of creation | Said? | Then | Then | Then
1. Heaven and Earth: | No ...
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0answers
30 views
Adam wiser than angels - meaning and implications
אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן מֶה הָיְתָה חָכְמָתוֹ? כְּשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִבְרֹאת אֶת הָאָדָם ... אָמַר לָהֶם אָדָם שֶׁאֲנִי רוֹצֶה לִבְרֹאת חָכְמָתוֹ מְרֻבָּה מִשֶּׁלָּכֶם, מֶה עָשָׂה כִּנֵּס ...
2
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0answers
32 views
(Why) Were animals expelled from Eden?
And the LORD God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man (in Eden). Genesis.2.19
I'm confused about what happened to the animal: God ...
9
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3answers
134 views
Why are the sun and moon not named during creation?
During the 6 days of creation, many things are made and named (sky, grass, seeds, water, land, stars) but the sun and moon are referred to only as the lights/luminaries (Ber 1:16)
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ ...
1
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1answer
39 views
Could animals in Eden eat from the tree of life and what would happen to them?
Following "Could animals in Eden eat from the tree of life",
Could animals in Eden eat from the tree of life and what would happen to them?
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0answers
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What's the point of the tree of life staying in Eden after Adam's fall?
"He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life" Genesis.3.24
The tree was left in Eden ...
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4answers
111 views
Could animals in Eden eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge and what would happen to them?
I don't see an objection to the fact that the animals of Eden have different diets prior to Adam's sin. And many animals eat fruits: mammals, birds, worms, etc, especially "the tree was good for ...
2
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1answer
287 views
What is the exact meaning of "ha Elohim" in Genesis 22:1?
In Genesis 22: 1 we read:
"And it came to pass after these things, that ha Elohim tested Abraham, and He said to him, "Abraham," and he said, "Here I am."
I see that the ...
2
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2answers
153 views
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 ...
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5answers
195 views
Why doesn't the Torah start with "And God spoke to Moses: In the beginning God created, etc"?
Both Talmudic opinions about the dictation of the Torah to Moses (either at once or scroll by scroll, Gittin 60), agree on the fact of the dictation. Therefore the Torah must reflect that fact and, ...
2
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1answer
83 views
Was the Tree of Knowledge less than or equal to 3 years of growth?
Was the Tree of Knowledge less than or equal to 3 years of growth in Bereishit 2:17?
We learn in Vayikra 19:23 about the age of forbidden Trees : "When you enter the land and plant any tree for ...
3
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0answers
36 views
Why does God curse and how does it align with justice?
וְעַתָּה אָרוּר אָתָּה מִן־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר פָּצְתָה אֶת־פִּיהָ לָקַחַת אֶת־דְּמֵי אָחִיךָ מִיָּדֶךָ׃ - >Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your ...
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1answer
55 views
How could Cain know that Hebel was actually dead?
Maybe I'm missing something in the story, but I see no obvious way for Cain to know that he actually killed Hebel and the latter will not wake up, heal or resurrect.
How could Cain know that Hebel was ...
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0answers
37 views
Why was Gan-Eden a garden?
The narrative says there was a place called Eden or being eden (a watered valley) and then God planted a garden inside of it where Adam was placed.
Why was this place a garden, and not a city, a ...
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0answers
60 views
Source that Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge because they desired autonomy
I remember hearing once that Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge because they found G-d's presence in the Garden of Eden to be overbearing and they desired autonomy, so they rejected his sole ...
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0answers
47 views
Why does the shva in Bereishit 1:2 express "vav" as an adverb (Now) in JPS 1917 translation?
Why does the shva cause the "vav" to be expressed in English as an adverb Now : "Ve" (וְ) instead of the conjunction And : "Va" (וַ), "Ve" (וְ), "U" (...
0
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1answer
66 views
Understanding עָרוּם in bereishit [duplicate]
I just began to study the Torah. It was interesting to see that both man and snake are described as עָרוּם, translated to english, in my version, as "naked" with respect to man, and "...
2
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1answer
163 views
Why is Shem known by the name Malchai-Tzedek?
Malchai Tzedek was also Shem, son of Noach according to Targum Yonatan and Targum Yerushalmi to Bereishis 14:18–20 and Talmud Bavli to Nedarim 32b.
Why give him two names? It seems confusing for no ...
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0answers
32 views
Why don't we start reading Parshat Bereshis at the beginning of the year, from Rosh Hashana? [duplicate]
It just doesn't seem to make sense to me. Why start later?
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3answers
85 views
What positive knowledge was earned from eating the forbidden fruit?
Implicitly, the tree was called "the tree of knowledge of good and bad", and we all know the "bad" part - they realized the wickedness of their nakedness.
My question is simple: ...
0
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1answer
71 views
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?
3
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1answer
133 views
Cain feared death, married and had children with a woman because there were already other people in the world?
I'm new to the site.
When Cain speaks to God, after killing his brother Hebel, Cain says, "I will be wandering and nomadic in the land; whoever finds me will kill me!" (Bereshit 4:14), this ...
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0answers
58 views
Did Adam commit an act of Ahavas Yisroel or self-sacrifice to eat from the Tree of Knowledge?
I've seen on non-Jewish websites explaining the fact that Adam ate from the tree was because he loved Eve more than he loved God, or that he did an act of self-sacrifice so that Eve wouldn't suffer ...
2
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0answers
49 views
Why is the birth of Kayin written strangely?
In Bereishis 4:1, the Pasuk describes the birth of Kayin:
וְהָאָדָם יָדַע אֶת־חַוָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ וַתַּהַר וַתֵּלֶד אֶת־קַיִן וַתֹּאמֶר קָנִיתִי אִישׁ אֶת־יְהוָה
Now the man knew his wife Chava, and she ...
5
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1answer
108 views
The second yod in Mechiyael
Bereishit 4:18 contains the word:
וּמְחִיָּיאֵ֗ל
There is no vowel under the second yod, so I assume that it is not pronounced at all.
What is its function?
Is it a mater lectionis? Is a yod ever ...
0
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0answers
64 views
On what day was the air created?
Since we're back to Bereyshis, I was wondering,
the air is not mentioned in the Torah, besides the wind, of course.
THe Hebrew "אויר" is actually the Greek "aero"
as they ...
0
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4answers
196 views
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 ...
1
vote
1answer
70 views
What happened to the male Leviathan?
According to tradition (see Rashi to bereishis 1:21), Hashem created a male and female Leviathan, but then He killed the female and salted it for the righteous. What happened to the male? Did it die ...
0
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2answers
348 views
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.
7
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3answers
351 views
Did Adam and Chava have a child before they sinned? Was childbirth not painful before they sinned?
Did Adam and Chava have a child before they sinned? Was childbirth not painful before they sinned?
In Bereshit 3:16, it says,
To the woman He said, "I shall surely increase your sorrow and your ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
How was Eve "flesh of my flesh"?
According to Bereishit Rabbah 18:1, Eve was built out of the rib of Adam:
https://www.sefaria.org/Bereishit_Rabbah.18.1?lang=en&with=all&lang2=en
If Eve was made from Adam's rib, that ...
4
votes
2answers
482 views
Why do English translations use the name "Eve" rather than "Chava"?
When the Bible is translated into English, most Hebrew names are simply transliterated into Roman characters.
In a few cases though, a completely different name is used.
In the case of Hadassah/...
0
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2answers
99 views
The proposed killing of Yosef would have left 11 tribes
We know the Patriarchs and Matriarchs prophetically had knowledge there would be the Shevatim (12 tribes) descended through Ya'akov.
Source: (Bereshit Rabbah 72,5) concerning the fact that Ya'akov ...
1
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0answers
32 views
Doubling the reason for the flood in the Torah
At the end of Parashat Bereishit (6,7) the Torah repeats two very similar statements twice - in a form of "ABAB" instead of "AABB":
Aוַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ ...וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים ...