THE PENTATEUCH: Genesis The first part of the Pentateuch, specifically Genesis and Exodus, narrates the origins of the world and the evolvement of God's plan to lead the Jewish people to a land of their own. The remainder (Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) offers a detailed code of conduct, including laws of purity, worship and diet that would guide the Jewish nation from here on forward.

Seven Fat Cows, from a New Kingdom fresco now in the Archeological Museum in Cairo

Of the five, the Book of Genesis is by far the most influential on the course of Jewish history — and indeed, on the history of monotheism altogether. Genesis establishes the notion that the God of Israel is the only God, that He is a force of moral good, and that He is passionately devoted to the well being of mankind. In all three instances, this theology is a radical departure from the contemporary pagan cults of Mesopotamia and Egypt. In these developed societies, gods were thought of as feckless beings of great moral ambiguity, who looked upon humans as mere pawns to be deployed in their never-ending celestial feuds. For people who lived in Egypt or Mesopotamia, a deity was something that needed to be assuaged, praised and appeased lest he or she, in a fit of pique, destroy a harvest or deprive the arid land of floods. The notion that a divine being could be (1) a single entity who (2) would commit himself to guiding humans as a infinite source of good, and (3) could be present everywhere was a revolutionary break with any religious tradition that existed at that time/p>

Genesis attributes the acknowledgement of a single God (or El, as He is referred to in this period) to a tribal chieftain named Abraham. As Genesis tells us, Abraham's family hailed from Ur, the legendary capital of Sumeria that is often regarded as the first great civilization of mankind. Ur's family worshipped many pagan gods, as was customary in Mesopotamia; but after the death of Abraham's father Terah, it is Abraham whom God chose to bear witness -- to a covenant that God will execute with mankind. This covenant states that whomever believes in God exclusively and follows his decrees, will enjoy the protection of God and find a haven of his own.

The Book of Genesis opens with the story of the Creation. In six days, Genesis tells us, God created the heavens, the stars and the Earth, as well as all the living creatures that move upon it -- including Man. The first couple, Adam and Eve, are placed in the Garden of Eden, but they are evicted when God discovers that they wish to become as all-knowing as God himself. From this point on, the history of humanity begins its evolution in earnest.

The descendants of Adam and Eve are such wicked people that God decides to erase mankind with a massive flood. Only Noah and his family are saved, for Noah remains faithful to God. Noah is ordered to build an Ark in which he loads a representative sample of every animal on earth, both male and female. When at last the floodwaters recede and the Ark is back on dry land, Noah offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.

Before long, the humans are testing God's patience once again. This time, they have decided to build a huge tower that would reach as far as Heaven itself. Before the construction is completed, however, God strikes back by sowing confusion (in Hebrew: 'balal') among mankind; from one moment to the next, everyone is suddenly 'babbling' in different languages.

Throughout these opening chapters, Genesis is rather sparse with geographic or historical details that would allow us to pinpoint the events in time. Genesis, we are left to wonder, is not interested in the history, but in the greater meaning and symbolism of the story of Creation. With story of Abraham however, Genesis puts us right in the known topography of Mesopotamia. The reader is able to trace the journey of Abraham's family through today's territory of Iraq, Syria and Turkey, all the way to ancient Palestine -- or 'Canaan' as it was called in Abraham's time.

In Canaan, Abraham has two male children: Ishmael, the issue of his union with Hagar (the slave girl of his barren wife Sarah); and finally, a son with Sarah herself whom she names Isaac. As was common in tribal families, the succession of Abraham as chieftain becomes a major issue. Should it be Ishmael, his first-born, or Isaac, the only legitimate son by his wife Sarah? Abraham chooses Isaac, and looks on with despair as Hagar and her young boy Ishmael are driven into the desert — and certain death.

And so it is that Isaac becomes the heir of God's covenant with Abraham [Jacob is considered the father of the twelve tribes] God takes pity on Hagar and Ishmael. and saves them both. God commands Ishmael to "rise up, because I will make him a great nation, too" (Gen 21:18-19). Ishmael, in turn, will become the forefather of twelve Arab tribes; according to tradition, it is he who brings the religion of a single God or Allah to Arabia — specifically, to the city of Mecca — long before the advent of Islam.

enesis ends with the story of Joseph. Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Caravan traders take the boy to Egypt. Through a series of events, Joseph rises to the second highest post in the land, second only to Pharaoh. As Viceroy, Joseph is put in charge of preparing the nation for a seven-year drought, based on his interpretation of Pharaoh's dream in which he saw 'seven fat cows' and 'seven lean cows.' This same drought also compels Joseph's family to come to Egypt in search of food for themselves and their flock, and they are ultimately reconciled with Joseph.