Posted on 12/26/2012 11:39:13 AM PST by arthurus
...the message of Bereshith is the obvious one of family and its importance. The Torah purposely and in minute detail describes for us how difficult it truly is to create and maintain a cohesive family structure. Every one of the generations described in Bereshith from Kayin and Hevel till Yosef and his brothers is engaged in the difficult and often heartbreaking task of family building.
There are no smooth and trouble free familial relationships described in the book of Bereshith. Sibling rivalry, violence, different traits of personality, and marital and domestic strife are the stuff of the biblical narrative of this book. The Torah does not sanitize any of its stories nor does it avoid confronting the foibles and errors of human beings.
(Excerpt) Read more at rabbiwein.com ...
For non-Hebrew speaking FReepers:
Bereshith= Genesis
Kayin= Cain
Havel= Abel
Yoseph= Joseph
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