29 Tishrei 5781
October 17, 2020

Parashat B’reshit
“In The Beginning”

Here are the Torah, Haftarah and suggested Brit Chadasha (New Testament) and Tehillim (Psalms) readings for this week.

• Genesis 1:1-6:8
• Isaiah 42:5-43:10 (A)
• Isaiah 42:5-21 (S)
• Revelation 22:6-21
• Psalm 139

The seven aliyot readings from the Torah begin at these verses:

1. Genesis 1:1
2. Genesis 1:14 (A) 2:4 (S)
3. Genesis 1:24 (A) 2:20 (S)
4. Genesis 2:4 (A) 3:22 (S)
5. Genesis 3:22 (A) 4:19 (S)
6. Genesis 5:1
7. Genesis 5:25

Maftir: Genesis 6:5

For You have created my conscience. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am awesomely, wonderfully made! Wonderful are Your works—and my soul knows that very well.
(Psalm 139:13-14 TLV)

In B’reshit

The Key People include Adam, Chavah (Eve), Kayin (Cain), Havel (Abel), Chanoch (Enoch), Lemech (Lamech), Shet (Seth), M’tushelach (Methuselah), and Noach (Noah).

The Scenes include the heavens and earth, Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden/Paradise), four rivers – the Pishon, Gichon (Gihon), Chidekel (Tigris) and F’rat (Euphrates), and the land of Nod, east of Eden.

The Main Events include creation, the first Shabbat rest, man’s disobedience and the consequences, sons and sacrifices, sibling rivalry, and the first murder, man’s wickedness except for Noach.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let there be light!” and there was light. God saw that the light was good. So God distinguished the light from the darkness.
(Genesis 1:1-4 TLV)

The Haftarah

Thus says God, Adonai, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and Ruach to those who walk in it— “I, Adonai, called You in righteousness, I will take hold of Your hand, I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, by opening blind eyes, bringing prisoners out of the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness out of the prison house.
(Isaiah 42:5-7 TLV)

The Brit Chadasha

Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to pay back each one according to his deeds. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Revelation 22:12-13 TLV)

I, Yeshua, have sent My angel to testify these things to you for My communities. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” The Ruach and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come—let the one who wishes freely take the water of life!
(Revelation 22:16-17 TLV)

Torah Portion readings and the associated Haftarah readings generally follow the Stone Edition Chumash and/or the Complete Jewish Bible. Verse numbering generally follows the Hebrew tradition, and where modern Christian traditions differ those verse numbers are shown in parentheses (). Haftarah readings generally follow the Ashkenazi tradition. Where the Sephardic tradition differs, the Haftarah portions are designated as (A) and (S). Suggested New Testament readings are taken from various sources. Suggested Psalm readings are from the Messianic Siddur for Shabbat by Daniel Perek. The Key People, The Scenes, and The Main Events are taken from the Walk! series of Messianic Devotion Commentaries by Dr. Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg. Scripture taken from the Tree of Life Version (TLV) © 2015 by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society. Used by permission of the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.