Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 5/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 5

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

The Book of Generations

The phrase “these are the generations” (אלה תולדות) repeats throughout Sefer Bereshit. Analyzing its various appearances might help one uncover both the structure and some of the underlying themes of the book.

Tools

• Concordance – If one clicks on the word "תּוֹלְדֹת" in the Mikraot Gedolot on Bereshit 5:1 and then looks at the graph which visually highlights the usage of this word throughout the various books of Tanakh, it becomes obvious that "תּוֹלְדֹת", genealogy lists, play a significant role in Sefer Bereshit. 

Articles In this article, R. Menachem Leibtag demonstrates that genealogical lists (marked by the language of “אלה תולדות”) introduce every major narrative unit of the book of Bereshit.¹ Tracing the usage of the term highlights how the book focuses on man's successes and failures in realizing the goal of publicizing and glorifying the name of Hashem.  In the first unit of the book, which focuses on humanity as a whole, each genealogy list highlights a story of failure (Adam in Eden, the Flood, and the Tower of Bavel). The second unit of the book (Bereshit 12-end) focuses on the election of Avraham and His descendants, with each list highlighting either a rejected line (Yishmael and Esav's descendants) or a chosen line (Terach, Yitzchak, and Yaakov's descendants).

¹ See also Overview – Sefer Bereshit which details each mention of "אלה תולדות" and the role the phrase plays in the book's structure.