Bereshit means “in the beginning”. The is the first book of the Torah and it tells the story of the creation, the patriarchs and matriarchs (people like Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob), and goes on to tell about the Israelites settling in Egypt.

Bereshit, the first book of the Torah, is known by several other names: “Sefer Rishon” (the first book), “Sefer Beriat HaOlam”(book of creation of the world) and “Sefer Hayashar” (Book of the upright – a reference to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). Genesis varies from the other books of the Torah by being almost all stories and very little legal material. The accounts have to do with individuals, families as opposed to Shemoth to Devarim.

 

Bereshit	Genesis 1:1-6:8	בְּרֵאשִׁית
Haftarah:	Isaiah 42.5-43.10 (Sephardi Tradition: Isaiah 42.5-21)
Noah	Genesis 6:9 – 11:32	נֹחַ
Haftarah:	Isaiah 54.1-55.5 (Sephardi Tradition: Isaiah 54.1-10)
Lekh Lekha	Genesis 12:1 – 17:27	לֶךְ-לְךָ
Haftarah:	Isaiah 40.27-41.16
VaYera	Genesis 18:1 – 22:24	וַיֵּרָא
Haftarah:	II Kings 4.1-37 (Sephardi Tradition: II Kings 4.1-23)
Chayay Sarah	Genesis 23:1 – 25:18	חַיֵּי שָׂרָה
Haftarah:	I Kings 1.1-31
Toledot	Genesis 25:19 – 28:9	תּוֹלְדֹת
Haftarah:	Malachi 1.1-2.7
VaYetze	Genesis 28:10 – 32:3	וַיֵּצֵא
Haftarah:	Hosea 12.13-14.10 (Optional addition: Micah 7.18) (Sephardi Tradition: Hosea 11.7-12.12)
VaYishlach	Genesis 32:4 – 36:43	וַיִּשְׁלַח
Haftarah:	Obadiah 1.1-21 (Optional substitution: Hosea 11.7-12.12)
VaYeshev	Genesis 37:1 – 40:23	וַיֵּשֶׁב
Haftarah:	Amos 2.6-3.8
Miketz	Genesis 41:1 – 44:17	מִקֵּץ
Haftarah:	I Kings 3.15-4.1
VaYigash	Genesis 44:18 – 47:27	וַיִּגַּשׁ
Haftarah:	Ezekiel 37.15-28
VaYechi	Genesis 47:28 – 50:26	וַיְחִי
Haftarah:	I Kings 2.1-12

 

Bereshit Torah Stats