The world is off to quite a good start, as we see in this parashah. Every day Hashem commanded more creations, which are described in separate paragraphs.

There is a problem when we try to lein the days of Creation. Each day starts with Vayomer Elokim, at the beginning of a line.

The distinction between the vowels Tzereh (prounounced "ay" by some Ashkenazim) and Segol (eh) in the word Es can be confusing. The first Posuk has the word Ays twice, for example. In general, the word Ays has trope, whereas the word Es does not. One notable exception is the Pashta-Katon combination, in which the Es does have trope.

The fourth Aliya has a brief discussion between Kayin and Hashem. Whenever Kayin said anything, the word Vayomer gets a simple Mercha Tipcha, which has a simple tune, whereas Hashem's use of the word Vayomer merits a more melodious trope - from a Mahpach Pashta to a resounding Darga Tivir.

The sixth and seventh Aliyas present a family tree extending from Adam until Noah. Every generation gets its own paragraph, beginning with the number of years the person lived. These paragraphs all start the same, but the trope is different. It is interesting that whenever there is a short name, such as Shet and Noah, at the beginning of the chapter, the name gets a Zakef Gadol, whereas the longer names get a simpler trope - Mercha Tipcha or Zakef Katon.

5:29- In the word Ze there is a Tlisha Ktana and then a Gershaim, but when you lein, you first say the Gershaim and then the Tlisha Ktana.

The placement of the Aliyas in this Parasha varies among different texts. There are two main traditions:

1. All seven days (1:1 – 2:3) are read as one Aliya. The next stop is at 2:20, followed by 3:22, 4:19, and 4:23. The seventh Aliya begins at 5:25.
2. The first Aliyah spans the first three days (1:1 – 1:13), followed by an Aliya covering the next two days (1:14 – 1:23), and then the last two days (1:24 – 2:3). The following Aliyas are at 3:21, and at 5:1. The seventh Aliya begins at 5:25, and all Jews are again reunited.

Haftara for Parashat Bereshit