Reading For The Hatan Bereshit

k'ri-ah lechatan bereishit

קריאה לחתן בראשית

Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

קריאה לחתן בראשית

READING FOR THE HATAN BERESHIT

It is customary for the congregation to say aloud the passages marked by arrows, followed by the Reader.

Bereshit 1:1-2:3

Hebrew

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ׃ וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ
וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים
יְהִי־אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר׃ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר כִּי־טוֹב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר
וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ׃ וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים ׀ לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־
בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד׃

Israeli

bereishit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve-et ha-aretz. veha-aretz haytah tohu vavohu
vechoshech al-p'nei tehom veruach Elohim merachefet al-p'nei hamayim. vayomer Elohim
yehi-or vayehi-or. vayar Elohim et-ha-or ki-tov vayavdel Elohim bein ha-or
uvein hachoshech. vayikra Elohim la-or yom velachoshech kara laylah vayehi-erev vayehi-
voker yom echad.

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם׃ וַיַּעַשׂ
אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר
מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ וַיְהִי־כֵן׃ וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָרָקִיעַ שָׁמָיִם וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר
יוֹם שֵׁנִי׃

Israeli

vayomer Elohim yehi rakia b'toch hamayim vihi mavdil bein mayim lamayim. vaya-as
Elohim et-harakia vayavdel bein hamayim asher mitachat larakia uvein hamayim asher
me-al larakia vayehi-chen. vayikra Elohim larakia shamayim vayehi-erev vayehi-voker
yom sheni.

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל־מָקוֹם אֶחָד וְתֵרָאֶה הַיַּבָּשָׁה
וַיְהִי־כֵן׃ וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים ׀ לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים
כִּי־טוֹב׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה
פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ־בוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיְהִי־כֵן׃ וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ

Israeli

vayomer Elohim yikavu hamayim mitachat hashamayim el-makom echad vetera-eh hayabashah
vayehi-chen. vayikra Elohim layabashah eretz ulemikveh hamayim kara yamim vayar Elohim
ki-tov. vayomer Elohim tadshei ha-aretz deshe esev mazria zera etz p'ri oseh
p'ri lemino asher zaro-vo al-ha-aretz vayehi-chen. vatotzei ha-aretz deshe esev mazria

Commentary

… of the universe from mystery, magic and myth. All ancient religions had creation myths to explain why the world is as it is. Always they involved a multiplicity of gods, fighting and struggling among themselves for dominance. The opening chapter of the Torah represents a decisive break from that entire mindset. There is only one God, and it is His creative will alone that made the universe as it is. As sociologist Max Weber pointed out, the roots of Western rationality lie here.

However, the point of Genesis 1 is not to tell us how the world came into being. It is neither science nor proto-science. We see this in the sheer brevity of the account, a mere thirty-four verses, less than a tenth of the space the Torah dedicates to the other creative act it describes, namely the Israelites' construction of the Sanctuary (Ex. 25-40). The Torah is telling us not …

TORAH READING FOR HATAN BERESHIT This act of beginning the Torah reading anew exemplifies one of the most remarkable principles of Judaism: the idea of perpetual study.

In this unique point of the Jewish year, we make the transition from the end of the Torah to a new beginning. The last letter of the Torah is the lamed of Yisrael, the first is the beit of Bereshit. When we join the end of the Torah to the beginning, the connection spells the word Lev, "heart." So long as the Jewish people never stops studying, the Jewish heart will never stop beating. "You gave us a Torah of truth, thereby planting everlasting life in our midst," says the blessing after the reading of the Torah. The word of the Eternal is, this side of Heaven, our one taste of eternity.

IN THE BEGINNING This majestic opening sets out, for the first time, principles that were not only to shape Judaism, but eventually also to transform the imagination of the West. Genesis 1 represents the emancipation of the human understanding …