Overview – Sefer Bereshit/0
Overview – Sefer Bereshit
Structure of the Book
Sefer Bereshit divides into two main sections, Chapters 1-11 which speak of universal history: the creation, destruction and recreation of the world at large, and Chapters 12-50 which focus on the selection of the individuals and family who were to father Hashem's chosen nation. For full discussion of the book's structure, see Structure – Sefer Bereshit
Purpose of the Book
In contrast to the rest of Torah which contains both narrative and legal material, and focuses much of its attention on Israel's relationship with Hashem, Sefer Bereshit is almost exclusively narrative in nature, discussing events on both the universal level and on the smaller family plane, but not on the national level. Why are these events important to share? Could not the Torah have begun with the description of the formation of the nation and its accompanying legal codes in Sefer Shemot?
Themes Religiosity of the Avot
Selection and Rejection – Much of Sefer Bereshit revolves around the selection and rejection of both nations and individuals. It is not always so clear from the text, however, what was so objectionable about certain characters, and so wonderful about others. In fact, commentators often vary widely in their evaluation of the various protagonists of the sefer:
- Rejection of Kayin's line: Kayin's murder of Hevel appears to be a fairly obvious explanation for his rejection, but see Kayin – Intentional or Unintentional Murderer, that not all agree regarding the severity of his crime. See also Lemekh's Monologue for different takes on whether or not his violent streak continued in his descendants.
- Destruction of the World: The Flood ?? בני הא־להים and בנות האדם
- Rejection of Canaan: Cursing Canaan:
- Generation of the Dispersal: Deconstructing Migdal Bavel
- A Portrait of Lot [stub]
- A Portrait of Yishmael
- A Portrait of Esav
