Israelcraft

Weekly Biblical Portions

Parasha Bereshit
Parashat Noah
Parashat Lech-Lecha
Parashat Vayera
Parasha Chayei Sara
Parasha Toldot
Parashat Vayetzei
Parashat Vayishlach
Parashat Vayeshev
Parashat Miketz
Parashat Vayigash
Parashat Vayechi

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Bereshit

Parasha Bereshit “In the Beginning” בְּרֵאשִׁית   
Genesis 1:1-6:8, is the 1st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
It begins with G-d’s Creation of the world. 
The first people, Adam and Eve, eat from the Tree of Knowledge and are banished from the Garden of Eden. Their elder son, Cain, kills their younger son, Abel, and Cain is destined to a life of wandering. 

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Noah

Parashat Noah נֹח
Genesis 6:9-11:32, is the 2nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. 
It begins as G-d decides to destroy mankind with a Flood. 
He gives Noah specific instructions in the making of an ark to save a remnant of humanity and all living animal species during the Flood. 
And G-d confounds the speech of those building the Tower of Babel. 
There is a recounting of all the generations down to Abram ending with Terach, father of Abram, Nachor and Haran, whose son is Lot, in Ur Casdim.
Abram marries Sarai. Nachor marries Milcah, the daughter of Haran. Sarai is sterile. Terach travels with his son Abram, Sarai, and his grandson Lot, and leaves Ur Casdim for the land of Canaan. They come as far as Charan and settled there.

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Lech-Lecha

Parashat Lech-Lecha “Go Forth”  לֶךְ־לְךָ
Genesis 12:1-17:27 is the 3rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It recounts Abram's first encounter with G-d, when his name becomes Abraham; his journey to Canaan; a trip to Egypt due to famine; Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, becoming pregnant with Abram's child and being sent away by Sarai; Hagar's return and the birth of Ishmael; the covenant with G-d to make Israel a great nation; and G-d’s commandment of circumcision.

Sacrifice of Isaac

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Vayera

Parashat Vayera “He Appeared” וַיֵּרָא 
Genesis 18:1-22:24 is the 4th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. 
It begins as guests who are actually angels, tell Abraham that Sara will have a child.
G-d destroys Sodom and Gomorrah, but is convinced by Abraham not to destroy its inhabitants, of which his brother's son, Lot, is one. Lot's wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt.
Sara gives birth to Isaac.
G-d commands that Abraham sacrifice Isaac, but in the eleventh hour takes a ram instead.

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Chayei Sara

Chayei Sara “The Life of Sara”) חַיֵּי שָֹרָה
Genesis 23:1-25:18, is the 5 th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It opens as Sara dies and Abraham buys the Cave of Machpelah where he buries her. 
Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac and he returns with Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
Abraham remarries, has more children, and dies at age 175.

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Toldot

Parasha Toldot תּוֹלְדוֹת “Generations”  
Genesis 25:19-28:9 is the 6th weekly portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It begins with Rebecca, wife of Isaac, having twins, Jacob and Esau. 
In their youth, Jacob buys Esau’s birthright for a bowl of lentils in a strange episode. Esau, who is a hunter, comes home famished. Joseph has prepared a lentil stew, and with it, he pressures Esau to sell him his birthright.
Isaac and Rebecca go to Grar, where Isaac complicates things with King Avimelech by telling him that Sara, his wife, is his sister. 
Isaac reopens wells in Grar that his father, Abraham, had dug. 
When Isaac is dying, Rebecca initiates a plan where Jacob steals Esau’s blessing, after which Jacob, fearing for his life, runs away to his Uncle Laban.

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Vayetze

Vayetze “He Went Out” וַיֵּצֵא
Genesis 28:10-32:3  is the 7th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Jacob has left Be’er Sheva in fear of his life, after stealing his brother Esau's birthright. He camps, sleeps, and dreams of angels descending and ascending a ladder. G-d stands by his side and tells him he will give this land to him and his offspring. Jacob builds an alter there and calls it Bet El, the House of G-d. He travels to his Rebecca's brother, Laban, son of Nahor in Paddan-aram. On his arrival, he meets Rachel, Laban's daughter, at the well where she is tending the family sheep herds. Jacob works as a shepherd for Laban for seven years for the right to marry Rachel, only to find himself married to her older sister Leah instead. He works for Laban another seven years for the right to marry Rachel. Leah and Rachel bear Jacob's children, as do their maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah. After twenty years Jacob returns to Cannan with his new family and the wealth he has accumulated.

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Vayishlach

Vayishlach וַיִּשְׁלַח “He Sent”
Genesis 32:4-36:43 is the 8th weekly portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
G-d has told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers after twenty years in Paddam-Aram serving his ungrateful Uncle, Laban, father of his wives, Rachel and Leah. He takes them, their maidservants, and his children, livestock and goods, and leaves for Gilead in Canaan.
He fears Esau may kill him and his family for stealing Isaac's blessing from him twenty years before, and prepares him lavish gifts.
Throughout the night before his meeting with Esau, Jacob struggles with an angel. During the battle, Jacob is wounded, but does not let go of the angel until he receives his blessing. As a result of the battle, Jacob is renamed Israel.
He is reconciled successfully with his brother, Esau. 

Jacob's daughter, Dinah, is raped by Shechem, a Canaanite Hivite Prince, who wants to marry her, but is also holding her captive.
A pseudo-negotiation takes place; Dina is returned to her family, and then her brothers sack the city.

Rachel dies during the childbirth of Benjamin.

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Vayeshev

Parasha Vayeshev "He Settled"  וַיֵּשֶׁב
Genesis 37:1-40:23 is the 9th weekly portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Jacob settles in Canaan. He has twelve children; eleven sons and a daughter. Joseph is his youngest, and at this time, his only son born by his beloved second wife, Rachel. 
When Joseph is seventeen, Jacob gives him a coat of many colors.  
Between this coat of many colors, and Joseph's gift for interpreting dreams, and lack of diplomacy and compassion in relation to his brothers, they hate him. 
When an opportunity arises, they conspire to kill him but Reuven intervenes and they leave him in a pit instead, and takes his coat. When Reuven returns, Joseph is gone, sold into slavery by his brothers. 
They return the coat which they have covered in sheep's blood, to their father who is inconsolable. 

Now we learn of Tamar who marries one of Judah's sons; of her suffering and her resolution to her difficulties, and of her offspring.

Meanwhile, Joseph has been purchased by Potiphar and in a matter of time, is running his household for him.
Potiphar’s wife unsuccessfully attempts to seduce him, then makes accusations against him and he is imprisoned. There, too, his quickly rises to a position of responsibility, running the prison for those in charge.
While there, Joseph comes in contact with the former Pharaoh's royal wine steward and baker, who are imprisoned there. 
He successfully interprets their dreams. 

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Miketz

Parasha Miketz “After" מִקֵּץ
Genesis 41:1-44:17, is the 10th weekly portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Still in prison, Joseph successfully interprets Pharaoh's dreams about a coming famine; and rises to chief in command under Pharaoh. He marries Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar and has two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. During the seven years of plenty, Joseph stockpiles grain. The famine begins. Joseph's brothers, except for Benjamin, come to Egypt to buy food. They don't recognize their Joseph, who puts them through hoops: accusing them of spying, imprisoning them, and holding Shimon hostage until they return again with Benjamin.
On their return with Benjamin, Joseph invites them to a celebratory dinner.

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Vayigash

Parashat Vayigash “He Approached”  וַיִּגַּשׁ
Genesis 44:18-47:27, is the 11th weekly portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
In it, Joseph finally reveals his identity to his brothers after Judah pleads to have Benjamin returned to their father and that he be kept hostage in his stead, over an incident of a supposed stolen chalice that Joseph has planted and later found in Benjamin's bag.
His brothers are dumbfounded with guilt at Joseph's revelation, but Joseph harbours no grudge against them and sees G-ds hand in these events which have ultimately ensured the survival of their family. 
Joseph and Jacob reunite after 22 years, and Jacob is brought to meet Pharoah, who he blesses.
Jacob, his descendants, and all their flocks and herds and worldly goods, are brought to Goshen in Northern Egypt, where they settle.

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Vayechi

Parashat Vayechi  (“He Lived”)  Genesis 47:28-50:26 is the 12th and final weekly Torah portion of the Book of Genesis. Jacob's family has been united and now he prepares to die. He tells  his son Joseph that is sons, Efraim and Menasseh will be treated like Jacob's own sons.Then he blesses the younger Menasseh as the oldest, saying that the younger brother's seed will be greater than that of his older brother. He asks to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah in the land of his fathers, blesses his sons, and dies.