The Torah reading this week is actually the reason why Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship decided to divide up the first parsha in the Book into a second part. There is just too much here to do justice in a single sitting.
The Erev Shabbat reading this week beings right after chapter 2, and covers up to the “days of Noach.” And that includes what he argues is one of the most important, and misunderstood, stories in all of Scripture. It’s a lot more than just “The Fall.”
And perhaps it’s not at all surprising that it corresponds with the season when it’s pretty clear — at least once you see it! — that the Messiah was actually born, and will probably return, too.
The Sabbath Day Midrash this week builds on ‘the Foundation’, and Mark ultimately suggests is at the very “heart of What Ails Adam-kind.” Why the world is such a mess, in so many ways. First, the reading:
https://hebrewnationonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/SSM-10-2-26-Bereshiet-3-on-teaching-podcast-xxx.mp3
There are many elements of just this second part of parsha Bereshiet (Genesis chapter 3 into the first part of chapter 6) that are vital to emphasize and understand, and not just “Original Sin.” Things like patriarchy (a word which cannot be uttered in Progressive Society any more…) and “God-Given Authority,” and how it has been usurped. Marriage – likewise. Covenant, redemption, and so many others.
And again, “if the foundations be destroyed, what can the Righteous do?” Clearly, ‘the world’ has come a long way from those Foundational Truths – and in the wrong direction. And we see THAT ‘wicked fruit,’ too. So the question must be asked, again: What does He really SAY? As opposed to what men say He should have said.
Every element of this story is fundamental to understanding how the pieces later will fit.
But buckle up for this one. As Mark notes, what is in here, and what has been so neglected, is at the very heart of “What Ails Adam-kind.”
“Bereshiet: ‘The Fall is NOT the Whole Story”
https://hebrewnationonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/WT-CooH-10-3-26-Bereshiet-3-4-The-Fall-is-NOT-the-Whole-Story-of-What-Ails-Adam-kind-podcast-xxx.mp3
Service information:
Shabbat Shalom Mesa fellowship worship services and teachings are broadcast live every Sabbath, via Paltalk. (www.paltalk.com has both the link, and the app.) The “room name” is “Walking Torah with Shabbat Shalom Mesa,” and can be found via the paltalk search, then bookmarked.
Erev Shabbat services begin at 7:00 PM Mountain Time Friday evenings (9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central)
Live Sabbath teachings begin shortly after 11 AM Mountain time on Sabbath day (Saturday).
email: mark@markniwot.com
The combined two-part reading and Sabbath midrash:
https://hebrewnationonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/WT-CooH-10-3-26-Bereshiet-3-4-The-Fall-is-NOT-the-Whole-Story-of-What-Ails-Adam-kind-podcast-xxx.mp3