MONDAY — BEGIN WITH WHAT IS WRITTEN
READ
Genesis 1:1–2:3
This week we begin a new rhythm. Before we hear the weekly portion presented on Shabbat, we will spend the week reading it for ourselves—along with the Prophets and New Testament readings that accompany it.
Today, don't begin by trying to explain Genesis. Begin by noticing what Genesis actually says.
READ SLOWLY
Read Genesis 1:1–2:3 once without stopping.
Then read it again.
This time, watch for repetition.
Notice words and phrases that appear again and again.
Write down what you find.
ASK
What does the writer keep drawing your attention back to?
What does God do in this passage?
What does God call good?
What changes as the passage moves from the first day toward the seventh?
DON'T RUSH TO AN ANSWER
You may already have questions about creation, Genesis, or how this passage should be understood.
Keep them.
But today, practice something simple:
Observe before you explain.
Let the words on the page come before the conclusions you bring to them.
CLOSING
Tomorrow we will keep reading B'Reisheet and watch what happens when the story moves from the ordered creation of Genesis 1 into the lives of the people God created.