This myth explains how land was created when the whole earth was covered with water. An alternate explanation in Pesikta Rabbati 48:2 states that “Primeval waters covered the whole world. What did God do? Some say He emptied them into that which was already full. Others say He pressed down upon them, so to speak, and made them gather into one great sea.” This, then, is a divine miracle, in which God pours water into water that was already full, and it does not overflow.
A later text in Midrash Konen greatly elaborates on the chain of images in this text: “The earth is stretched out upon the waters, and the waters on pillars of hashmal, and the pillars of hashmal on the Mountain of Hailstones, and the Mountain of Hailstones on the Storehouses of Snow, and the Storehouses of Snow on the Storehouses of Water and Fire, and the Storehouses of Water on the sea, and the sea on the deep (tehom), and the deep on chaos (tohu), and chaos on the void (vohu), and the void stands upon the sea, and the sea stands on the sweet waters, and the sweet waters stand on the mountains, and the mountains stand on the wind, and the wind on the wings of storm, and the storm is tied to the heavens, and the heavens are suspended from the arm of the Holy One, blessed be He.”
In Merkavah Rabbah, it is not just the whirlwind that hangs like an amulet from God’s arm, but the universe itself, based on the verse, And beneath His arm—the universe (Deut. 33:17).
The transformation of snow into water is linked with Job 37:6, For He says to the snow, “Become earth,” while the ending echoes the biblical phrase, The arm of Yahweh has been revealed (Isa. 53:1).
Sources:
B. Hagigah 12b; Y. Hagigah 2:1; Midrash Tanhuma, Bereshit 11; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 3; Pesikta Rabbati 48.2; Midrash Tehillim 104.8; Merkavah Rabbah; Midrash Konen in Beit ha-Midrash 2:32-33.
123. THE THREE CRAFTSMEN
When God first created the world, everything consisted of water, and from water God developed the world. He made three craftsmen to do His work—heaven, earth, and water. With these, He created everything in this world. He directed each of the three craftsmen to produce the creations necessary for the world. He bid water produce earth, commanding the waters to gather in one place. The waters did as they were commanded and that is when dry land appeared, as it is said, “Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear” (Gen. 1:9).
Then God called upon the earth to produce its creations—animals and other living creatures. And the earth did as it was commanded, as it is said, “Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature” (Gen. 1:24). So too did God call upon the earth to produce vegetation and plants. And the earth did so, as it is said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it” (Gen. 1:11). And God called upon the waters to produce swarms of fish and birds, as it is said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky” (Gen. 1:20).
God then called upon the heavens to make a separation between the upper waters and the lower waters, as it is said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters” (Gen. 1:6), and it was done. Then God called upon the heavens to illuminate the earth, as it is said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens” (Gen. 1:14), and this, too, was accomplished.
But when it was time to create man, God said, “None of you is able to produce this creature alone. All of you must unite, and I too will join you. Together we shall make man.” So God joined with the three craftsmen in creating man, and God gave him a soul.
This myth embellishes the Genesis creation myth, personifying heaven, earth, and water, and attributing the creations of the earth to them, acting at God’s command. Thus God delegates His powers to these personified forces, and the actual work of Creation comes from them, instead of from the word of God. This indicates a remythologizing process, moving away from the abstraction of creation by the word toward creation by primordial forces.
One of the primary rabbinic debates about Creation centers on whether or not God had any assistance. Just as the angels are said to have assisted God in some roles of Creation, the elements are personified as celestial entities, virtually as lesser gods, who were created to carry out God’s orders. But in doing so they play an active role in the work of Creation. This detracts from the stunning totality of God’s accomplishment. In other myths, God does not depend on assistance from other celestial beings or on the existence of some kind of pre-existent elements, such as darkness and light, water, earth, and heaven. In De Somniis 1:76, Philo identifies both kinds of elements: “When God gave birth to all things, He not only brought them into sight, but also brought into being things that had not existed before. Thus He was not merely an artificer, but also a Creator.”
Further, God joins in with the three other elements to create man—God contributes the soul. Even though this is the most important part, it is still only one part out of four. Thus from a theological point of view, it appears that this myth from Midrash ha-Ne’elam takes the point of view that God did have assistance in creating the world, but that God Himself first created those assistants, the elements, to serve that very purpose. This mitigates the pagan aspect of this myth.
Sources:
Philo, De Opificio Mundi 170-171; Philo, De Somniis 1:76; Midrash ha-Ne’elam, Zohar Hadash 16a-b.
Studies:
“Gnostic Themes in Rabbinic Cosmology” by Alexander Altmann.
124. THE PILLARS OF THE WORLD
The world stands upon pillars. Some say it stands on twelve pillars, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. Others say that it rests on seven pillars, which stand on the water. This water is on top of the mountains, which rest on wind and storm. Still others say that the world stands on three pillars. Once every three hundred years they move slightly, causing earthquakes. But Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua says that it rests on one pillar, whose name is “Righteous.”
One of the ancient creation myths found in many cultures describes the earth as standing on one or more pillars. In this Jewish version of the myth, several theories are found—that the earth stands on twelve, seven, or three pillars—or on one. Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua gives that one pillar the name of Tzaddik, “Righteous,” underscoring an allegorical reading of this myth, whereby God is the pillar that supports the world. This, of course, is the central premise of monotheism. Alternatively, his comment may be understood to refer to the Tzaddik, the righteous man whose existence is required for the world to continue to exist. Or it might refer to the principle of righteousness, and how the world could not exist without it.
Sources:
B. Hagigah 12b; Me’am Lo’ez on Genesis 1:10.
125. THE FOUNDATION STONE
The world has a foundation stone. This stone serves as the starting point for all that was created, and serves as a true foundation.
How did it come to exist? In the beginning, when God desired to create the world, He took snow from beneath the Throne of Glory and cast it into the waters, where it congealed into a stone in the midst of the Deep. This is the center of the universe, and from it the earth expanded in all directions. God began the creation of His world at that foundation stone, and built the world upon it.
Others say that God took a stone compounded of fire, water, and air, and cast it into the abyss so that it held fast there, holding back the waters of the deep, and the world was planted in that place. Then there are those who say that God took the Foundation Stone and hurled it to the place designated for the Temple, and raised His right foot and drove the stone down into the very bottom of the deep and made it the pillar of the earth and founded the world upon it.
Still others say that God took an emerald stone engraved with mysteries of the alphabet, and threw it into the waters. It drifted from place to place until it came to the Holy Land, and there it sank, and the whole world was firmly established on it. And that is why it is called Even
ha-Shetiyyah, the Foundation Stone.
When King David decided to build the Temple in Jerusalem, he commanded that shafts be dug to a depth of fifteen hundred cubits. And lo, they struck a stone in one of those shafts. As soon as he learned of it, King David went there with Ahitophel, his counselor, and with other members of the court. They descended into the pit, and there, at the bottom, they saw the immense stone, shining like the darkest emerald.
All those who saw it were amazed, and they knew that it must, indeed, be that fabled stone, which served as the world’s foundation. Yet all at once King David was possessed by a great curiosity to see what lay beneath it. King David ordered it to be raised, but a voice came forth from the stone, saying: “Be warned that I must not be lifted. I serve to hold back the waters of the Abyss.”
All of them stood in awe of that voice, but King David’s curiosity was still not sated. He decided to ignore the warning, and once more he ordered the stone to be raised. None of his advisors dared say anything, for they feared his wrath. After a great effort, a corner of the Foundation Stone was lifted up, and King David bent down and peered into the Abyss beneath it. There he heard something like the sound of rushing waters, and he suddenly realized that by lifting the stone he had set free the waters of the Deep. Once again the world was in danger of being deluged, as in the time of Noah.
King David trembled with fear, and he asked the others what they might do to cause the waters to fall back, but no one spoke. Then King David said: “Perhaps if I wrote the Name of God on a potsherd, and cast it into the depths, we might still be saved. But does anyone know if this is permitted?” Still the others said nothing, and King David grew angry and said: “If any one of you knows this and still refuses to answer, then your soul will bear the curse of the end of existence!” Then Ahitophel spoke: “Surely the Name can be used to bring peace to the whole world.” So David picked up a potsherd and scratched the four-letter Name of God into it, and cast it into the bottomless pit. All at once the roar of the waters grew fainter, and they knew that they had been saved by the power of the Name.
In the days to come King David repented many times for his sin, and he gave thanks to God for sparing the world from another Flood. And his son, Solomon, had the Holy of Holies of the Temple built exactly above the Foundation Stone, for both the stone and the Temple bore the seal of God’s blessing.
Others say that after King David found the stone resting on the mouth of the abyss, with God’s Name on it, he put the stone into the Holy of Holies of the Temple. The sages were concerned that some young men might learn the true pronunciation of the Divine Name from the speaking stone, and thereby destroy the world. So they built two lions of brass, which they placed by the Holy of Holies, on the right and left. If anyone entered and learned the divine Name, these lions would roar when he came out, so frightening him that he would forget the Name. Further, a divine blessing was said to emanate from the Foundation Stone, which was bestowed upon Israel from the Holy of Holies. Some say that this blessing came from the wings of the angels and cherubim that hovered above the Foundation Stone, and that the stars and planets joined the blessing as well. But when the Temple was destroyed, the blessing was lost.
Others say that the angels above and Israel below all hold fast to the Foundation Stone, which rises up to heaven, and comes to rest among the righteous. And if that stone, which hovers in the air, should fall to the earth, it would be a sign that that the days of the Messiah were at hand.
A myth in Y. Sanhedrin 29a asserts that God used a shard to hold back the waters in exactly the same way that King David did: “God prevented tehom (the lower waters) from rising up by placing a shard above the waters, on which He had engraved His Name. The seal was removed only once, in the time of Noah. Then tehom united with the upper waters, and together they flooded the earth.” In Sefer ha-Zikhronot 1:6, a clearly related midrash reports that the earth was created from the snow beneath the Throne of Glory. God took it up and scattered it upon the waters. Then the water congealed and became the dust of the earth. This is linked to the verse For he says to the snow, “Become earth” (Job 37:6).
This talmudic legend about King David demonstrates the immense sanctity of Jerusalem, and especially of the site of the Temple there. King David sets out to dig the foundations of the Temple, and strikes the Foundation Stone of the earth, upon which God built the rest of this world. This confirms that Jerusalem is the very center of the world, as it was portrayed in ancient maps.
At the same time, this tale is a divine test, not unlike the tests of Adam and Eve, of Abraham in the Akedah, the binding of Isaac, and of Job. Even though a voice from the stone warns him not to lift it, King David, not unlike Pandora, lifts the Foundation Stone and sets free the powers of chaos, the waters of the Abyss, which threaten to inundate the earth as in the time of Noah. In a desperate moment, David writes the Tetragrammaton, the secret Name of God, on a shard and throws it into the abyss, and the power of God’s Name causes the waters to retreat. (Note the echo to nuclear war in this episode. David learns that the Foundation Stone must not be tampered with, as we have learned the dangers posed by tampering with the atom.)
The Zohar (2:91b) states that the fate of the shard, and therefore the world, rests on man’s moral conduct. Whenever a person swears falsely using God’s Name, that Name on the shard disappears, allowing the waters to burst out and destroy the world. To protect the shard and all of humanity, God has appointed the angel Yazriel over the shard. The angel has 70 graving tools, which he uses to ensure that the letters of God’s Name are replaced on the shard as quickly as they are erased, saving the world. Thus the rising of the waters of the abyss is a continual threat to the existence of the world.
1 Enoch 66:1-2 offers an alternate explanation of how the waters of the abyss are held back: “And after that he showed me the angels of punishment who are prepared to let loose all the powers of the waters beneath the earth in order to bring judgment and destruction to all those who dwell on the earth. And God commanded those angels to hold those waters in check, for those angels held power over those waters.”
In the alternate version of the myth, King David brings the Foundation Stone into the Temple (despite the fact that it had not yet been built—this was done by Solomon). Still another variant of the myth describes the stone ascending to Paradise, resting among the righteous. In yet other versions, it is described as hovering in the air. In fact, the motif of a sacred object hovering in the air between heaven and earth is quite common. There are versions found among the Samaritans—where a stone is described as being suspended in the air for worship, and among both Jews and Arabs—where the Rock is said to hover in the air inside the Dome of the Rock. In another Arabic myth, the object that is hovering is the grave of Mohammed. For more on this motif, see Vilnay, Legends of Jerusalem, 23-24.
David Re’uveni reports an Arab tradition of a cavern carved into the Foundation Stone, where Abraham, Isaac, David, Solomon, and Elijah are all said to have prayed, and their souls still are said to gather there to pray. This cave is still there, inside the Rock.
Another source suggests that a meteor fell down in the place where the Holy of Holies was later situated. The tradition refers to 2 Samuel 24:16 and 1 Chronicles 21:26.
Sources:
Mishnah Yoma 5:2; Y. Yoma 8:4; B. Yoma 54b; Y. Sukkah 54d; B. Sukkah 49a; Sefer ha-Zikhronot 1:6; Genesis Rabbah 70; 1 Enoch 66:1-2; Zohar 1:231a-b, 2:91b; B. Sukkah 53a-b; Y. Sanhedrin 29b; Y. Pesahim 4:1; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 35; Midrash Tehillim 91:7; Pesikta de-Rav Kahana 26:4; Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, Pekudei 3; Midrash Tanhuma, Kedoshim 10; Midrash Konen in Beit ha-Midrash 2: 24-39; Seder ‘Arkim; Midrash Shoher Tov on Psalm 91; Targum Yerushalmi on Exodus 28:30; David ha-Re’uveni p. 25; Zohar 2:222a-b; Der treue Zions-Waechter 3: nos. 40-44; Likutei Moharan 61:6.
Studies:
Man and Temple by Raphael Patai, pp. 54-104.
Legends of Jerusalem by Zev Vilnay, pp. 23-24.
126. CREATION BY THOU
GHT
Before the world was created, God and His Name existed alone. God first conceived of the form of the world in His mind, making a world perceptible only by the intellect. Later God completed one visible to the external senses, using the world created in thought as the model.
The conception for Creation came to God by night, and the work was done by day. When it entered His mind to create the world, God drew up the plans. Dividing light from darkness, He prepared the dawn in the knowledge of His heart.
Some say that God created the world for six days and nights, but the work was not completed until the sun reached the horizon on the sixth day. Others say that everything was created in the first instant, when God conceived the world. All that took place on the other days was that specific things were revealed, for everything had been prepared on the first day.
Philo’s concept of the model in thought that God used as the basis for the creation of the world is clearly adapted from Platonic thought, and it also conveys the rabbinic view that God based the creation of the world on a model. This suggests creation by archetype, and it is the basis of much rabbinic speculation about creation, especially of a mystical nature. Some midrashim speak of God’s plan for the world. Others describe the Torah as the plan on which this world was built.
Sources:
Midrash Tanhuma, Bereshit 17; Philo, De Opificio Mundi 4; Hymn to the Creator 11QPs (Dead Sea Scrolls); Sefer ha-Zikhronot 1:1; Me’am Lo’ez on Genesis 1:3.
127. A SINGLE UTTERANCE
God, in His omnipotence, created the entire universe simultaneously. He did so in a single utterance, without a single word preceding or following it, as it is said, God spoke all these words saying (Exod. 20:1). Heaven and earth and all that they contain were included in that utterance. There was nothing that came into existence earlier or later than anything else.
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