Torah Portion: B’reisheet In the beginning

The scroll of the Torah is the oldest and most sacred of all Israel’s Scriptures. It contains five books. The Hebrew name for the first one is B’reisheet. It is also the first word of the book in the Hebrew text as well as the name for the first parashah (weekly reading). B’reisheet means “in the beginning.”

The English name Genesis comes from the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Genesis means “origins.” Therefore, the Greek name for the first book of the Bible means “The Book of Origins.”