The approach to the history of Israel and Israel’s relationship with God that will be the material of the rest of the Hebrew Bible is undertaken through gradually narrowing concentric circles: first an account of the origins of the world, of the vegetable and animal kingdom and of humankind, then a narrative explanation of the origins of all the known peoples, from Greece to Africa to Mesopotamia and Asia Minor, and of the primary institutions of civilization, including the memorable fable about the source of linguistic division.....
The story of the family that will become the people of Israel is seen as the focus of a larger, universal history.
--Professor Robert Alter
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/reading-genesis-as-a-book/
The story of the family that will become the people of Israel is seen as the focus of a larger, universal history.
--Professor Robert Alter
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/reading-genesis-as-a-book/
(ט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־קַ֔יִן אֵ֖י הֶ֣בֶל אָחִ֑יךָ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי הֲשֹׁמֵ֥ר אָחִ֖י אָנֹֽכִי׃ (י) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מֶ֣ה עָשִׂ֑יתָ ק֚וֹל דְּמֵ֣י אָחִ֔יךָ צֹעֲקִ֥ים אֵלַ֖י מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃
(9) יהוה said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (10) “What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!
בעשרה מאמרות נברא העולם וכי מה צורך לבאי עולם בכך אלא ללמדך שכל העושה מצוה אחת וכל המשמר שבת אחד וכל המקיים נפש אחת [מעלה עליו הכתוב] כאילו קיים עולם מלא שנברא בעשרה מאמרות. וכל העובר עבירה אחת וכל המחלל שבת אחד וכל המאבד נפש אחת מעלין עליו כאילו איבד עולם מלא שנברא בעשרה מאמרות שכן מצינו בקין שהרג את הבל אחיו שנא׳ (בראשית ד׳:י׳) קול דמי אחיך דם אחד שפך דמים רבים נאמר אלא מלמד שדם בניו ובני בניו וכל תולדותיו עד סוף כל הדורות שעתידין לצאת ממנו כולם היו עומדין וצועקין לפני הקב״ה (הא למדת שאדם אחד שקול כנגד מעשה בראשית כולו):
The world was created with ten utterances. Why were all ten necessary? In order to teach you that anyone who performs one commandment, or keeps one Sabbath, or saves one life, [the Torah considers it] as if he had sustained the entire world, which was created with ten utterances. And anyone who commits one transgression, or breaks one Sabbath, or causes one life to be lost, the Torah considers it as if he had destroyed the entire world, which was created with ten utterances. For this is what we find with Cain, who killed his brother Abel, as it says (Genesis 4:10), “The voice of your brother’s bloods [cry out to Me from the ground].” It should say “blood,” but it says “bloods.” This teaches that it was also the blood of his children and his children’s children, and all his future generations, until the end of the human line, that would have one day descended from him. They all stood up and cried out before the Holy Blessed One. (So you learn from this that one person is considered as important as the entire work of Creation.)
How do the early stories of creation provide a framework for exploring humanity’s role in a divinely orchestrated world?”
Nomi Schneck
Nomi Schneck
(טז) וַיְצַוּ֕וּ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֖ף לֵאמֹ֑ר אָבִ֣יךָ צִוָּ֔ה לִפְנֵ֥י מוֹת֖וֹ לֵאמֹֽר׃ (יז) כֹּֽה־תֹאמְר֣וּ לְיוֹסֵ֗ף אָ֣נָּ֡א שָׂ֣א נָ֠א פֶּ֣שַׁע אַחֶ֤יךָ וְחַטָּאתָם֙ כִּי־רָעָ֣ה גְמָל֔וּךָ וְעַתָּה֙ שָׂ֣א נָ֔א לְפֶ֥שַׁע עַבְדֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִ֑יךָ וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ יוֹסֵ֖ף בְּדַבְּרָ֥ם אֵלָֽיו׃
(16) So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before his death your father left this instruction: (17) So shall you say to Joseph, ‘Forgive, I urge you, the offense and guilt of your brothers who treated you so harshly.’ Therefore, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father’s [house].” And Joseph was in tears as they spoke to him.
But the real significance of this passage goes far beyond the story of Joseph and his brothers. It is the essential prelude to the book of Exodus and the birth of Israel as a nation. Genesis is, among other things, a set of variations on the theme of sibling rivalry: Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers. The book begins with fratricide and ends with reconciliation. There is clear pattern to the final scene of each of the four narratives:
-Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
| 1 | Cain/Abel | Murder |
| 2 | Isaac/Ishmael | The two stand together at Abraham’s funeral |
| 3 | Jacob/Esau | Meet, embrace, go their separate ways |
| 4 | Joseph/brothers |
Forgiveness, reconciliation, coexistence |
(כ) וְאַתֶּ֕ם חֲשַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עָלַ֖י רָעָ֑ה אֱלֹהִים֙ חֲשָׁבָ֣הּ לְטֹבָ֔ה לְמַ֗עַן עֲשֹׂ֛ה כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לְהַחֲיֹ֥ת עַם־רָֽב׃
(20) Besides, although you intended me harm, God intended it for good, so as to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.
וְכֵן מָצִינוּ בְּקַיִן וְקֹרַח וּבִלְעָם וְדוֹאֵג וַאֲחִיתוֹפֶל וְגֵחֲזִי וְאַבְשָׁלוֹם וַאֲדוֹנִיָּהוּ וְעוּזִּיָּהוּ וְהָמָן — שֶׁנָּתְנוּ עֵינֵיהֶם בְּמַה שֶּׁאֵינוֹ רָאוּי לָהֶם. מַה שֶּׁבִּיקְּשׁוּ — לֹא נִיתַּן לָהֶם, וּמַה שֶּׁבְּיָדָם — נְטָלוּהוּ מֵהֶם.
The baraita continues: And so we found with regard to Cain, who desired to inherit the whole world alone (see Genesis 4); and Korah, who desired the priesthood (see Numbers 16); and Balaam, who desired Balak’s money (see Numbers 22); and Doeg, who was jealous of David (see I Samuel 21–22); and Ahithophel, who was also jealous of David (see II Samuel 16); and Gehazi, who took Naaman’s money (see II Kings 5); and Absalom, who wanted the kingdom (see II Samuel 15); and Adonijah, who also wanted the kingdom (see I Kings 1); and Uzziah, who wanted to be the High Priest (see II Chronicles 26); and Haman, who wanted to kill all the Jews (see Esther 3:13). All of these were people who placed their eyes on that which is unfit for them, and consequently what they desired was not given to them, and what they had was taken from them.
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Divine Providence: Joseph’s story is a clear example of hashgacha pratit (divine providence)—the belief that God is guiding and orchestrating events, even when they seem difficult or unclear at the time. Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt, after being sold into slavery, and the eventual reunion with his brothers, demonstrates that God’s plan is often hidden and unfolds in unexpected ways. This theme reassures readers that even in times of suffering or hardship, there is a larger divine purpose at work.
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Restoration of Family and the Promise to the Patriarchs: Genesis is the foundational book of the Torah, and its overarching narrative concerns the establishment of the Jewish people. By ending with Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers, the story restores the family dynamic that is central to the future of the Jewish people. The twelve tribes of Israel, who are the descendants of Jacob’s sons, are preserved and united. This reconciliation serves to demonstrate the continuity of the covenant between God and the patriarchs, and the importance of family unity in fulfilling God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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The End of a Cycle and Preparation for the Next Stage: The end of Genesis sets the stage for the Exodus, the next book in the Torah. Joseph’s death and the brothers' reconciliation mark the conclusion of the patriarchal era and the beginning of the Israelites' sojourn in Egypt. The story of Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers brings closure to the earlier tension, ensuring that the descendants of Jacob are united and in a position to multiply in Egypt, fulfilling the divine promise to make them a great nation.