Our congregation has decided to follow the three year cycle of Torah
study. Below is
a brief description of the triennial cycle.
“The Triennial cycle
of Torah
reading refers to the historical
practice in ancient Israel by which
the entire Torah was read in serial fashion over a three year period, or to the
practice adopted by many congregations in which the traditional weekly
Torah portions were divided into thirds, and in which one third of each
weekly "Parashah" of the annual system is read during the appropriate week
of the calendar.
According to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, the triennial cycle "was the practice in
Palestine, whereas in Babylonia the entire Pentateuch was read in the synagogue
in the course of a single year," As late as 1170 Benjamin of Tudela mentioned Egyptian congregations that took three years
to read the Torah”. (Wikipedia)
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH,
Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed
are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe,
you
have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah.
Blessed
are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Gen 4:1
And Aḏam knew Chawwah his wife, and
she conceived and bore Qayin, and said, “I have gained a man from יהוה.”
Another translation reads: 4:1 Now the man had
marital relations with his
wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then
she said, “I have created a man just as YHVH did!”
א וְהָאָדָם, יָדַע אֶת-חַוָּה אִשְׁתּוֹ; וַתַּהַר, וַתֵּלֶד אֶת-קַיִן, וַתֹּאמֶר, קָנִיתִי אִישׁ אֶת-יְהוָה.
‘I have gotten or have created a man”
“Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of
the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this
spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8;22).
The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.”
“with or from YHVH.” The particle אֶת־ (’et) is not the accusative/object sign, but the
preposition “with” as the ancient versions attest. Some take the preposition in
the sense of “with the help of” (see BDB 85 s.v. אֵת; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV), while others prefer “along with”
in the sense of “like, equally with, in common with” (see Lev 26:39; Isa 45:9; Jer 23:28). Either works well
in this context; the latter is reflected in the present translation. Some
understand אֶת־ as the accusative/object
sign and translate, “I have acquired a man – YHVH.” They suggest that the woman
thought (mistakenly) that she had given birth to the Messiah who would bruise
the Serpent’s head. This fanciful suggestion is based on a questionable
allegorical interpretation of Gen
3:15 .” (it might not
be so fanciful)
I believe that it is possible that from the beginning
mankind realized that they were in some kind of serious trouble and needed
someone to rescue them. Men knew that they had sinned and they were facing the
terrible consequences of their sin.
Gen 4:2 And again,
she gave birth to his brother Heḇel. And Heḇel became a keeper of sheep, but
Qayin became a tiller of the ground.
The name Abel
is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the
Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath,
vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.
“and
Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active
participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep,
whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.”
May our destiny be like that of our father Yakov who
lived in tents studying the Torah and looking after sheep.
The name of Hevel or “Abel” reminds us of vanity of life.
The opening words of the book of Ecclesiastes/Kohelet states:
Ecc 1:2 “Futility! Futility!” says Qoheleth.
“Futility, futility, all is futile! (Futility in Hebrew is the same word we use
for Abel)
ב הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים אָמַר קֹהֶלֶת, הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים הַכֹּל הָבֶל.
The conclusion of this book gives us great comfort:
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the entire
matter: Fear Elohim and guard His commands, for this applies to all
mankind!
Ecc 12:14 For Elohim shall bring every work into
right-ruling, including all that is hidden, whether good or whether evil.
Then the Messiah came at the right time and really taught
us how to live and to give us life and life in abundance. Messianic life is not
just a life of prosperity but also a life of suffering.
Gen 4:3 And it
came to be, in the course of time, that Qayin brought an offering of the fruit
of the ground to יהוה.
Gen 4:4 And Heḇel
also brought of the first-born of his flock and of their fat. And יהוה looked to Heḇel and his offering,
Gen 4:5 but He did
not look to Qayin and his offering. And Qayin was very wroth, and his face
fell.