1. Hebrew Bible, Exodus, 24.10 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 201 | 24.10. "and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for clearness.", |
|
2. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 1.1-1.3 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 103, 199, 200| 1.1. "וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב׃", 1.1. "בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ׃", 1.2. "וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל־הָאָרֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם׃", 1.2. "וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם׃", 1.3. "וּלְכָל־חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל־עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה אֶת־כָּל־יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב לְאָכְלָה וַיְהִי־כֵן׃", 1.3. "וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר׃", | 1.1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.", 1.2. "Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.", 1.3. "And God said: ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light.", |
|
3. Hebrew Bible, Job, 37.6-37.7 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 103, 199, 201| 37.6. "כִּי לַשֶּׁלַג יֹאמַר הֱוֵא אָרֶץ וְגֶשֶׁם מָטָר וְגֶשֶׁם מִטְרוֹת עֻזּוֹ׃", 37.7. "בְּיַד־כָּל־אָדָם יַחְתּוֹם לָדַעַת כָּל־אַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֵׂהוּ׃", | 37.6. "For He saith to the snow: ‘Fall thou on the earth’; Likewise to the shower of rain, and to the showers of His mighty rain.", 37.7. "He sealeth up the hand of every man, That all men whom He hath made may know it.", |
|
4. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 104.2, 147.17 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 103, 199, 201| 104.2. "תָּשֶׁת־חֹשֶׁךְ וִיהִי לָיְלָה בּוֹ־תִרְמֹשׂ כָּל־חַיְתוֹ־יָעַר׃", 104.2. "עֹטֶה־אוֹר כַּשַּׂלְמָה נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם כַּיְרִיעָה׃", 147.17. "מַשְׁלִיךְ קַרְחוֹ כְפִתִּים לִפְנֵי קָרָתוֹ מִי יַעֲמֹד׃", | 104.2. "Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain;", 147.17. "He casteth forth His ice like crumbs; Who can stand before His cold?", |
|
5. Hebrew Bible, Isaiah, 40.22 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 103, 200| 40.22. "הַיֹּשֵׁב עַל־חוּג הָאָרֶץ וְיֹשְׁבֶיהָ כַּחֲגָבִים הַנּוֹטֶה כַדֹּק שָׁמַיִם וַיִּמְתָּחֵם כָּאֹהֶל לָשָׁבֶת׃", | 40.22. "It is He that sitteth above the circle of the earth, And the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; That stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;", |
|
6. Hebrew Bible, Lamentations, 2.3 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 201| 2.3. "גָּדַע בָּחֳרִי אַף כֹּל קֶרֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵשִׁיב אָחוֹר יְמִינוֹ מִפְּנֵי אוֹיֵב וַיִּבְעַר בְּיַעֲקֹב כְּאֵשׁ לֶהָבָה אָכְלָה סָבִיב׃", | 2.3. "He hath cut off in fierce anger All the horn of Israel; He hath drawn back His right hand From before the enemy; And He hath burned in Jacob like a flaming fire, Which devoureth round about.", |
|
7. Hebrew Bible, Daniel, 2.22, 12.12 (2nd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 103, 200, 201| 2.22. "הוּא גָּלֵא עַמִּיקָתָא וּמְסַתְּרָתָא יָדַע מָה בַחֲשׁוֹכָא ונהירא [וּנְהוֹרָא] עִמֵּהּ שְׁרֵא׃", 12.12. "אַשְׁרֵי הַמְחַכֶּה וְיַגִּיעַ לְיָמִים אֶלֶף שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת שְׁלֹשִׁים וַחֲמִשָּׁה׃", | 2.22. "He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, And the light dwelleth with Him.", 12.12. "Happy is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.", |
|
8. Anon., Genesis Rabba, 1.6 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 103, 200| 1.6. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר סִימוֹן פָּתַח (דניאל ב, כב): הוּא גָּלֵא עַמִּיקָתָא וּמְסַתְּרָתָא. הוּא גָּלֵא עַמִּיקָתָא, זוֹ גֵּיהִנֹּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ט, יח): וְלֹא יָדַע כִּי רְפָאִים שָׁם, וְאוֹמֵר (ישעיה ל, לג): הֶעְמִיק הִרְחִב. וּמְסַתְּרָתָא, זוֹ גַּן עֵדֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ד, ו): לְמַחְסֶה וּלְמִסְתּוֹר מִזֶּרֶם וּמִמָּטָר, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים לא, כא): תַּסְתִּירֵם בְּסֵתֶר פָּנֶיךָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר הוּא גָּלֵא עַמִּיקָתָא וּמְסַתְּרָתָא, אֵלּוּ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה כט, טו): הוֹי הַמַּעֲמִיקִים מֵה'. וּמְסַתְּרָתָא, אֵלּוּ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה כט, טו): לַסְתִּר עֵצָה. (דניאל ב, כב): יָדַע מָה בַחֲשׁוֹכָא, אֵלּוּ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה כט, טו): וְהָיָה בְמַחְשָׁךְ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם. (דניאל ב' כב): וּנְהוֹרָא עִמֵּהּ שְׁרֵא, אֵלּוּ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים, דִּכְתִיב (משלי ד, יח): וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים צז, יא): אוֹר זָרֻעַ לַצַּדִּיק וגו'. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא סָרוֹנְגַיָא, וּנְהוֹרָא עִמֵּהּ שְׁרֵא, זֶה מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ס, א): קוּמִי אוֹרִי וגו'. בִּפְסִיקְתָּא, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר סִימוֹן מִתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם הוּא גָּלֵא עֲמִיקָתָא וּמְסַתְּרָתָא, בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים וגו', וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ, וְהֵיכָן פֵּרַשׁ לְהַלָּן (ישעיה מ, כב): הַנּוֹטֶה כַדֹּק שָׁמַיִם. וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ, וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ, וְהֵיכָן פֵּרַשׁ לְהַלָּן (איוב לז, ו): כִּי לַשֶּׁלֶג יֹאמַר הֱוֵא אָרֶץ (איוב לח, לח): בְּצֶקֶת עָפָר לַמּוּצָק וגו'. וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר, וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ, וְהֵיכָן פֵּרַשׁ (תהלים קד, ב): עֹטֶה אוֹר כַּשַֹּׂלְמָה. | 1.6. "Rabbi Yehudah Bar Simon opened with (Daniel 2:22): \"He reveals the deep and secret. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.\" \"He reveals the deep\"--this is Hell, as it says (Proverbs 9:18): \"He does not know there are spirits there,\" and it says (Isaiah 30:33): \"deep and large\". \"And secret\"--this is Paradise, as it says (Isaiah 4:6): \"for a cover and refuge from storm and rain,\" and it says (Psalms 31:21): \"You hide them in the cover of Your presence.\" Alternatively, \"he reveals the deep and secret\"--these are the acts of the wicked, as it says (Isaiah 29:15): \"Woe to the ones who seek deep from God to make their counsel secret.\" \"And secret\"--these are the acts of the wicked, as the verse states. \"He knows what is in the dark\"--these are the acts of the wicked, as it says in Isaiah: \"Their acts are in the dark.\" \"The light dwells with Him\"--these are the acts of the righteous, as it is written (Proverbs 4:18): \"The path of the righteous is like the light at dawn,\" and it says (Psalms 97:11): \"Light is sown for the righteous.\" Rabbi Abba Srungia said: \"The light dwells with Him\"--this is the Messiah, as it says (Isaiah 60:1): \"Arise, shine, for your light has come.\" Rabbi Yehudah Bar Simon said: From the beginning of the creation of the world, \"he revealed the dark and secret\". \"In the beginning God created the heavens,\" but it is not explained. Where is it explained? Here (Isaiah 40:22): \"He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.\" \"And the land,\" but it is not explained. Where is it explained? Here (Job 37:6): \"For He says to the snow: 'Fall on the earth.'\" and (Job 38:38) \"When the dust runs into a mass, and the clods cleave together.\" \"And God said: 'Let there be light,'\" and it is not explained. Where is it explained? (Psalms 104:2) \"You cover Yourself with light like a garment.\"", |
|
| 9. Palestinian Talmud, Hagigah, 2.5 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 199 |
10. Babylonian Talmud, Hagigah, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 200| 12a. השתא דנפקא ליה מלמקצה השמים ועד קצה השמים למן היום אשר ברא אלהים אדם על הארץ למה לי,כדר' אלעזר דאמר רבי אלעזר אדם הראשון מן הארץ עד לרקיע שנאמר למן היום אשר ברא אלהים אדם על הארץ וכיון שסרח הניח הקב"ה ידיו עליו ומיעטו שנאמר (תהלים קלט, ה) אחור וקדם צרתני ותשת עלי כפך,אמר רב יהודה אמר רב אדם הראשון מסוף העולם ועד סופו היה שנאמר למן היום אשר ברא אלהים אדם על הארץ ולמקצה השמים ועד קצה השמים כיון שסרח הניח הקב"ה ידו עליו ומיעטו שנאמר ותשת עלי כפך,אי הכי קשו קראי אהדדי אידי ואידי חד שיעורא הוא,ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב עשרה דברים נבראו ביום ראשון ואלו הן שמים וארץ תהו ובהו אור וחשך רוח ומים מדת יום ומדת לילה,שמים וארץ דכתיב (בראשית א, א) בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ תהו ובהו דכתיב (בראשית א, ב) והארץ היתה תהו ובהו אור וחשך חשך דכתיב (בראשית א, ב) וחשך על פני תהום אור דכתיב (בראשית א, ג) ויאמר אלהים יהי אור רוח ומים דכתיב (בראשית א, ב) ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים מדת יום ומדת לילה דכתיב (בראשית א, ה) ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד,תנא תהו קו ירוק שמקיף את כל העולם כולו שממנו יצא חשך שנאמר (תהלים יח, יב) ישת חשך סתרו סביבותיו בהו אלו אבנים המפולמות המשוקעות בתהום שמהן יוצאין מים שנאמר (ישעיהו לד, יא) ונטה עליה קו תהו ואבני בהו,ואור ביום ראשון איברי והכתיב ויתן אותם אלהים ברקיע השמים וכתיב ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום רביעי,כדר' אלעזר דא"ר אלעזר אור שברא הקב"ה ביום ראשון אדם צופה בו מסוף העולם ועד סופו כיון שנסתכל הקב"ה בדור המבול ובדור הפלגה וראה שמעשיהם מקולקלים עמד וגנזו מהן שנאמר (איוב לח, טו) וימנע מרשעים אורם,ולמי גנזו לצדיקים לעתיד לבא שנאמר וירא אלהים את האור כי טוב ואין טוב אלא צדיק שנאמר (ישעיהו ג, י) אמרו צדיק כי טוב,כיון שראה אור שגנזו לצדיקים שמח שנאמר (משלי יג, ט) אור צדיקים ישמח,כתנאי אור שברא הקב"ה ביום ראשון אדם צופה ומביט בו מסוף העולם ועד סופו דברי רבי יעקב וחכ"א הן הן מאורות שנבראו ביום ראשון ולא נתלו עד יום רביעי,אמר רב זוטרא בר טוביא אמר רב בעשרה דברים נברא העולם בחכמה ובתבונה ובדעת ובכח ובגערה ובגבורה בצדק ובמשפט בחסד וברחמים,בחכמה ובתבונה דכתיב (משלי ג, יט) ה' בחכמה יסד ארץ כונן שמים בתבונה בדעת דכתיב (משלי ג, כ) בדעתו תהומות נבקעו בכח וגבורה דכתיב (תהלים סה, ז) מכין הרים בכחו נאזר בגבורה בגערה דכתיב (איוב כו, יא) עמודי שמים ירופפו ויתמהו מגערתו בצדק ומשפט דכתיב (תהלים פט, טו) צדק ומשפט מכון כסאך בחסד ורחמים דכתיב (תהלים כה, ו) זכר רחמיך ה' וחסדיך כי מעולם המה,ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב בשעה שברא הקב"ה את העולם היה מרחיב והולך כשתי פקעיות של שתי עד שגער בו הקב"ה והעמידו שנאמר עמודי שמים ירופפו ויתמהו מגערתו והיינו דאמר ר"ל מאי דכתיב (בראשית לה, יא) אני אל שדי אני הוא שאמרתי לעולם די אמר ר"ל בשעה שברא הקב"ה את הים היה מרחיב והולך עד שגער בו הקב"ה ויבשו שנאמר (נחום א, ד) גוער בים ויבשהו וכל הנהרות החריב,ת"ר ב"ש אומרים שמים נבראו תחלה ואח"כ נבראת הארץ שנאמר בראשית ברא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ וב"ה אומרים ארץ נבראת תחלה ואח"כ שמים שנאמר (בראשית ב, ד) ביום עשות ה' אלהים ארץ ושמים,אמר להם ב"ה לב"ש לדבריכם אדם בונה עלייה ואח"כ בונה בית שנאמר (עמוס ט, ו) הבונה בשמים מעלותיו ואגודתו על ארץ יסדה אמר להם ב"ש לב"ה לדבריכם אדם עושה שרפרף ואח"כ עושה כסא שנאמר (ישעיהו סו, א) כה אמר ה' השמים כסאי והארץ הדום רגלי וחכ"א זה וזה כאחת נבראו שנאמר (ישעיהו מח, יג) אף ידי יסדה ארץ וימיני טפחה שמים קורא אני אליהם יעמדו יחדו,ואידך מאי יחדו דלא משתלפי מהדדי קשו קראי אהדדי אמר ר"ל כשנבראו ברא שמים ואח"כ ברא הארץ וכשנטה נטה הארץ ואחר כך נטה שמים,מאי שמים א"ר יוסי בר חנינא ששם מים במתניתא תנא אש ומים מלמד שהביאן הקב"ה וטרפן זה בזה ועשה מהן רקיע,שאל רבי ישמעאל את ר"ע כשהיו מהלכין בדרך א"ל אתה ששימשת את נחום איש גם זו כ"ב שנה שהיה דורש כל אתין שבתורה את השמים ואת הארץ מה היה דורש בהן א"ל אילו נאמר שמים וארץ הייתי אומר שמים שמו של הקב"ה עכשיו שנאמר את השמים ואת הארץ שמים שמים ממש ארץ ארץ ממש | 12a. The Gemara poses a question: b Now that it is derived from /b the phrase b “from one end of the heavens to the other,” why do I /b need the phrase b “since the day that God created man upon the earth”? /b ,The Gemara answers that this phrase teaches us something else, b according to Rabbi Elazar. /b As b Rabbi Elazar said: /b The height of b Adam the first man /b reached b from the ground to the skies, as it is stated: “Since the day that God created man upon the earth, /b and from one end of the heavens” (Deuteronomy 4:32). b When he sinned, the Holy One, Blessed be He, placed His hand upon him and diminished him, as it is stated: “You fashioned me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me” /b (Psalms 139:5)., b Rav Yehuda said /b that b Rav said: The /b size of b Adam the first man was from one end of the world to the other, as it is stated: “Since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from one end of the heavens to the other,” /b which indicates that he spanned the entire length of the world. b Once he sinned, the Holy One, Blessed be He, placed His hand upon him and diminished him, as it states: “And laid Your hand upon me.” /b ,The Gemara asks: b If so, the /b two parts of the b verse contradict each other, /b since one indicates that his height reached the heavens while the other says it reached the end of the earth. The Gemara answers: Both b this and that are one, /b the same, b measure. /b ,§ The Gemara continues to discuss Creation: b Rav Yehuda said /b that b Rav said: Ten things were created on the first day /b of Creation, b and they are /b as follows: b Heaven and earth; i tohu /i and i vohu /i , /b i.e., unformed and void; b light and darkness; wind and water; the length of day and the length of night. /b ,All of these are derived from the Torah: b Heaven and earth, as it is written: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” /b (Genesis 1:1). b i Tohu /i and i vohu /i , as it is written: “And the earth was unformed and void [ i tohu vavohu /i ]” /b (Genesis 1:2). b Light and darkness; darkness, as it is written: “And darkness was upon the face of the deep” /b (Genesis 1:2); b light, as it is written: “And God said: Let there be light” /b (Genesis 1:3). b Wind and water, as it is written: “And the wind of God hovered over the face of the waters” /b (Genesis 1:2). b The length of day and the length of night, as it is written: “And there was evening, and there was morning, one day” /b (Genesis 1:5)., b It was taught /b in the i Tosefta /i : b i Tohu /i /b is b a green line that encompasses the entire world, and from which darkness emerges, as it is stated: “He made darkness His hiding place round about Him” /b (Psalms 18:12), indicating that a line of darkness surrounds the world. b i Vohu /i ; these are damp stones submerged in the depths, from which water emerges, as it is stated: “And He shall stretch over it the line of i tohu /i and stones of i vohu /i ” /b (Isaiah 34:11), which demonstrates that i tohu /i is a line and that i vohu /i is referring to stones.,The Gemara poses a question: b And /b was b light created on the first day? But isn’t it written: “And God set them in the firmament of the heaven” /b (Genesis 1:17), b and it is /b also b written: “And there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day” /b (Genesis 1:19), indicating that light was created on the fourth day.,The Gemara answers: This should be understood b in accordance with Rabbi Elazar, as Rabbi Elazar said: /b The b light that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created on the first day /b was not that of the sun but a different kind of light, b through which man could observe from one end of the world to the other. But when the Holy One, Blessed be He, looked upon the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion and saw that their ways were corrupt /b and that they might misuse this light for evil, b He arose and concealed it from them, as it is stated: “And from the wicked their light is withheld” /b (Job 38:15)., b And for whom did He conceal it? For the righteous people in the future, as it is stated: “And God saw the light, that it was good” /b (Genesis 1:4), b and “good” is referring to none /b other than the b righteous, as it is stated: “Say /b of b the righteous that it shall be good /b for them, for they shall eat the fruit of their actions” (Isaiah 3:10)., b When the light saw that it had been concealed for the righteous, it rejoiced, as it is stated: “The light for the righteous shall rejoice” /b (Proverbs 13:9).,The Gemara comments: This is b like /b a dispute between b i tanna’im /i : /b The b light that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created on /b the b first day /b was so profound that b man could observe through it from one end of the world to the other; /b this is b the statement of Rabbi Ya’akov. And the Rabbis say: /b This light b is the very same as the lights created on the first day, but they were not suspended /b in their designated places in the firmament b until the fourth day. /b ,§ b Rav Zutra bar Tuvya said /b that b Rav said: The world was created through ten attributes: Through wisdom, through understanding, through knowledge, through strength, through rebuke, through might, through righteousness, through justice, through kindness, and through mercy. /b ,Scriptural proof is provided for this statement as follows: It was created b through wisdom and through understanding, as it is written: “The Lord founded earth with wisdom, and established the heavens with understanding” /b (Proverbs 3:19); b through knowledge, as it is written: “With His knowledge the depths were broken up” /b (Proverbs 3:20); b through strength and through might, as it is written: “Who by Your strength sets fast the mountains, who is girded about with might” /b (Psalms 65:7); b through rebuke, as it is written: “The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at His rebuke” /b (Job 26:11); b through righteousness and justice, as it is written: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne” /b (Psalms 89:15); b through kindness and mercy, as it is written: “Remember Your mercies, O Lord, and Your kindnesses, for they are from times of old” /b (Psalms 25:6)., b And Rav Yehuda said /b that b Rav said, /b with regard to the same matter: b When the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the world, it continued to expand like two balls of a warp, /b whose cord lengthens as they unravel, b until the Holy One, Blessed be He, rebuked it and made it stand still, as it is stated: “The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at His rebuke” /b (Job 26:11). b And this is /b the same as that which b Reish Lakish said: What is /b the meaning of that b which is written: “I am the Almighty God /b [ b i El Shaddai /i /b ]” (Genesis 17:1)? It means: b I am He Who said to the world “enough [dai],” /b instructing it to stop expanding. Similarly, b Reish Lakish said: When the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the sea, it continued to expand until the Holy One, Blessed be He, rebuked it and made it dry, as it is stated: “He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and desiccates all the rivers” /b (Nahum 1:4).,§ Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel dispute the order of Creation, as b the Sages taught: Beit Shammai say: The heavens were created first and afterward the earth was created, as it is stated: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” /b (Genesis 1:1), which indicates that heaven came first. b And Beit Hillel say: /b The b earth was created first, and heaven after it, as it is stated: “On the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven” /b (Genesis 2:4)., b Beit Hillel said to Beit Shammai: According to your words, /b does b a person build a second floor and build /b the first floor of b the house afterward? As it is stated: “It is He Who builds His upper chambers in the heaven, and has founded His vault upon the earth” /b (Amos 9:6), indicating that the upper floor, heaven, was built above the earth. b Beit Shammai said to Beit Hillel: According to your words, /b does b a person make a stool /b for his feet, b and make a seat afterward? As it is stated: “So said the Lord: The heavens are My seat, and the earth My footstool” /b (Isaiah 66:1). b But the Rabbis say: /b Both b this and that were created as one, for it is stated: “Indeed, My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together” /b (Isaiah 48:13), implying that they were created as one.,The Gemara asks: b And the others, /b Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, b what, /b in their opinion, b is /b the meaning of b “together”? /b The Gemara responds: It means b that they do not separate from each other. /b In other words, the term “together” is referring not to the moment of their creation but to the manner of their positioning. The Gemara comments: In any case, b the verses contradict each other, /b as heaven is sometimes mentioned first, while on other occasions earth is listed beforehand. b Reish Lakish said: When they were created, He /b first b created /b the b heavens and afterward created the earth, but when He spread them /b out and fixed them in their places, b He spread /b out b the earth and afterward He spread /b out b the heavens. /b ,Incidental to the above, the Gemara asks: b What is /b the meaning and source of the word b “heaven” [ i shamayim /i ]? Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: /b It is an acronym, b i shesham mayim /i , /b meaning: That water is there. b It was taught in a i baraita /i : /b i Shamayim /i means b i esh umayim /i , /b fire and water, which b teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, brought them /b both b and combined them together, and made /b the b firmament from them. /b ,§ The Gemara relates: b Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Akiva /b a question b when they were walking along the way. He said to him: You who served Naḥum of Gam Zu for twenty-two years, who would expound /b and learn that b every /b appearance of the word b i et /i in the Torah /b is meant to teach something, b what would he expound from /b the phrase: b “The heaven and the earth” /b [ b i et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz /i /b ] (Genesis 1:1)? b He said to him: /b These words should be expounded as follows: b Had it stated: /b In the beginning God created i hashamayim veha’aretz /i , i.e., the heaven and the earth, without the word i et /i , b I would have said: i Shamayim /i is the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, /b and the same goes for i aretz /i , and the verse would sound as if it meant that God, whose name is i Shamayim /i and i Aretz /i , created the world. b Since it states “ i et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz /i ,” /b it is clear that these are created objects and that b i shamayim /i /b means the b actual heaven /b and b i aretz /i /b is the b actual earth. /b It is for this reason that the word i et /i is necessary. |
|
11. Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 199| 54b. כאיש המעורה בלוייה שלו אמר ריש לקיש בשעה שנכנסו נכרים להיכל ראו כרובים המעורין זה בזה הוציאון לשוק ואמרו ישראל הללו שברכתן ברכה וקללתן קללה יעסקו בדברים הללו מיד הזילום שנאמר (איכה א, ח) כל מכבדיה הזילוה כי ראו ערותה,ושתיה היתה נקראת תנא שממנה הושתת העולם תנן כמאן דאמר מציון נברא העולם דתניא רבי אליעזר אומר עולם מאמצעיתו נברא שנאמר (איוב לח, לח) בצקת עפר למוצק ורגבים ידובקו,רבי יהושע אומר עולם מן הצדדין נברא שנאמר (איוב לז, ו) כי לשלג יאמר הוי ארץ וגשם מטר וגשם מטרות עוזו רבי יצחק (נפחא) אמר אבן ירה הקב"ה בים ממנו נשתת העולם שנאמר (איוב לח, ו) על מה אדניה הטבעו או מי ירה אבן פנתה,וחכמים אומרים מציון נברא שנאמר (תהלים נ, א) מזמור לאסף אל אלהים ה' ואומר מציון מכלל יופי ממנו מוכלל יפיו של עולם,תניא ר' אליעזר הגדול אומר (בראשית ב, ד) אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם ביום עשות ה' אלהים ארץ ושמים תולדות שמים משמים נבראו תולדות הארץ מארץ נבראו,וחכמים אומרים אלו ואלו מציון נבראו שנאמר מזמור לאסף אל אלהים ה' דבר ויקרא ארץ ממזרח שמש עד מבואו ואומר מציון מכלל יופי אלהים הופיע ממנו מוכלל יופיו של עולם,נטל את הדם ממי שממרס בו וכו' מאי כמצליף מחוי רב יהודה | 54b. It means b like a man /b joined and b clinging to his i livaya /i , /b his partner, i.e., his wife. In other words, the cherubs appeared to be embracing one another. b Reish Lakish said: When gentiles /b destroyed the Second Temple and b entered the Sanctuary, they saw /b these drawings of b cherubs clinging to one another. /b They peeled them from the wall, b took them out to the market, and said: These Jews, whose blessing is a blessing and whose curse is a curse, /b due to their great fear of God, should b they be occupied with such matters, /b making images of this kind? b They immediately debased /b and destroyed b them, as it is stated: “All who honored her debase her because they have seen her nakedness” /b (Lamentations 1:8).,§ The mishna taught that a stone sat in the Holy of Holies b and it was called /b the b foundation [ i shetiyya /i ] /b rock. A Sage b taught /b in the i Tosefta /i : Why was it called i shetiyya /i ? It is b because the world was created [ i hushtat /i ] from it. /b The Gemara comments: b We learned /b the mishna b in accordance with /b the opinion of b the one who said /b that b the world was created from Zion. As it was taught /b in a i baraita /i that b Rabbi Eliezer says: The world was created from its center, as it is stated: “When the dust runs into a mass, and the clods cleave fast together” /b (Job 38:38). The world was created by adding matter to the center, like the formation of clumps of earth., b Rabbi Yehoshua says: /b The b world was created from the sides, as it is stated: “For He said to the snow: Become the earth, likewise to the shower of rain, and to the showers of His mighty rain” /b (Job 37:6). This verse indicates that the rains fell from all sides, which led to the creation of the earth. b Rabbi Yitzḥak Nappaḥa said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, cast a stone into the sea, from which the world was created, as it is stated: “Upon what were its foundations fastened; or who laid its cornerstone?” /b (Job 38:6)., b And the Rabbis say: /b The world b was created from Zion, as it is stated: “A Psalm of Asaph. God, the Lord God /b has spoken and called the earth, from the rising of the sun to its place of setting” (Psalms 50:1), b and it states: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, /b God has shined forth” (Psalms 50:2). The mishna is taught in accordance with this last opinion., b It was taught /b in a i baraita /i that b Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: “These are the generations of the heaven and the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven” /b (Genesis 2:4) means that the b generations of the heavens, /b i.e., all things found in the heavens, b were created from the heavens, /b while the b generations of the earth were created from the earth. /b , b And the Rabbis say: Both these and those were created from Zion, as it is stated: “A Psalm of Asaph. God, the Lord God has spoken and called the earth, from the rising of the sun to its place of setting,” and it says: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined forth,” /b i.e., b from /b Zion b the beauty of the world was perfected, /b which includes both the generations of the heavens and the generations of the earth.,§ The mishna taught that the High Priest b took the blood /b of the bull b from /b the one b who was stirring it /b so it would not coagulate, b and he entered /b and sprinkled it like one who whips. The Gemara asks: b What is /b the meaning of: b Like one who whips? Rav Yehuda demonstrated /b the action with his hand, |
|
| 12. Anon., Pesiqta De Rav Kahana, 17.5 Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 201 |
| 13. Anon., Pesiqta De-Rabbi Eliezer, 3 Tagged with subjects: •creation, from snow Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 200 |
