Shabbat Bereshit "the beginning"

The first Shabbat after the Sukkot festival is called "Shabbat Bereshit" because on this Shabbat we already begin to read the Torah from the beginning "Parasha Bereshit" in the book of Bereshit (Genesis).
< br> In some communities, especially those of Ashkenazi origin, it is customary that after the minja prayer (at noon) on Shabbat, Psalm 104 "Barji Nefshi" (Bless my soul ...) begins to be recited, Shir laamalot (Song of Ascension) Psalms 120-134) these are used to say throughout the winter until "Shabbat Gadol" the Shabbat before Pesach.

The relationship between "Barji Nafshi" and the " Shabbat Bereshit "is that in the Bereshit section the creation of the world is related, and this psalm describes the wonders of Creation. Also the fifteen psalms of "Shir la Maalot" (the Song of the Ascension) reflect this theme.

The great sages said:

When King David laid the foundations for the altar, he encountered the abyss and it threatened to rise and flood the world. Then he wrote the sacred name of the Creator and threw it into it (into the abyss), making it go back 16,000 Amot (about 8000 meters) and it was sealed. When David saw that the abyss had descended too far, he said, "The closer it is to the surface, the better it will water the earth." Then he recited the fifteen psalms of Shir la Maalot (the Song of the Ascents) and made him ascend 15,000 amot (about 7500 meters), thus remaining 1000 amot from the surface, in this way, these psalms were a means of subsistence for all the world, because without them there would be no water and everyone would die of thirst.

(T. Sucá 53a)

It should be noted that it would be appropriate to recite them throughout the year, since Shabbat commemorates the Work of Creation. However, in the summer, they are replaced by the study of Pirkei Avot (the ethics of our fathers) therefore they are recited from Shabbat Bereshit and throughout the boreal winter.

(Extracts from Sefer Hatoda, Tishrei)

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