Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8)

The portion is named Bereshit , literally "In the begining", because of its first word, which
begins the description of the creation of the world. Bereshit is also the Hebrew name of the entire Book of Genesis.

Bereshit This week's portion is the first portion of the Torah, and begins the new yearly cycle of reading after having completed the entire Torah on Simchat Torah.

The portion begins with the account of the creation of the world in seven days, the last of which is a day of rest. Creation begins with God's separation of light from darkness and the creation of day and night (day one), then continues to the separation of upper and lower waters (day two). The waters are then gathered to create seas and let the earth be shown, and the vegetation begins to grow (day three). God then creates
the sun, moon and stars (day four), fish and birds (day five), and other animals (day six).

The portion continues with an additional detailed description of creation, which describes the creation of woman from man and goes on to describe the sin of the Garden of Eden and how Mankind was expelled for eating the forbidden fruit.

Humanity then begins to procreate, and Adam and Eve have two children: Cain and Abel. This leads to the story of the first murder, when the jealous Cain, whose offering was less appreciated by God, kills his brother and is punished with a life of wandering.

The portion then describes how humanity continues to procreate, and brings a list of the different generations born, as well as accomplishments made by these generations: the building of cities, the invention of musical instruments, and more. The portion ends with the beginning of the description of the corruption of humankind and God's disappointment, and the birth of Noah, who found favor in the eyes of God.