Pensée juive sur Josué 4:7

Our intelligence dictates, and our observations support the theory that G-d "supports" and "carries" the universe. Isaiah 46,4 puts it in these words: "I will suffer it for I have made it, I will carry it, and I will suffer (tolerate) and I will provide escape." It is evident that these statements do not refer to G-d supporting the universe physically, seeing that He is not a physical Being, is purely spiritual. The term "carry" when applied to G-d, can be understood in either of two ways. Since G-d is the Cause of the universe, He carries it, morally speaking. He decides the extent to which He wants to back up the creatures He has created. This is not unlike saying that the rider "carries" his carriage. Although, physically speaking, the carriage transports, i.e. carries the rider, since it is the rider who gives it direction, it is he in the last analysis who "carries" it, because he controls it. When the Jewish people crossed the Jordan, and the priests "carried" the holy ark, the latter are described as being transported by the ark, i.e. "carried" by the holy ark (Joshua Chapter 4). This is another instance of the physical carrier not being the one in charge. It was the spirit which resided in the ark that was the mainstay of its physical bearers. The second aspect of "carry" is that "to carry something," is the same as "to tolerate something." We read of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 13,6) that "the land could not carry them anymore to live together." This means that the land could not support their joint tenure. "Tolerance" of something implies a reciprocal relationship. It means that one puts up with other people's behavior in some form or other. G-d, being the Supreme Being, has a reciprocal relationship with everybody and everything, i.e. He puts up with everybody and everything in some form or other. Again, this is not something physical, but the term "suffer" is used in a moral, spiritual sense.