Tree of Souls
Page 33
However, the universe that God created with a single utterance lacked order. After having created the universe, God proceeded to put it in order. On the first day God separated light from darkness, as the first step in creating order. On the second day He established a division between different kinds of waters. Thus what occurred in the six days of Creation was merely the establishment of order in an existing universe.
In this way were heaven and earth and everything therein created at the same instant.
This commentary by Rabbi Hayim ben Attar (1696-1743), best known by the title of his commentary on the Torah, the Or ha-Hayim, is based on an interpretation of the verse for on it (the Sabbath) He rested from all His work which He had created in order to complete it (Gen. 2:2). Hayim ben Attar reads this verse as proof that the world had already been created—by a single utterance—by the time God worked on completing it.
There is also a tradition that God spoke the Ten Commandments in a single utterance (Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer).
Sources:
Or ha-Hayim, Bereshit 1:1.
128. THE DIVIDED WORLD
When God created the world, He divided it into two parts: one part habitable and the other a desert, one on one side of the world and the other on the other side. Then he redivided the habitable part so that it formed a circle, the center of which is the Holy Land. And the center of the Holy Land is Jerusalem, and the center of Jerusalem is the Holy of Holies, where the Shekhinah dwells. The nourishment of all good things in the inhabited world flows from there, and there is nowhere that is not sustained by that source.
God also divided the desert. That was the desert, the most terrible and sinister in the world, where the Israelites wandered for 40 long years. The Other Side—the side of evil—reigned in that desert. Had they been worthy, they might have broken its power for all time. But each time they provoked God to anger, the Other Side held sway, and they became subject to its power.
Only after 40 years of wandering did the Israelites break the power of the Other Side and prevail. That is when they found their way back to the Holy Land.
This is both a creation myth and a kabbalistic allegory. As a creation myth, it describes a process of creation in which God first divided the world in halves, and later redivided the habitable part so that it formed a circle, which is where the Holy Land is located. In this it is also a myth about the creation of the Holy Land, and its location at the center of the world. Many medieval maps illustrated the Holy Land and Jerusalem as the navel of the world. For other myths about the creation of the Holy Land, see “Myths of the Holy Land,” pp. 401-429.
At the same time, this is a kabbalistic allegory about the two sides of existence—the Side of Holiness, and the Sitra Ahra, the Other Side. All of existence is thus portrayed as being polar, with these opposing forces always active. The Shekhinah, for example, represents the Side of Holiness, whereas Lilith represents the Sitra Ahra.
Sources:
Zohar 2:157a-b.
129. THE ORIGIN OF CHAOS
What existed before the world was created? Tohu and vohu, chaos and void. Some say that nothing existed before them. Others disagree, and recount the origin of chaos.
Chaos comes from a shadow known as darkness. Where did darkness come from? From something that existed before the world was created, since the very beginning of all existence. Thus chaos was projected from darkness, while darkness was created by the first thing that existed. Immortal beings were brought into being by that infinite source, every kind of divinity, and a likeness emanated from it, known as Wisdom, which took the form of the primordial light. In this way Wisdom serves as a veil, separating mankind from the world above.
This is a key Gnostic myth from On the Origin of the World, one of the Nag Hammadi texts, which is dominated by Jewish influences. In many respects, it is a commentary on the creation story in Genesis. The Gnostic reading of Genesis tries to probe the origin of tohu (chaos) and vohu (void) in Genesis 1:2: Now the earth was unformed and void. (“Unformed” is a translation of tohu.) The Gnostic interpretation also draws on the concept of darkness in the next part of the verse, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Here “darkness” is understood as having existed before chaos, and darkness itself is brought into being by an unnamed infinite force. This shows a form of creation by emanation, which is also the basis of the later kabbalistic system of emanation known as the ten sefirot. In the Gnostic myth, the infinite force brings darkness into being, which, in turn, leads to the emanation of chaos. The Gnostic myth also goes a step further, describing a concurrent or synonymous creation of immortal beings, as well as the creation of Wisdom, personified here as a likeness emanated from the infinite force. Wisdom—Sophia in Greek—is a key mythic figure in Gnostic texts, a role far exceeding the development found in Jewish texts. See “The Creation of Wisdom,” p. 45.
Note the linkage of Sophia (Wisdom personified) and the primordial light, created on the first day, when God said, “Let there be light.” Some Jewish sources also identify this sacred light as a pre-existing source, much as darkness is described in this Gnostic myth. See “Light from the Temple,” p. 411, and “The Light of the First Day,” p. 83.
Sources:
On the Origin of the World 297-298.
130. THE FIRST SUNSET
On the day of his creation, when Adam saw the sun set for the first time, he said to Eve, “Because we have sinned, the world around us is growing dark. Soon the universe will become void and without form, as it was before God brought it into being. This must mean that we have been sentenced to death.”
So Adam and Eve stayed up all night weeping and fasting. But when the sun rose at dawn, Adam was greatly relieved and said, “There must be a course that the sun follows.” After that, Adam put on priestly garments and offered a bullock as a sacrifice, out of gratitude that their lives had been spared. And when Adam died those garments were inherited by Seth.
There are a number of variants of this myth. In some, Adam first experiences darkness on the day of his creation; in others, after the end of the Sabbath. His response is the universal fear of darkness, but in some versions it is because Adam is afraid they have been condemned to death because of their sin, and that God is uncreating the world, while in other sources he is afraid that the serpent will now be able to bite him. See the following myth, “The Origin of Fire,” for an example of the latter myth.
In the Bible, Moses’ brother Aaron is identified as the first High Priest. But here Adam performs the role and passes the priestly garments on to his son, Seth. This is a variant on the myth of the handing down of the garments of Adam and Eve mentioned in Genesis 3:21: And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. See “The Garments of Adam and Eve,” p. 437.
This myth offers the origin of Havdalah, the ceremony of separation at the end of the Sabbath.
Sources:
B. Avodah Zarah 8a; Genesis Rabbah 12:6; Numbers Rabbah 4:8; Pesikta Rabbati 23:6.
Studies:
The Sabbath in the Classical Kabbalah by Elliot K. Ginsburg, pp. 256-284.
131. THE ORIGIN OF FIRE
For the first week of Creation, the sun shone day and night. But when the sun sank at the end of the Sabbath, and darkness came closer, Adam grew terrified. He cried out to God that the serpent was coming to harm him. Then God told Adam to take two flints and to strike them against each other. And when he did, fire came forth, much to Adam’s amazement, and he uttered a spontaneous blessing over it. That is why a blessing is recited over a candle at the end of the Sabbath, for fire was then created for the first time.
Myths of origin are common in all mythic systems, including Judaism. Myths of the creation of the world, of the origin of man, and here, of the origin of fire, are all found in Jewish sources. Here God tells Adam how to make a fire, rubbing flints together. This first fire is tied to the darkness that descends after the sun sets at the end of the Sabbath. Thus a series of origins are all linked tog
ether: the first Sabbath, the first sunset, the first darkness, the origin of fire—and the origin of the first blessing for the first Havdalah service, which takes place at the end of the Sabbath. See “Adam Brings Down Fire from Heaven,” p. 137.
B. Pesahim 54a suggests that rather than God directing Adam to rub the flints together, God inspired Adam with divine intuition, so that Adam knew on his own what he needed to do. See “The First Havdalah,” p. 319.
Sources:
B. Sanhedrin 38b, 100a; B. Hagigah 12a; B. Pesahim 54a; B . Avodah Zarah 8a; Genesis Rabbah 8:1, 11:2, 21:3; Exodus Rabbah 32:1; Leviticus Rabbah 14:1, 16:2; B. Pesahim 54a; Pesikta Rabbati 23:6.
132. WHAT CAUSES EARTHQUAKES?
What causes the earth to quake? Some say that whenever God remembers the distress of His children, two drops fall from His eyes into the Great Sea and His voice resounds throughout the world—that is the earthquake.
Others say that an earthquake is God clapping His hands, as it is said, “I, too, shall clap My hands together” (Ezek. 21:22). Still others say that it is God groaning, as it is said, “I shall abate My fury against them” (Ezek. 5:3). And there are others who say that an earthquake is God stamping in the heavens, as it is said, A shout echoes throughout the earth (Jer. 25:30).
Finally, there are those who say that it is God squeezing His feet under the Throne of Glory.
Here alternate mythic explanations of what causes an earthquake are all attributed to some action of God—His grief, anger, groaning, stamping, or squeezing His feet under the Throne of Glory.
There is a mishnaic teaching that whenever a person experiences comets, earthquakes (zeva’ot), lightning, thunder, or storms, one should say a blessing: “Blessed is He whose power and might fill the world” (Mishnah Berakhot 9:2). The meaning of zeva’ot is unclear. It may mean “dismay” or “quaking.” In B. Berakhot 59a, Rav Qatina interprets it to mean “earthquake.” While it may seem strange to say a blessing after an earthquake or some other manifestation of natural forces, it serves the purpose of acknowledging God’s role in these powerful events.
Sources:
B. Berakhot 59a.
Studies:
“The Holy One Sits and Roars” by Michael Fishbane.
133. THE ROOTS OF EVERYTHING
During the six days of Creation, the foundations and roots of everything that would ever be brought into being were already created, as it is said, There is nothing new beneath the sun (Eccles. 1:19). For God looked over the entire Creation before it existed and prepared everything during those six days, and blessed it. And God’s blessing still sustains us till this day, as it is said, And God blessed them (Gen. 1:22, 1:28, 5:2).
Here we find the mythic notion of the six days of Creation as the archetype for all that would subsequently exist. Note that this is a thirteenth century understanding of the concept of the archetype, completely compatible with the Platonic concept. Further, it is revealed that the continued existence of the world depends on God’s blessing.
It was given to the world then, and is still in effect. The implication is that we have to continue to deserve that blessing, or it could be withdrawn.
Sources:
Zohar 1:47a.
134. THE GREAT SEA
Long ago, primeval waters covered the whole world. There were waters upon waters. Still, God poured more waters into them, even after they were full—He pressed down upon them and made them gather into one great sea, known as Okeanos.
The great sea stands on the fins of Leviathan, and Leviathan dwells in the Lower Waters, and appears in them as but a small fish in the sea. And the Lower Waters stand on the shore of the Waters of Ocean, and appear as but a small well there. And the Waters of Ocean stand on the shore of the Waters of Creation. And the Waters of Creation stand on the shore of the Weeping Waters. And the Weeping Waters stand on the shore of the Abyss. And the Abyss stands on tohu, chaos, and tohu stands on vohu, void. And all of this is suspended from the arm of God.
The Okeanos Sea is said to surround the whole earth. There is a place in it called the Place of Swallowing where the waters swallow all the other waters that flow there. While on a voyage, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua happened upon this place, and took a barrel full of water from there. When Caesar asked them about the nature of the waters of Okeanos, they gave him a jug of this water, and they poured many barrels of water into that jug and it never overflowed, but swallowed all the waters poured into it. This explains why all the rivers run into the sea yet the sea is not full (Eccles. 1:7).
So too are the candles of the sun extinguished in the waters of Okeanos so that there is no light during the night, and the flames of the sun are not relit until the sun comes to the East and bathes in a River of Fire, called Nehar di-Nur.
Once a month the clouds come down to drink of the waters of Okeanos. Once it happened that the clouds swallowed, together with the water, a ship full of corn, and after that corn fell from the heavens mixed with rain.
The idea of waters that encompass the earth is found in many of the world’s myths. Okeanos, the name given to the Great Sea, is taken from the Greek god Okeanos, originally a river god, later the god of the sea. Okeanos was the offspring of Ouranos (Sky) and Gaia (Earth), and thus of the race of Titans that included Kronos, the father of Zeus.
The Great Sea of Jewish mythology is really the Mediterranean, but it has been given mythic characteristics, such as standing on the fins of Leviathan. There are also mythic places within the ocean, such as the Place of Swallowing. So too is it the place where all the candles of the sun are extinguished, and miraculous events can take place, such as corn raining from the sky. These are the Jewish equivalents of Greek myths such as the Isle of the Blessed, in the waters of Okeanos, where the souls of heroes dwelled.
For other Jewish myths of the ocean, see “The Rebellion of the Waters,” p. 105 and “The Rebellion of Rahab,” p. 106. For a variant myth, see “A Universe of Water,” p. 94.
Sources:
Genesis Rabbah 13:6; Pesikta Rabbati 48:2; Midrash Konen in Beit ha-Midrash 2:32-33.
135. THE FIERY WAVES
It is said of waves that sink ships that they have a white fringe of fire. The only way to beat them back is to strike them with a club that has the words “I am that I am, Yah, the Lord of Hosts, Amen, Amen, Sela” engraved on it. Then the fiery waves will fall back.
Fiery waves that sink ships are part of sea lore. The notion that a club bearing God’s names can beat them back has echoes of Moses holding his arm over the Red sea, and God driving back the sea with a strong east wind (Exod. 14:21) According to Rabbi Samuel Eliezer Edels (1555-1631), known as the Maharsha, the waves represent the nations of the world that attempt to harm Israel. But God, whose names appear on the club, will protect His people and drive them back. “I Am that I Am” (Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh) is the name God used when He revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exod. 3:14).
Sources:
B. Bava Batra 73a.
136. THE UPPER WATERS AND THE LOWER WATERS
The upper waters are masculine and the lower, feminine. At first the upper waters and the lower waters were commingled, until God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters” (Gen. 1:6). But the upper waters and the lower waters refused to separate, clinging to each other. Some say that God raised His little finger and tore the waters into two parts, and forced half of them below. Others say that fire came forth that divided them, and in this way the upper waters were separated from the lower with great weeping.
So it is that the upper waters remain suspended by Divine command, and their fruit is the rain water. The firmament in which the sun, moon, the stars, and the planets are suspended is the great meeting place where the upper waters are gathered, and from which the earth is watered. And when the rain is ready to fall, the upper waters say to the lower: “Receive me,” and immediately they receive them, as a female receives a male. Thus the earth is fed from abov
e, and all living things flourish here below.
If the firmament dividing the waters from the waters were ever removed, even for an instant, the world would revert to utter chaos. It would be as if it had never existed at all, and things would be exactly as they were before God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters.”
The sky is the firmament that separates the waters above, which fall as rain, from the waters below, which rise up as springs. The midrashic interpretations of the upper waters and the lower waters all center on their identification as masculine and feminine, so powerfully drawn to each other that they resisted God’s command to separate. While drawing on this midrashic reading, the Zohar also identifies the upper waters as Elohim and the lower as Yahweh, a Gnostic reading of the role of God’s two primary names (Zohar 1:17b). The Zohar also identifies the upper waters as the sefirah Hesed (Lovingkindness) and the lower with the sefirah Gevurah (Power). The fire that separated the upper and lower waters is linked in the Zohar with the fire of Gehenna, providing this as the origin of that fire. The Zohar (1:18a) points out the importance of diversity in the world, noting that “as long as the upper and lower waters were commingled, there was no production in the world. This could only take place when they were separated and became distinct.”
Midrash Konen suggests that the myth of God using His little finger to separate the upper and lower waters grows out of the term raki’a, meaning “firmament,” linked to the word keri’ah, meaning “tearing apart.”