Beginning the Study

(Reading: Genesis 1:1–2:3)

TL;DR: Something to sit alongside Genesis 1:1–2:3. No pressure. No agenda.Move through it slowly. Notice what repeats, what pauses. If all you do is sit quietly for a bit, that still counts.

Permission Preamble

You are where you need to be.

This study requires nothing from you. Reading is participation. Silence is allowed.

Orientation (Grounding, not teaching)

This is the beginning. Not just of Scripture, but of a way of reading that many Christians were never given permission to try.

Bereishit (beh-ray-SHEET). The Torah opens with that word. It’s usually translated as “In the beginning.” We’re starting there on purpose. When a way of reading feels unfamiliar, it helps to step in where things open, not midway through.

• You don’t need preparation.
• No Hebrew tucked away somewhere.
• You don’t need to catch everything as it goes by.

Nothing has been missed. You’re here. That’s the place.

How this study works here

Paper Chavruta (khah-vroo-TAH)

A way of studying Scripture that leaves room for stillness. Not really a method, more of how you sit with the text.

You read quietly. Others are present, even if you never hear them.Nothing needs to be performed. Nothing needs to be sorted out.

Sitting with the text counts.Being still counts.

Chavruta usually refers to two people studying together. They read the text aloud, stop to ask questions, and pay attention to what keeps coming back to them.

Here, the word is being used more loosely. It’s not about having a partner or setting things up a certain way. It’s more about the study's tone. Questions tend to come up, and some of them don’t get answered. That’s fine.

Silence is part of how the study works. It isn’t treated as a pause or a problem. It just happens sometimes, and it’s allowed.

Everyone starts with the same on-ramp issue, which covers Genesis 1:1–2:3. After that, you’ll receive on Sunday the current week’s study. It follows the triennial Torah reading cycle, which moves through the text over three years using smaller weekly sections.

There isn’t a required order beyond that first issue. You don’t need to catch up, and there’s no point at which you’re considered ahead or behind.

Each issue is meant to stand on its own. You can read weekly, take a break for a while, or come back later. Moving slowly isn’t treated as a problem here. It’s expected.

So this begins where the text itself begins.

This week’s text

Read Genesis 1:1–2:3 all the way through.

Then read it again, more slowly.

If this way of reading is new, resist the urge to figure it out. Just notice what’s there.

What we’re doing (and not doing)

This isn’t a devotional, and it isn’t a lecture.

There’s no conclusion you’re meant to arrive at, and no discussion to keep up with. Nothing here needs to be tracked or completed.

What we’re doing is simpler than that.

There are a few questions. They’re there to slow things down and keep your attention from drifting too far ahead. You can use them or ignore them.

The point isn’t to move past the passage.

Before reading

Pause for a moment.

These are words people have come back to over a long time. Not to get hold of them, but to sit with them and let them work at their own pace.

There’s no need to hurry.

One way to read

Genesis 1 has a shape to it. Things repeat. Things move forward, then settle.

As you read, you might start to notice patterns without trying to pin them down.

• Words spoken.
• Things are separated and named.
• Boundaries showing up.
• Moments where the text pauses and calls something good.

And then rest, at the end. Not more activity.

You don’t have to sort all of this out or explain it. The point is just to notice what keeps appearing, and to stay with what’s actually on the page.

A small orientation note

You’ll occasionally see a Hebrew word. There won’t be many of them. When they appear, they’re explained briefly, and you can skip them if you want.

This week there’s just one: Bereishit (beh-ray-SHEET). It sits at the beginning, and the rest of the passage grows out from it.

If you feel lost, it’s okay. You can stop,reread, or move on. The reading doesn’t depend on getting everything in the right order or getting it all at once.

A quiet rhythm you can use (optional)

This is an option. It’s a helpful approach you can try. One day is fine. Skipping days is fine too.

Day 1: Reading straight through

Read Genesis 1:1-2:3 straight through. Use whatever Bible is nearby. If you don’t have one, an online version works.

When you’re done, don’t rush to do anything with it, just sit with it.

What seems to happen on each day?

What feels different when you reach the seventh?

Day 2: Repetition

Read again, more lightly this time. Let your eye catch repeated phrases.

How often does “And God said” appear?

How often does the text pause to call something good?

You don’t need an answer so much as a sense of what repetition is doing.

Day 3:  What pertains to humans

Spend some time with Genesis 1:26-28.

What stands out about humans here?

What are they asked to do?

If bearing God’s image matters, it probably shows up in ordinary behavior, not just ideas.

Day 4: Rest

Return to Genesis 2:1-3.

Notice what’s different about the seventh day.

Notice where the story stops.

You don’t need to resolve it.

Day 5: Sitting with it

You could stay with one small question:

Where does rest feel unproductive to you?

Where do your words bring order, or undo it?

Where is the dignity of others easy to forget?

You can write a sentence.

Or you can leave it unwritten.

Four questions

1. List the six days and what happens on each. Notice any pattern(s)?
2. Count how many times “And God said” appears.
3. In 1:26-28, what is said about humans that isn’t said about anything else?
4. Compare days 1-6 with day 7. What changes?

If you only do one, start with the last.

Closing (no pressure)

You’re not here to finish Genesis.

I stay near the text longer than I think I should. I like re-reading them as each passing uncovers more insight. You might not.

Read slowly. If you drift, notice that and return. Or don’t. It’s fine to stop.

There’s time. The passage won’t change because you didn’t get through it.

Study Footer

Study type: Triennial (three-year reading cycle)

Parashah (pah-rah-SHAH), weekly Torah portion (larger reading): Bereishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8)

Seder (seh-DER), this week’s study section: Genesis 1:1-2:3

(Prophetic and Apostolic readings begin in Issue #2.)

Reading Access (Optional)

If you don’t have a Bible on hand, the passage is available online via Blue Letter Bible.

Use it only if helpful; there is no required tool here.