Parashat Bereshit / פָּרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית

Parashat Bereshit is the 1st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Next read on / 29 Tishrei 5787.

Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8

Bereshit (“In the Beginning”) is the first parashah in the annual Torah reading cycle, which restarts at the beginning of the book of Genesis. The reading begins with God’s creation of the world. The first people, Adam and Eve, eat from the Tree of Knowledge and are then banished from the Garden of Eden. Their elder son, Cain, kills their younger son, Abel, and Cain is destined to a life of wandering. [1]

Full Kriyah
    1. 1: 1:1-2:3 · 34 p’sukim
    2. 2: 2:4-19 · 16 p’sukim
    3. 3: 2:20-3:21 · 27 p’sukim
    4. 4: 3:22-4:18 · 21 p’sukim
    5. 5*: 4:19-22 · 4 p’sukim
      *some sources use 4:19-26
    6. 6*: 4:23-5:24 · 28 p’sukim
      *some sources use 5:1-24
    7. 7: 5:25-6:8 · 16 p’sukim
    8. maf: 6:5-8 · 4 p’sukim

Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Isaiah 42:5-43:10 · 31 p’sukim

Haftarah for Sephardim: Isaiah 42:5-21 · 17 p’sukim

N.B. special Haftarah in years 5784, 5787, 5788, 5791, 5794, 5801

Triennial Year 1
  1. 1: 1:1-5 · 5 p’sukim
  2. 2: 1:6-8 · 3 p’sukim
  3. 3: 1:9-13 · 5 p’sukim
  4. 4: 1:14-19 · 6 p’sukim
  5. 5: 1:20-23 · 4 p’sukim
  6. 6: 1:24-31 · 8 p’sukim
  7. 7: 2:1-3 · 3 p’sukim
  8. maf: 2:1-3 · 3 p’sukim

Alternate Haftarah: Isaiah 42:5-21 · 17 p’sukim

Triennial Year 2
  1. 1: 2:4-9 · 6 p’sukim
  2. 2: 2:10-19 · 10 p’sukim
  3. 3: 2:20-25 · 6 p’sukim
  4. 4: 3:1-21 · 21 p’sukim
  5. 5: 3:22-24 · 3 p’sukim
  6. 6: 4:1-18 · 18 p’sukim
  7. 7: 4:19-26 · 8 p’sukim
  8. maf: 4:23-26 · 4 p’sukim

Haftarah*: I Samuel 20:18-42 · 25 p’sukim
*Shabbat Machar Chodesh

Triennial Year 3
  1. 1: 5:1-5 · 5 p’sukim
  2. 2: 5:6-8 · 3 p’sukim
  3. 3: 5:9-14 · 6 p’sukim
  4. 4: 5:15-20 · 6 p’sukim
  5. 5: 5:21-24 · 4 p’sukim
  6. 6: 5:25-31 · 7 p’sukim
  7. 7: 5:32-6:8 · 9 p’sukim
  8. maf: 6:5-8 · 4 p’sukim

Haftarah*: I Samuel 20:18-42 · 25 p’sukim
*Shabbat Machar Chodesh

Weekday for Shabbat afternoon, Monday & Thursday
  1. 1: 1:1-5 · 5 p’sukim
  2. 2: 1:6-8 · 3 p’sukim
  3. 3: 1:9-13 · 5 p’sukim

Commentary and Divrei Torah

Bereshit: The JPS B’nai Mitzvah Torah Commentary by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin (paid link)

Bereshit: The JPS B’nai Mitzvah Torah Commentary (JPS Study Bible)

List of Dates

Parashat Bereshit is read in the Diaspora on:

References

Parashat Bereshit from Sefaria.org
Sefaria, Inc.
Bereshit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) and Haftarah (Isaiah 42:5-43:10): The JPS B’nai Mitzvah Torah Commentary (JPS Study Bible) (paid link)
Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, Jewish Publication Society, 2017
The Chumash: The Stone Edition (Artscroll Series) (paid link)
Nosson Scherman, Mesorah Publications, 1993
A Complete Triennial System for Reading the Torah
Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, 1988
Haftarot for a Triennial Cycle Torah Reading
Avram Israel Reisner, 2014

When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting Hebcal.

Vezot Haberakhah
Noach