Bereshit בְּרֵאשִׁית
Commandments in this portion: positive — 1counted by Sefer HaChinuch
Which commandments
- 1The commandment of procreationמצות פריה ורביהpos.
Numbering, order and division follow Sefer HaChinuch; the number links to the text.
In six days God calls the world out of nothing and rests on the seventh. Adam and Chava are placed in the garden, eat from the Tree of Knowledge at the serpent's word and are sent out; Cain kills Abel and becomes a wanderer. Ten generations are counted from Adam to Noach, and the earth fills with violence.
Read next on 10 October 2026, 30 October 2027. By the Israeli reading cycle.
People of the portion
Garden of Eden Genesis Shabbat Rosh Hashanah Tishrei Teshuvah Exile and redemption Korbanot (offerings) Avodah zarah—idolatry
Events of this portion
- 1 AMThe Six Days of Creation
- 1 AMThe Creation of Adam and Chava
- 1 AMThe Sin of the Tree of Knowledge
- 1 AMThe Expulsion from the Garden of Eden
- 40 AMCain and Abel: the First Murder
- 130 AMThe Birth of Shet (Seth)
- 235 AMThe Generation of Enosh: the Beginning of Idolatry
- 235 AMThe Birth of Enosh
- 325 AMThe Births of Kenan, Mahalalel and Yered
- 559 AMThe Line of Cain: City, Tents, Music and Bronze
- 622 AMThe Birth of Chanoch (Enoch)
- 687 AMThe Births of Methuselah and Lemech
- 930 AMThe Death of Adam
- 987 AMThe Taking of Chanoch
- 1042 AMThe Death of Shet
- 1056 AMThe Birth of Noach (Noah)
- 1140 AMThe Deaths of Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel and Yered
- 1536 AMThe "Sons of God" and the Corruption of the Generation
- 1536 AMThe Decree of the Flood and the 120 Years' Reprieve
- 1536 AMThe Building of the Ark
Echoes in the Prophets and history
These events themselves live in other books and other centuries; each is tied to this portion by the verse shown beside it: the early ones the portion recalls, in the later ones its word resounds:
The world at that time
The events of this portion fall in years 1-1656 from Creation. Elsewhere in the world at that time:
How it is read
| First | Bereshit 1:1—2:3 | 34 verses |
|---|---|---|
| Second | Bereshit 2:4—2:19 | 16 verses |
| Third | Bereshit 2:20—3:21 | 27 verses |
| Fourth | Bereshit 3:22—4:18 | 21 verses |
| Fifth | Bereshit 4:19—4:22 | 4 verses |
| Sixth | Bereshit 4:23—5:24 | 28 verses |
| Seventh | Bereshit 5:25—6:8 | 16 verses |
| Maftir | Bereshit 6:5—6:8 | 4 verses |
| Haftarah | Isaiah 42:5—43:10 on Sefaria | 31 verses |
The text
The English edition does not yet carry the text of the portion. The Hebrew with translation is on Sefaria; the Russian page of this portion carries the full text verse by verse — открыть по-русски →.