Midrash sobre Génesis 17:1

R. Zutra b. Tubia in the name of Rab said: "With ten things the world was created: Wisdom and understanding; knowledge and strength; rebuke and might; righteousness and justice; mercy and compassion." That it was created with wisdom and understanding we infer from the following passage (Ib. 3, 19) The Lord hath through wisdom founded the earth; He hath established the heavens through understanding. But how will the two passages [of width and height] he explained? The height and the width hold the same measure. By knowledge, as it is written (Ib. 13, 20) By his knowledge were the depths split; by power and strength, as it is written (Ps. 65, 7) Who setteth firmly the mountains with His power, who is girded with might; by rebuke, as it is written (Job 26, 11) The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astounded at His rebuke; by righteousness and Justice, as it is written (Ps. 89, 15) Righteousness and Justice are the prop of Thy throne; by mercy and compassion, as it is written (Ib. 25, 6) Remember Thy mercies, O Lord, and Thy kindness; for they are from everlasting. R Juda in the name of Rab said: "When the Holy One, praised be He! created the world, it went spreading on like two clews of shoot and warp, until the Holy One, praised be He! rebuked it and brought it to a standstill, as it is said (Job 26, 11) The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at His rebuke." And this is also the interpretation of Resh Lakish: "What is the meaning of the passage (Gen. 17, 1) I am the Almighty God (Shadye). This means: "I, who said to My world, Dye (enough)." Resh Lakish said again: "When the Holy One, praised be He! created the sea, it went spreading on, until the Holy One, praised be He! rebuked it and made it dry, as it is said (Nah. 1, 4) He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry; and all the rivers He dried up."

Furthermore, Scripture states: For the Lord (be-Yah) the Lord is an everlasting rock (ibid. 26:4). What is meant by zur ‘olamim (“everlasting rock”)? This verse informs us that all the worlds are considered as nothing in His sight, for with only half His name He created the world.¹In the quotation from Isaiah, “the Lord” is be-Yah, a form which utilizes only the first two letters (yod and heh) of the more usual four-letter form of God’s Name. Indeed the worlds would have continued to expand without end had He not said enough, as it is written: I am God, Shaddai (Gen. 17:1).²God created many other worlds before He created our world (Bereshit Rabbah 3:7, 9:2. What is signified by the word Shaddai? That I said to the world, dai (“enough”)!³The word dai (“enough”) is the last syllable of Shaddai. It indicates that the world was expanding and He found it necessary to halt the expansion. Hence, it is said: O Lord my God, Thou art very great.

(Fol. 31b) MISHNAH: R. Elazar b. Azariah says: "Circumcision is so great that thirteen covenants were made concerning it." R. Joshua b. Karcha says: "Circumcision is so important, that even Moses the righteous was not permitted to postpone the circumcision [of his child] for a minute." R. Nechemia said: "Circumcision is so important that it supersedes Nega'im." R. Mayer said: "Circumcision is so great that for all the commandments which Abraham our patriarch observed he was not called perfect until he performed circumcision upon himself, as it is said (Gen. 17, 1) Walk before Me and be thou perfect." There is another reason why circumcision is so important, because if not for this the Holy One, praised be He! would not have created His world, as it is said (Jer. 33, 25) If my covenant be not with day and night, I would not have appointed the ordinances of Heaven and Earth.