The Dawn of Creation

The Creation of the World

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Rashi

In the beginning—Rabbi Isaac said: It was not necessary to begin the law except from “This month is for you,” (Exo 12:2) which is the first commandment given to Israel. What is the reason, then, that it commences with “In the beginning?” Because of the text (Psa 111:6) “He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.” For should the nations of the world say to Israel, “You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the seven nations of Canaan,” Israel will reply, “All the earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be he; he created it and gave it to whom he pleased. When he willed he gave it to them, and when he willed he took it from them and gave it to us” (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 187).

In the beginning, God created—This verse calls for explanation in the manner that our Rabbis explained it: God created the world for the sake of the law which is called (Pro 8:22) “the beginning of his work,” and for the sake of Israel who are called (Jer 2:3) “the firstfruits of his harvest.” If, however, you wish to explain it in its plain sense, explain it thus: At the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth, the earth was astonishing with emptiness, and darkness . . . and God said, “Let there be light.” The text does not intend to point out the order of the creation—to state that these were created first; for if it intended to point this out, it should have written “At first he created the heavens and the earth.” Should you, however, insist that it does actually intend to point out that these (heaven and earth) were created first, and that the meaning is: In the beginning of everything he created these—and that there are elliptical texts that omit a word, as for example Job 3:10 “because it did not shut the doors of my mother's womb” where it does not explain who it was that shut the womb; and Isa 8:4 “he will carry off the wealth of Damascus” without explaining who will take it away; and Amo 6:12 “does one plow there with oxen,” and it does not state, “if a man plow with oxen”; Isa 46:10 “telling the end from the beginning,” and it does not state, telling the end of a thing from the beginning of a thing”—if so (that you assert that this verse intends to point out the order of creation), be astonished at yourself, for the waters preceded, as it is written, (v. 2) “and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters,” and Scripture had not yet disclosed when the creation of the waters took place! From this you learn that the waters preceded the earth. And a further proof that the heavens were created from fire and water. Therefore you must admit that the text teaches nothing about the earlier or later sequence of the acts of creation.

God created the heavens and the earth—It does not state “the Lord created,” because at first God intended to create it to be placed under the attribute (rule) of strict justice, but he realised that the world could not endure and therefore gave precedence to divine mercy allying it with divine justice, and that is the reason it is written in Gen 2:4: “in the day the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.”

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. JOH 1:1-3

2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Rashi

Without form and void is astordison in Old French.

Without form and void—Signifies astonishment and amazement, for a person would have been astonished and amazed at its emptiness.

Void—The word signifies emptiness and empty space.

Over the face of the deep—Over the face of the waters which were over the earth.

And the Spirit of God was hovering—The throne of divine glory was standing in space and hovered over the face of the waters by the breath of the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be he, and by his command, even as a dove hovers over its nest. In Old French acoveter.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

Rashi

And God saw that the light was good. And God separated—Here too, we need the words of the Aggadah: He saw it that it was not proper for the wicked to use it; so he separated it for the righteous in the future. According to its simple meaning, explain it as follows: He saw it that it was good, and it was unseemly that it light and darkness should serve in confusion; so he established for this one its boundary by day, and for that one its boundary by night.

5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Rashi

The first day—According to the regular mode of expression used in this chapter it should be written, “the first day,” as it is written with regard to the other days “second, third, fourth.” Why does it write “the first”? Because the Holy One, blessed be he, was the only one in his universe, since the angels were not created until the second day. Thus it is explained in Bereshit Rabbah 3:8.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

Rashi

Let there be an expanse—Let the expansion become fixed; for although the heavens were created on the first day, they were still in a fluid form, and they solidified on the second day at the rebuke of the Holy One, blessed be he, when he said “Let there be an expanse” (Bereshit Rabbah 4:2). This is what is written in Job 26:11: “The pillars of heaven tremble”—this was during the whole of the first day—and on the second (Job 26:11): “They were astounded by his rebuke,” like a man who stands in astonishment because of the rebuke of one who terrifies him.

In the midst of the waters—In the centre of the waters; because there is the distance between the upper waters and the expanse as there is between the expanse and the waters that are upon the earth. Thus you may infer that they are suspended by the command of the King (Bereshit Rabbah 4:3).

7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.

Rashi

And God made the expanse—He put it in proper condition in its place: this is the meaning of “making” it. Similarly (Deu 21:12) “and she shall ‘do’ her nails.”

Above the expanse—It is not said here “on the expanse,” but “above the expanse,” because they (the waters) were suspended in space (Bereshit Rabbah 4:3). Now why does it not say, “that it was good” on the second day? Because the work associated with water was not completed until the third day—he only began it on the second—and anything that is not completed is not in a state of perfection and at its best. Therefore on the third day when he completed the work associated with water and another work was commenced and finished, the words “that it was good” are repeated, once in reference to the completion of the work of the second day, and again in reference to the completion of the work of that day (Bereshit Rabbah 4:10).

8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Rashi

And God called the expanse Heaven—The word Heaven, may be regarded as made up of “carry water,” or “there is water,” or fire and water. He mingled them with one another and made the heavens from them (Chagigah 12a).

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

Rashi

Let the waters . . . be gathered together—For they were then spread over the surface of the whole earth, and he gathered them into what now constitutes the ocean, which is the largest of all seas (Bereshit Rabbah 5:2).

10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Rashi

He called Seas—But does it not form one sea? However, the taste of fish which comes up from the sea in Acre is not the same as the taste of fish which comes up from the sea in Spain (Bereshit Rabbah 5:8).

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation”—Which had been impregnated by the Spirit of God that moved on it when a fluid; and though now become dry land, it retained sufficient moisture in it, and was juicy and fit to produce vegetables; and especially as it had the advantage of the expanded air about it, and the warmth of the primordial light or fire; though all this would have been insufficient to produce plants and trees at full growth, with their seed in them, and fruit on them, without the interposition of Almighty power: this seems to intend the germination or budding out of the tender vegetation, and the numerous spires of it which cover the earth, and by their verdure and greenness give it a delightful aspect, as well as afford food for the creatures.

Plants yielding seed—This is distinct from the former; that denotes herbage in general, which grows up of itself without being sown or manured, and is the food of beasts; this in particular, herbs and plants for the use of man, which yield a seed which either falling from it sows itself again, or is taken from it and sown on purpose to reproduce it, being useful or delightful.

And fruit trees bearing fruit . . . according to its kind—As apples, pears, plums, apricots, nectars, peaches, oranges, lemons.

In which is their seed . . . on the earth—Each of which produce a seed according to the nature of them, which being sown produce the like, and so there is a continuance of them on the earth.

And it was so—As God commanded it should, as appears from the following verse.

12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Rashi

The earth brought forth etc.—Even though “according to their own kinds,” was not used when the various kinds of herbage were commanded to come forth, they heard that the trees were so commanded and they applied to themselves the argument a fortiori, as it is explained in an Aggadah of Chullin 60a.

13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.