Summary
There are two main story-lines in this parashah:
- Rebecca meeting Abraham’s servant and marrying Isaac.
- The deaths and burial of Abraham, Sarah, and Ishmael.
Aliyah-by-Aliyah Summary
1st Aliyah: Genesis 23:1-16
Sarah lived for 127 years and died in Hebron. Abraham mourns for Sarah and asks the Hittites for help purchasing the Cave of Machpelah from Ephron. Abraham and Ephron enter into a negotiation regarding the cave.
2nd Aliyah: Genesis 23:17-24:9
Abraham buried Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah. Now “old in years,” Abraham makes his senior servant swear to go to his homeland to find a wife for his son. Abraham makes his servant swear that Isaac will not go to his homeland but remain in the land of Canaan.
3rd Aliyah: Genesis 24:10-26
The servant takes ten of Abraham’s camels to Nahor. At the well outside the city, he asks God to point out the proper bride for Isaac. Rebecca, a beautiful woman, comes to the well and draws water for both the servant and the camels to drink. The servant pays her with gold jewelry and asks if he can spend the night at her family’s house.
4th Aliyah: Genesis 24:27-52
Rebecca tells her brother Lavan about the man, and Lavan invites Abraham’s servant to stay. The servant recounts his quest to find a bride for Isaac. Lavan agrees that Rebecca is meant to be Isaac’s bride.
5th Aliyah: Genesis 24:53-67
The servant gives presents to Rebecca and her family, then they eat, drink, and sleep. In the morning, the servant wanted to leave right away with Rebecca, but her mother and brother wanted him to wait for 10 days. They asked Rebecca to decide, and then gave her a blessing as she followed the servant. Isaac and Rebecca meet and he takes her as his wife. Isaac brings her into his mother’s tent and finds comfort.
6th Aliyah: Genesis 25:1-11
Abraham takes another wife, Keturah, who gives him six children. After listing their descendants, we are informed that Abraham gave them all gifts while he was still alive, but it was Isaac who was his heir. Abraham lived 175 years before Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah. God blesses Isaac.
7th Aliyah: Genesis 25:12-18
Ishmael’s descendants are listed. (Maftir: Genesis 25:16-18) Ishmael lived to be 137.
Triennial Breakdown
Note: For more information about the tradition of spreading the TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. Read more readings over a 3-year cycle see here.
| Aliyah | Year 1: 23:1-24:9 | Year 2: 24:10-24:52 | Year 3: 24:53-25:18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23:1-23:4 | 24:10-24:14 | 24:53-24:58 |
| 2 | 23:5-23:7 | 24:15-24:20 | 24:59-24:61 |
| 3 | 23:8-23:12 | 24:21-24:26 | 24:62-24:67 |
| 4 | 23:13-23:16 | 24:27-24:33 | 25:1-25:6 |
| 5 | 23:17-23:20 | 24:34-24:41 | 25:7-25:11 |
| 6 | 24:1-24:4 | 24:42-24:49 | 25:12-25:15 |
| 7 | 24:1-24:9 | 24:50-24:52 | 25:16-25:18 |
| Maftir | 24:5-24:9 | 24:50-24:52 | 25:16-25:18 |
Triennial Summaries
Year 1: See Aliyot 1-2
Year 2: See Aliyot 3-4
Year 3: See Aliyot 5-7
Haftarah Summary
Haftarah: I Kings 1:1-31
King David is old and always cold, so they bring Avishag the Shulamite to attend to him and keep him warm. David wants his son Solomon to be his successor, but another one of King David’s sons, Adonijahu, was making his own plans to take over from his father. Adonijahu got both the High Priest and the commander of King David’s armies to support him, and threw a party to promote his aspirations to attain the royalty. The prophet Nathan learns of Adonijahu’s actions and warns Bathsheva, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheva tells David what is happening, and David reiterated his promise that Solomon was to be his successor.
See our Haftarah breakdown here.
