The Acts of Creation

Sources

One might have thought that a person may ask questions with regard to what is above, what is below, what was before, and what is after the world. Therefore, the same verse states: “From one end of the heavens to the other” (Deuteronomy 4:32), which is explained as follows: With regard to that which is from one end of the heavens to the other, within the boundaries of the world, you may ask, but you may not ask what is above, what is below, what was before, or what is after.

Chagigah 11b:24

Rebbi Jonah [in the name of] Rebbi Abba: It is written, but ask the first days which were before you, I could think before the Creation. The verse says, from the day that God created Man on the Earth. I could think starting with the Sixth Day, the verse says, the first. After the verse added, it subtracted. Therefore we infer from the Sixth. Since the Sixth is particular that it is one of the Six Days of Creation, also you may not bring to me only ones similar to the Sixth. I could think, to know what is higher than heaven and lower than the abyss, the verse says…

Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:1:13-14

“I know that everything that God does, it will be forever, one cannot add to it, nor can one subtract from it; God did so, so they would fear before Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
“I know that everything that God does, it will be forever…” Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: It would have been fitting for Adam, the first man, to have lived and endured forever. Why was death imposed upon him? “God did so, so they would fear before Him.”
Rabbi Elazar said: From the beginning of the creation of the world it is stated: “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered” (Genesis 1:9)…

Kohelet Rabbah 3:14:1

What the verse said: “I know that everything that God does, it will be forever; one cannot add to it…” (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra said: What is “one cannot add to it…”? So said the Holy One blessed be He, from the beginning of the creation of the world: “Let the water under the heavens be gathered to one place…” (Genesis 1:9). Why is it written: “Who summons the waters of the sea and pours them upon the face of the earth; the Lord is His name”? (Amos 5:8). “So they would be in fear of Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14) – so the people would be in fear of Him…

Devarim Rabbah 10:2

All these concepts which we have explained in this context are like a drop in a bucket. They are deep matters. Nevertheless, their depth does not approach the depth of the subject matter of the first and second chapters.
The explanation of all the subject matter in the third and fourth chapters is referred to as Ma'aseh Bereshit (“the work of Creation”).The Sages of the early generations commanded that these matters should not be expounded upon in public. Rather, a single individual should be informed about them and taught them.

Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 4:10

The honor of God is to conceal a matter For instance, the account of the Merkavah and the account of the Creation.

Rashi on Proverbs 25:2:1

“Nor the Creation to two.” Rebbi Abba in the name of Rav Jehudah: This is Rebbi Aqiba’s, but following Rebbi Ismael one investigates what happened. Since Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi was sitting and explaining that originally the world was water in water; this implies that practice follows Rebbi Ismael. Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi was preaching: Originally the world was water in water. What is the reason? God’s wind was hovering over the water. Then He turned it into snow, He throws his ice like small breads. Then He turned it into land, for He will tell the snow, be land…

Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:1:3

The Sages taught in a baraita (Tosefta 8:7): Adam the first man was created on Shabbat eve at the close of the six days of Creation. And for what reason was this so? So that the heretics will not be able to say that the Holy One, Blessed be He, had a partner, i.e., Adam, in the acts of Creation. Alternatively, he was created on Shabbat eve so that if a person becomes haughty, God can say to him: The mosquito preceded you in the acts of Creation, as you were created last…

Sanhedrin 38a:13

The Gemara enumerates the sections indicated by the letters of the mnemonic. The section of the act of Creation [bereshit], alluded to by the letter bet, is read and translated. The Gemara comments: This is obvious. Why might one think otherwise? The Gemara answers: Lest you say that if the story of the Creation is read in public people will come to ask questions that should not be asked, for instance: What is above and what is below,

Megillah 25a:19

The Gemara continues to ask: And according to the opinion of the other tanna, Rabbi Yehoshua, isn’t it written: “Fruit tree,” indicating that the world was created in a season when the trees were already filled with their fruit? The Gemara answers: That verse may be understood in accordance with the statement of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: All the acts of Creation were created with their full stature, immediately fit to bear fruit; they were created with their full mental capacities…

Rosh Hashanah 11a:6

One who sees conspicuous natural occurrences recites a blessing. For zikin and zeva’ot, which the Gemara will discuss below, for thunder, gale force winds, and lightning, manifestations of the power of the Creator, one recites: Blessed…Whose strength and power fill the world. For extraordinary (Rambam) mountains, hills, seas, rivers, and deserts, one recites: Blessed…Author of creation. Consistent with his opinion that a separate blessing should be instituted for each individual species…

The Gemara relates: Rav Yosef would study the Design of the Divine Chariot and was familiar with the subject, whereas the Elders of Pumbedita would study the act of Creation. They said to Rav Yosef: Let the Master teach us the Design of the Divine Chariot. He said to them: You teach me the act of Creation. After they taught him that subject, they said to him: Let the Master teach us the Design of the Divine Chariot. He said to them: We learned with regard to them the secrets of the Torah: “Honey and milk are under your tongue”…

Rabbi Hoshaya the Great began: “I was with Him as an amon, a delight day after day…” (Proverbs 8:30) – amon means a child’s caretaker, amon means covered, amon means hidden, and some say amon means greatness. Amon means a child’s caretaker, as it says: “As a caretaker [omen] carries a nursing child” (Numbers 11:12). Amon means covered, as it says: “Those covered [ha’emunim] in scarlet…” (Lamentations 4:5). Amon means hidden, as it says: “He was omen Hadassa” (Esther 2:7)…

Bereshit Rabbah 1:1

And if you would ask: but if that is the case, then "the creation" is "the Divine chariot" itself: For in view of the fact that "the creation" is nothing other than the knowledge of the forms of things, which are functions of the givers of the forms, the separate intelligences, then, to all intents and purposes, knowledge of "the creation" is knowledge of the separate intelligences, which is "the Divine chariot." The answer: It should be known that apperception of the activities of the separate intelligences embraces two areas: one, the dependence upon them of what is beneath them…

Derashot HaRan 1:28-29

We learned in the mishna that over mountains and hills one recites: Blessed…Author of creation. The Gemara asks: Is that to say that all those that we mentioned until now, such as lightning, are not acts of creation? Among God’s praise for creation of the world and forming the mountains, is it not also written: “He makes lightning for the rain” (Psalms 135:7)? Abaye said: Combine the two statements and teach that in all the cases in our mishna, one recites these two blessings…

Berakhot 59a:13-59b:1

They fled, but they did not know where to flee, as it is said: The mountains rose, the valleys sank down, unto the place which Thou hast founded for them (ibid., v. 8). This may be compared to a slave whose master commands him to wait for him in the market but neglects to tell him where to wait. The slave asks himself: “Perhaps my master meant that I should wait near the basilica, or the bathhouse, or the theater.” When they finally meet, the master slaps him on the face, and says: “I sent you to the gate of the duke’s palace…

Midrash Tanchuma, Chayei Sara 3:9

Ḥizkiya said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “You caused sentence to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was silent” (Psalms 76:9)? If it was afraid, why was it silent; and if it was silent, why was it afraid? Rather, the meaning is: At first, it was afraid, and in the end, it was silent. “You caused sentence to be heard from heaven” refers to the revelation at Sinai. And why was the earth afraid? It is in accordance with the statement of Reish Lakish…

“God said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water” – the Rabbis say it in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina, Rabbi Pinḥas, and Rabbi Yaakov bar Avin in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: When the Holy One blessed be He said: “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water,” the middle drop [of water] congealed and thereby the lower heavens and the upper highest heavens came about. Rav said: Their substance on the first day was damp, and on the second day they congealed. “Let there be a firmament” – let the firmament harden…

Bereshit Rabbah 4:2

The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. This baraita is referring to our fire, and that baraita is referring to the fire of Gehenna. The Gemara explains: Our fire was created at the conclusion of Shabbat, but the fire of Gehenna was created on Shabbat eve. The Gemara proceeds to ask: Was the fire of Gehenna created on Shabbat eve? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita: Seven phenomena were created before the world was created, and they are: Torah, and repentance, and the Garden of Eden, and Gehenna…

Reish Lakish said: There are seven firmaments, and they are as follows: Vilon, Rakia, Sheḥakim, Zevul, Ma’on, Makhon, and Aravot. The Gemara proceeds to explain the role of each firmament: Vilon, curtain, is the firmament that does not contain anything, but enters at morning and departs in the evening, and renews the act of Creation daily, as it is stated: “Who stretches out the heavens as a curtain [Vilon], and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22)…

Relatedראו גם

Ma'aseh Hamerkavah

"In the Beginning of"

Sheetsדפי מקורות

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