Parashat Beresheet (Genesis 1:1 - 6:8)

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

Back to the beginning again. Carpool Curriculum is celebrating our 10th year of questions, comments and thoughts. We are thrilled you are with us and we hope you are spreading the word to everyone you know.

We return to Parashat Beresheet, Genesis 1:1 - 6:8, where everything begins. Adam and Eve, Cain, Able, Seth and all of those animals. Are we made of dust or something else? Are humans the first act of Creation or the last? There is so much here in this parasha we could spend a year on it alone. We hope you're ready for another year...we are!

Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth..." What was that moment like? What was God looking at? What had been there the moment before this process was started? Where did it all come from? Do you think this explanation contradicts the Big Bang Theory or not? (Whew, that is a tough one!)
Genesis 2:4 & 2:7 "These are the generation of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day the the Lord God made earth and heaven...And the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living thing." Now wait a minute, was man the last thing created or the first thing? Are Genesis 1 & 2 telling different stories? How could that be? If they are what would be the point of that? If they are not then how do we understand them? Read them and see what you think.
Chapter three, the serpent story. Is it a snake? How does it get around during the story if later on we are told that it is forced to crawl on the ground? Did the snake make them do something that God did not want them to do? Doesn't God know everything? If so, how do we explain this story? Maybe they needed to learn a lesson, if that is true is it fair to punish the snake? What about Adam and Eve and the nudity thing, maybe God always intended us to have a certain amount of modesty? Maybe the snake was actually helping us. Have you ever thought about that?
Chapter four, Cain and Able. If they are the first people and no one has ever died before, is it fair to punish Cain for killing Able? Did he know what was going to be the result of his actions? 4:14 "...and if I shall be a fugitive and restless on the it earth it will come to pass, that everyone that find me will slay me." What? Who is he afraid of? So far only three other people have been born (and one of them is dead now). Is he afraid of his mom and dad? How else can you explain this conundrum?
Chapter five, we've got people living hundreds and hundreds of years. Are these accountings correct? If not, why list them? If they are true, what is it about those generations that let them live that long? Would you want to live 700, 800 or 900 years? What would be the advantage and what would be the disadvantage? What about living to 200?