Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bereishit He drove the man out, And stationed east of the garden of eden the chrubim And the fiery ever-turning sword, To guard the way to the tree of life (bereishit 3:24)   In Midrash Eicha (Ptichta 4) Rabbi Abba began "But they, as a man, have transgressed the Covenant" (Hosea 6:7). This refers to Adam, the first. Said the Holy One, blessed be He: Man, I placed him in the Garden of Eden, as is written...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bereishit With the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for you were taken therefrom, for dust you are, and to dust you will return. (Bereishit 3:19)     And in the midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 20 ) it is further stated: "And it will cause thorns and thistles to grow for you – Had you merited it, you would have taken herbs from the Garden of...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bereishit AND THE LORD SAID TO CAIN, "WHERE IS ABEL YOUR BROTHER?" AND HE SAID, "I DO NOT KNOW. AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?" AND THE LORD SAID TO CAIN, "WHERE IS ABEL YOUR BROTHER?" AND HE SAID, "I DO NOT KNOW. AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER?" (Bereishit 4:9)   Where is Abel your brother? – …since He asked him: Where is Abel your brother? and did not ask, "Why did you kill your brother?" Cain thought...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bereishit AND GOD SAID, "LET THERE BE LIGHT," AND THERE WAS LIGHT. AND GOD SAW THE LIGHT THAT IT WAS GOOD, AND GOD SEPARATED BETWEEN THE LIGHT AND BETWEEN THE DARKNESS. (Bereishit 1:3-4)   Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: One could see the entire history of the world through the light that was created on the first day. When the Holy One blessed be He saw the generation of the Flood and the generation of...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bereishit WHEN GOD BEGAN TO CREATE HEAVEN AND EARTH –        THE EARTH BEING UNFORMED AND VOID, WITH DARKNESS OVER THE SURFACE OF THE DEEP AND A WIND CAME FROM GOD SWEEPING OVER THE WATER – GOD SAID, "LET THERE BE LIGHT"; AND THERE WAS LIGHT. GOD SAW THAT THE LIGHT WAS GOOD, AND GOD SEPARATED THE LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS. GOD CALLED THE LIGHT DAY, AND THE DARKNESS HE CALLED NIGHT. AND THERE WAS EVENING...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bereishit AND THE LORD GOD CALLED TO THE HUMAN, AND SAID TO HIM: "WHERE ARE YOU?" (Bereishit 3:9)   The Story of the Jewish People is the Story of the First Human, which is the Story of Every Human Rabbi Abahu said in the name of R. Hanina: It is written: They, as a man , transgressed the covenant (Hosea 6) – they are like the first man . Just as I placed Adam in...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Bereishit THEN THE LORD GOD SAID TO THE SERPENT, "BECAUSE YOU DID THIS, MORE CURSED SHALL YOU BE THAN ALL THE CATTLE AND ALL THE WILD BEASTS: ON YOUR BELLY SHALL YOU CRAWL AND DIRT SHALL YOU EAT ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE. (Bereishit 3:14))     The Serpent's Curse Rabbi Asi and Rabbi Hoshiya said in the name of Rabbi Aha: God told him: I made you king over domesticated animals and wild...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parashat Bereishit THE LORD GOD CALLED TO THE HUMAN AND SAID TO HIM; WHERE ARE YOU? HE SAID: I HEARD THE SOUND OF YOU IN THE GARDEN AND I WAS AFRAID, BECAUSE I AM NUDE, AND SO I HID MYSELF. HE SAID: WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU ARE NUDE? FROM THE TREE ABOUT WHICH I COMMAND YOU NOT TO EAT, HAVE YOU EATEN? THE HUMAN SAID: THE WOMAN WHOM YOU GAVE TO BE BESIDE ME, SHE...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parashat Bereishit "In Memory of Rosa Parks, who taught us the courage requisite for new beginnings"     AND THE LORD SAID: LET THERE BE LIGHT – AND THERE WAS LIGHT "And the Lord saw that the light was good, and the Lord divided between the light and the dark"   Bereishit – For The Sake of Reishit , For the Sake of Torah, For the Sake of Israel, For the Sake of Light, for the Sake of Peace Bereishit Barah – "In the beginning the Lord...

Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Parashat Bereishit This  issue is in honor of Major Yehoraz Kasher z”l 1 Sivan 5726 – 27 Tishrei 5752 21 April 1966 – 5 October 1991   “WHEN JARED HAD LIVED 162 YEARS, HE BEGOT ENOCH. AFTER THE BIRTH OF ENOCH, JARED LIVED 800 YEARS… ALL THE DAYS OF ENOCH CAME TO 365 YEARS… THEN HE WAS NO MORE, FOR GOD TOOK HIM.”  (Bereishit 5:18-24)   “And he was no more, for God had killed him” (Targum Unkelos) “… and the reason that Scripture described his death...