From the Creation of the cosmos to the first steps in the formation of our People -- Sefer Bereishis is us. It is our history, our mission statement, the very DNA of our national life. The days of Creation, the first sin, the Flood, Akeidas Yitzchak, the sale of Yosef by his brothers so much of it seems incomprehensible. And yet we must try to comprehend it, if we are to understand our lives and what Hashem expects of us.
There are few people as well-equipped to lead us on a journey through Sefer Bereishis as Rabbi Nosson Scherman. He has been gifted with a rare talent of explanation and elucidation; he can take complex topics, esoteric concepts, and make them clear, without talking down to us, without "dumbing them down." His language is lyrical yet readable, and his grasp of commentaries, both classic and contemporary, is remarkable.
Decades ago, Rabbi Scherman's "Overviews" to Tanach became a household word in the world of Torah Jewry. In The Majesty of Bereishis his classic overviews on each of the parashiyos in the sefer are brought together in one magnificent Torah work.
What does it mean when we say Torah is the blueprint of the universe? What is the nature of the "tests" that Avraham Avinu took - and passed? What is the unique lesson we can learn from Sarah Imeinu? What is the eternal "truth" that characterizes Yaakov, and how did he seek it? The answers to these and so many other questions raised in Sefer Bereishis are wide-ranging, absorbing, and fundamental to our understanding of Jewish thought.
Take a journey through Sefer Bereishis with Rabbi Scherman at your side. It's a trip well worth taking.