The weekly Torah portion of Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8)
Questions tagged [parashat-bereishit]
386 questions
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Apple as Forbidden Fruit?
Is there a source for the commonly (mis)understood forbidden fruit being an apple? The Gemara Brachos (40a) identifies the possibilities of wheat, grapes, or figs:
דתניא אילן שאכל ממנו אדם הראשון רבי מאיר אומר גפן היה שאין לך דבר
שמביא יללה על…
NJM
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4 answers
Why doesn't the second chapter of B'reishit begin at 2:4?
Why is the first chapter break in B'reishit where it is, and not a few verses later at the beginning of the second creation telling (where we place the aliya break)?
Monica Cellio
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Who is more truthful in the Garden of Eden Story, God or the Serpent?
The Garden of Eden Story is very complex and it seems to me that both the Serpent and God fall short of telling the absolute truth.
Genesis 2:16-17
טז וַיְצַו יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים, עַל-הָאָדָם לֵאמֹר: מִכֹּל עֵץ-הַגָּן, אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל. 16
And the…
Aaron
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4 answers
Why is there no "Vayehi Erev..." for the seventh day?
After each day of creation, the text reads "Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom ____" with (basically) the number of the day listed.
While there was no creative creating on the seventh day, it is set aside as a unit of time with its own identity. Why…
rosends
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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 imply that Cain knew that there were other men who could…
Reuben Pontes
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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 conceived and bore Kayin, saying, “I have gained…
Dani
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How is it physically possible for all four of the rivers in parshas breishis to come from Gan Eden?
I read that Gihon is actually the Nile and I was wondering how that’s physically possible considering that the Nile flows from Lake Victoria which isn’t remotely close to the Tigris or the Euphrates.
Tatiana Nikolaevna
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How do Jews view the word "han·nā·ḥāš" in Genesis 3:1?
Genesis 3:1 a. Now THE serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made
b. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden?'"
From the English translation above, my English…
karma
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Why did Cain build a city?
The Torah says (Bereishes 4:17) ‘Cain knew his wife. She conceived and gave birth to Chanoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city Chanoch, after his son.’
So the obvious question is, if there were currently only 6 people alive (Adam,…
Lages
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Can you link current events and the parsha
So I saw this post circling online. What exactly would we say about this? Is it just something “cute”, or is it like a valid method of searching for connections between current events and the parsha? What do traditional sources say about this?
I…
Curious Yid
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The Tomb of the Matriarch 'Rachel Imenu'
וַתָּ֖מׇת רָחֵ֑ל וַתִּקָּבֵר֙ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ אֶפְרָ֔תָה הִ֖וא בֵּ֥ית לָֽחֶם׃
Bereshit 35:16
Why was Rachel Imenu not buried in Machpelah's cave?
Was her burial in Ephrata a punishment?
Reuben Pontes
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