Megillah 1 (153) 153

בְּרֵאשִׁית, בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ. וְהָאָרֶץ, הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ, וְחֹשֶׁךְ, עַל-פְּנֵי תְהוֹם; וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים, מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם. וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יְהִי אוֹר; וַיְהִי-אוֹר. וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאוֹר, כִּי-טוֹב; וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים, בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ. וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם, וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה; וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם אֶחָד. וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ, וְכָל-צְבָאָם, בְּיוֹם, עֲשׂוֹת יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים--אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם*.

וַיְהִי אַבְרָהָם, בֶּן-תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה וְתֵשַׁע שָׁנִים; וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָהָם, וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו: וְאַתָּה אֶת-בְּרִיתִי תִשְׁמֹר--אַתָּה וְזַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ, לְדֹרֹתָם. זֹאת בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְרוּ, בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם, וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ, אַחֲרֶיךָ: הִמּוֹל לָכֶם, כָּל-זָכָר. וּנְמַלְתֶּם, אֵת בְּשַׂר עָרְלַתְכֶם; וְהָיָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית, בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם. וּבֶן-שְׁמֹנַת יָמִים, יִמּוֹל לָכֶם כָּל-זָכָר--לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם: יְלִיד בָּיִת--וּמִקְנַת-כֶּסֶף מִכֹּל בֶּן-נֵכָר, אֲשֶׁר לֹא מִזַּרְעֲךָ הוּא. הִמּוֹל יִמּוֹל יְלִיד בֵּיתְךָ, וּמִקְנַת כַּסְפֶּךָ; וְהָיְתָה בְרִיתִי בִּבְשַׂרְכֶם, לִבְרִית עוֹלָם. וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָהָם אֶת-יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ, וְאֵת כָּל-יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ וְאֵת כָּל-מִקְנַת כַּסְפּוֹ--כָּל-זָכָר, בְּאַנְשֵׁי בֵּית אַבְרָהָם; וַיָּמָל אֶת-בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתָם. אַבְרָהָם--בֶּן-תִּשְׁעִים וָתֵשַׁע, שָׁנָה: בְּהִמֹּלוֹ, בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ. וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנוֹ, בֶּן-שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה: בְּהִמֹּלוֹ--אֵת, בְּשַׂר עָרְלָתוֹ.


In the beginning of God's creating the skies and the earth - when the earth had been shapeless and formless, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and God's spirit was hovering on the face of the water - God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God separated between the light and the darkness. And God called the light "day" and called the darkness "night." And there was evening, and there was morning: one day. And the skies and the earth and all their array were finished, in the day that YHWH God made earth and skies*.

And there was Abraham**, a man of ninety years and nine years; and YHWH appeared to Abraham and said to him, "And you: you shall observe my covenant, you and your seed after you through their generations. This is my covenant that you shall observe between me and you and your seed after you: every male is to be circumcised among you. And you shall be circumcised at the flesh of your foreskin, and it will become a sign of the covenant between me and you. And at eight days old every male shall be circumcised among you through your generations: homeborn or purchased with money from any foreigner who is not from your seed. Your homeborn and the one purchased with your money will be circumcised. And my covenant will become an eternal covenant in your flesh." And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all his homeborn and every-one purchased with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin. And Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, the flesh of his foreskin, and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised at the flesh of his foreskin.

*It was Shim'on Ben Zoma, who held on to the ancient tradition, in the oldest recorded reference to a stylistic problem in the story of Bereshit (Bereshit Rabbah 4: 6). See also Moreh Hanevuchim on this subject, and compare the Talmud Yerushalmi (Chagigah 2: 5) and the Talmud Bavli (Chagiga 14b,15a). In my analysis, after day one, Ben Zoma detects a difference: וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים and וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים, the way second day starts, is too different from day one. His utterly shocking conclusion was that a different source starts at this point, the source that we know as P. In this way, he questioned scripture as it was and he shook the world, of the "Chachamim," because he had uncovered the secret. Ben Zoma had not gone crazy, as they would have it. He was a Chacham at the highest level, conversing with the Divine.

**Translation changed

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