Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 5

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

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.

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. 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).

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 5/0