Overview – Sefer Bereshit/0

Overview – Sefer Bereshit

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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. 

• Literary Markers: "ואלה תולדות" –
• Questions:

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?

Background to Torah

Sefer Bereshit serves as an introduction to the rest of Torah, providing crucial background for understanding its laws, history, and belief system:

• Legal Background: Rashbam suggests that without the description of creation in Sefer Bereshit, certain laws, such as Shabbat, would not be understandable.
• Historical Background:  A central motif of Sefer Bereshit is Hashem's repeated promises of "land" and "seed".  These are offset by the simultaneous prophecy  that the nation would be enslaved in a foreign land before finally conquering Canaan.  These promises are crucial for understanding the rest of Torah which details the exile in Egypt and journey back to Israel. 
• Justification for Choice of Israel – In its depiction of the sins of early mankind, Sefer Bereshit provides the rationale for why Hashem chose Am Yisrael as His chosen nation, while rejecting others. (See Ramban and Seforno, Cf. Rashi)
• Fundamentals of Belief:  By starting Torah with creation, Hashem introduces Himself as Creator and not only as Redeemer.¹ Ramban points out that as this is one of the fundamentals of our belief system, it is inconceivable that the Torah could start anywhere else.  Cassuto adds that many of the early stories in Torah serve to oppose the myths prevalent in the Ancient Near East regarding creation, gods, angels, etc.

Lessons in Morality

The stories of Sefer Bereshit inculcate many lessons regarding proper behavior, character traits, and beliefs. Though these could be given over in a legal code, they are much more powerful lessons when learned via the actions of real people:

• Obedience to and Belief in Hashem –
• The dangers of favoritism and repercussions of jealousy – Many of the stories of Sefer Bereshit revolve around this theme, from Kayin's killing of his brother in the beginning of the book, to the sale of Yosef at the end.
• Family loyalty and Selflessness – See Battle of the Kings.
• Standing up for Justice – Avraham in Sedom
• Persistence - yitzchak, continuity
• Delayed gratification
• For other lessons that can be learned from the book, see Radak2² who often discusses "טעמי הסיפורים" and Ralbag who lists the "תועלות" of every unit

Historical Patterns:  מעשה אבות סימן לבנים

Themes

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 the characters who are rejected.  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 Kayin's violent streak continued in his descendants.
• Destruction of the world – What led to Hashem's decision to despair of the world and destroy it via the flood?  See Reasons for the Flood and בני הא־להים and בנות .האדם
• Cursing Canaan‎ – What did Canaan do that was so terrible that it resulted in his being cursed?
• Generation of the Dispersal – Were the builders of the tower of Bavel embarking on a malicious project that called for punishment, or, might their actions be viewed as an error in judgement and Hashem's intervention as a protective rather than punitive measure?
• A Portrait of Lot – Compare differing evaluations of Lot's character.
• Yishmael rejected – Given the scarcity of verses which discuss Yishmael's actions, evaluating his character is no simple task. This leads some commentators to portray him as a neutral or even positive figure, and others to label him extremely problematic.
• Esav Rejected – Though the Torah is unequivocal in endorsing Yaakov as the third patriarch, its evaluation of Esav is less clear.  Was he really a totally wicked character?

Religiosity of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs

To what degree did the Patriarchs and Matriarchs observe the laws later set forth in Torah? To what extent did they share its value system? Is it possible that not all our ancestors began as pure monotheistic believers, and that for some, belief in one God was rather the result of a religious journey?

• Avot and Mitzvot – Did the Avot observe the commandments? On one hand, they lived centuries before the Torah was given and many of its laws would be meaningless to them. On the other hand, it seems paradoxical to conceive of the founders of a religion not observing even its most basic commandments!
• Akeidat Yitzchak –  Did Avraham, living among pagans who held child sacrifice to be the highest display of religious devotion, also view the practice to be a moral one until Hashem taught him otherwise?  See the approach of Shadal.
• Rachel's Stealing of the Terafim – Why did Rachel take her father's idols?  What does her action teach about her own personal religious beliefs?  Contrast Tanchuma and Ibn Ezra.
• Did Yaakov's Sons Marry Canaanites – While Avraham and Rivka clearly take pains to ensure that their chosen sons do not marry Canaanites, there is no explicit mention that Yaakov shared this concern regarding his children's marriages.  Why not?
• Yosef in Egypt – How did the many years of Yosef's estrangement from his family affect his religious identification? See Yosef's Treatment of his Family and Yosef's Double Portion for discussion of the possibility that he and his family might have begun to assimilate in Egypt.

Morality of the Avot

The Torah presents Israel's leaders as real people, allowing readers to identify with and learn from their behavior. The forefathers often make excellent role models, but at other times they act in ways which make the reader question whether they are indeed worthy of emulation.  How are we to understand such stories?  Is it legitimate to criticize the Avot, or should any stories that cast shadows on their reputations be reinterpreted?  The issue comes up repeatedly in Sefer Bereshit:

• Endangering Sarai in Egypt‎ – Was Avraham correct in putting Sarah in danger of potential rape so as to save his own life?
• Oppressing Hagar – Was Sarah's oppression of the pregnant Hagar justified?
• Banishment of Hagar and Yishmael – Though Hashem explicitly backs Sarah's decision to expel Yishmael, one wonders what crime of Yishmael could have been so heinous as to deserve banishment from his home?
• Sale of the Birthright – Did Yaakov exploit Esav's vulnerability in order to gain the birthright?  Did paying for it with a mere bowl of lentils not constitute extortion?  How else might the story be understood?
• Yaakov's Taking of the Blessing – Were Rivka and Yaakov justified in deceiving Yitzchak so as to ensure that Yaakov received his father's blessing?
• Sin and Slaughter of Shekhem – How are we to evaluate Shimon and Levi's slaughter of an entire city in retribution for an individual's rape of their sister?
• The Sale of Yosef – How can the heads of the future tribes sell their own brother into slavery?  See Who Sold Yosef for Rashbam's opinion that actually they did not!

Chronological Issues

¹ Hashem is not only the personal God of Israel, but the God of the entire world. Therefore,

² See, for instance,