Midras Mazmur 148:1: Bereshit Rabbah, Midrash Tehillim, Kohelet Rabbah & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

“And God said: Let us make Man in our image, in our likeness, and let them dominate over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26).
“And God said: Let us make Man in our image, in our likeness.” Rabbi Yoḥanan began: “Back and front [aḥor vakedem], You shaped me…” (Psalms 139:5) – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: If a person merits, he partakes of two worlds, as it is stated: “Back and front, You shaped me.”¹Aḥor vakedem can be translated “the end, and that which precedes it,” – an allusion to this world and the World to Come. But if not, he will come to give an accounting, as it is stated: “You placed Your palm on me” (Psalms 139:5).²The following line should be here instead of where it appears, later in the midrash: Just as it says: “Distance Your palm from me” (Job 13:21). This verse shows that God’s “palm” refers to His punishment of man (Matnot Kehuna).
Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar said: When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He created him androgynous. That is what is written: “He created them male and female” (Genesis 5:2). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He created him with two faces,³That is, two conjoined bodies, male and female. and [subsequently] He sawed him in two⁴Separating the female part from the male part. and made [for] him two backs,⁵Where they had previously been joined together. a back here and a back there. They raised an objection to him: But is it not written: “He took one of his ribs [tzalotav] … [and the Lord God built the rib that He took from the man into a woman]”? (Genesis 2:21–22). He said to them: [It means that He took] one of his two sides, as it says: “And for the tzela of the Tabernacle” (Exodus 26:20), which we translate: “And for the side of the Tabernacle...”. Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of Rabbi Benaya and Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Elazar said: When the Holy One blessed be He created Adam the first man, He created him in an unformed state and he was situated from one end of the world to the other. That is what is written: “Your eyes saw my unformed parts...” (Psalms 139:16).
Rabbi Yehoshua bar Neḥemya and Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon in the name of Rabbi Elazar said: He created him filling the whole world. From east to west, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Back [aḥor] and front [kedem],⁶Aḥor and kedem can also mean “west” and “east.” You shaped me…” (Psalms 139:5). From north to south, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “[From the day God made Adam on the earth,] and from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens” (Deuteronomy 4:32). From where is it derived that he even filled the empty space of the world? It is as it is stated: “You placed Your palm on me” (Psalms 139:5) just as it says: “Distance Your palm from me” (Job 13: 21).⁷This line is misplaced here and belongs in section 1, as indicated there.
Rabbi Elazar said: [Adam was created] last [aḥor] among the acts of creation on the last⁸The Hebrew text says “first,” but Rashi emends the text. day, and first [kedem] among the acts of creation on the last day.⁹Adam’s spirit was created as the first act of the last day, and his body was created as its final act. This is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Elazar, as Rabbi Elazar said: “Let the earth produce the spirit of living beings by their species” (Genesis 1:24) – this is the life spirit of Adam the first man.
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: [The creation of Adam was] last [aḥor] among the acts of creation on the last day, and first [kedem] among the acts of creation on the first day. This is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, as Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: “And the spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the water” (Genesis 1:2) – this is the spirit of the messianic king, as it says: “The spirit of the Lord will rest upon him” (Isaiah 11:2). If a person is meritorious, it is said to him: ‘You preceded the ministering angels’; if not, it is said to him: ‘A fly preceded you, a gnat preceded you, this earthworm preceded you.’
Rav Naḥman said: [Adam was created] last [aḥor] of all the creations, but was first [kedem] for all punishments.¹⁰As it says regarding the Flood: “He obliterated all existence that was on the face of the earth, from man, to animal, to crawling creature, to birds of the heavens” (Genesis 7:23). Rabbi Shmuel said: Regarding praising [God] as well, he comes last. That is what is written: “Praise the Lord from the heavens…” (Psalms 148:1), and it says the rest of that passage. Then “praise the Lord from the earth, [sea creatures and all depths]” (Psalms 148:7), and it says the rest of that passage. Only after that it says: “Kings of the earth and all nations…” (Psalms 148:11), “young men and maidens” (Psalms 148:12).
Rabbi Samlai said: Just as his praising [of God] is only after the animals, the beasts, and the birds, so his creation was only after the animals, the beasts, and the birds. What is the source? It is as it is stated: “Let the water swarm” (Genesis 1:20), and then: “Let the earth produce…” (Genesis 1:24), and then: “And God said: Let us make Man in our image.”

"The LORD is our Master, how mighty is Your Name in all the earth." Rav said: "We find three places where the angels prosecuted God; the creation of man, the tabernacle, and the giving of the Torah." Where do we find [this phenomenon] regarding man? When God wished to create man he consulted the angels as it says (Genesis 1:26) "Let Us make man." They began to say "What is man that you recall him?!" [God] replied " Tomorrow you'll see how smart he is." When He created man what did God do? He brought all animals before the angels and asked them the names of all the animals and they did not know. God said to them "Do you want to know the wisdom of Man? I will ask him and he will tell me what all their names." What did God do? He brought all the animals and birds before Adam as it says (ibid. 2:19) "And the LORD formed from the earth." Rabbi Acha said, Did it not already say (ibid. 1:25) "And God made the beasts of the land?" What does the word "and He formed" come to teach us? Rather there it says "and He made" i.e. created them and here it says יצר from the root that connotes convergence as in (Deuteronomy 20:19) "when you besiege a city. (Genesis 2:19) "And He came to Adam to see what to call them" Isn't God omniscient? Rather "to see" means "to show the angels Adam's wisdom [by showing what Adam would call them]," and Adam independently came up with the same name as God for each and every animal. Then God asked him, "And you, what is your name?" He replied, "it is appropriate to call me Adam because I was created from the earth (Adamah)." God asked, "And what's My name?" Adam replied "It is appropriate to call you the LORD because you are the Lord of the entire world." That is why He says (Isaiah 42:8) "I am the LORD, this is My name." [Alternative: "Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth." Rabbi Meir said that we find in three places where the angels protested against God: in creating man, in the building of the Tabernacle, and in giving the Torah. Regarding man, when God wanted to create him, He took counsel with the angels. He said to them (Genesis 1:26), "Let us make man." They began to say to Him, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" He said to them, "Tomorrow you will know his wisdom." Once God created man, He gathered all the animals, beasts, and birds before the ministering angels and began asking each one its name. They did not know. God said to them, "Do you want to learn the wisdom of man, whom I am about to ask his name and he will tell Me the name of all of you?" God then gathered all the animals, beasts, and birds, and He passed them before Adam, as it says (Genesis 2:19), "And the Lord God formed from the ground every beast of the field." Rabbi Aha asked, "Didn't God already create the animals, as it says (Genesis 1:25), 'And God made the beasts of the earth'?" Why does it say here, "And the Lord God formed?" It is to teach us that He gathered them together, as it says (Deuteronomy 20:19), "When you besiege a city." (Genesis 2:19) "And He brought [the animals] to Adam to see what he would call them." Why did God want to see what he would call them? To show the ministering angels the wisdom of man. What was Adam's name? God gave him the name that Adam himself called everything. God said to him, "And what is your name?" He said to Him, "I am worthy to be called 'Adam' because I was created from the earth. And what is Your name?" He said to him, "I am worthy to be called 'Lord,' for I am the Master of the entire world." Therefore, it says (Isaiah 42:8), "I am the Lord; that is My name. And My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols." Immediately, God said to the angels, "See the wisdom in the heart of man, and you say to Me, 'What is man that You are mindful of him?'" Similarly, when God came to give the Torah to Israel, the ministering angels protested and said to Him, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Psalms 8:5-6) Similarly, we find in the giving of the Torah that when the Lord came to give the Torah to Israel, the angels began to argue and said before Him, "What is man that you should remember him?" And they said before Him, "Let your Torah be given in the heavens, for we are holy and your Torah is holy; we are pure and your Torah is pure; we are living and your Torah is life." He said to them, "It is not fitting to be upheld in you, as it is said, 'It is not found in the land of the living.' And is there an earth above?" "And where does it exist below? As it is said (Isaiah 45:12): "I made the earth and created man upon it." Rabbi Nahonia said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: It is analogous to a man who had a son, and that son was missing one finger. He went to teach him a craft (and all crafts) and there was one craft that required all fingers. After some days, his father came to him and found that he had not learned that craft. He said to his teacher, "Did you not teach him this craft?" He replied, "This craft requires all fingers, and your son is missing one, so he cannot learn it." Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the angels, "The Torah cannot be fulfilled among you, for there is no procreation, death, impurity, or illness among you; rather, you are all holy." And it is written in the Torah (Numbers 19:14): "This is the law of a man who dies in a tent," (Leviticus 14:2) "This shall be the law of the leper," (Leviticus 15:25) "And if a woman has a discharge," and also (Leviticus 11:9) "These shall you eat," and all of these things are not among you. Therefore, it is said (Job 28:13): "It cannot be found in the land of the living." And the Holy One, blessed be He, did His kindness and gave it to Moses when he completed it, to speak all these things to the angels. And when Moses came down and Israel did that deed, the Tablets were broken, and the ministering angels rejoiced and said, "Now the Torah will return to us." And when Moses ascended to receive the Tablets a second time, the ministering angels said to the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the Universe! Did you not write in it yesterday (Exodus 20:3): 'You shall have no other gods before Me'?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "At every moment, [there are] accusations between Me and Israel. Were you not there when you came down to Abraham and ate meat with milk, as it is said (Genesis 18:8) And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed. And their child, when he comes from his teacher's house, and his mother gives him bread and meat and cheese, and he says to her, "Today my teacher taught me (Exodus 34:26) 'Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.'" She has no response for him. At that moment, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (Exodus 34:27) "Write thou these words." Until they had no response or reply. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to have service in the Tabernacle, the ministering angels said to Him, "What is man that You should remember him?" Rabbi Judah in the name of Rabbi Ivu and Rabbi Judah, son of Rabbi Simon, both said that they would take two slips of paper from the same verse (Psalms 68:13): "Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who waits at home divides the spoil." Like it is written (Joel 4:3), "And they cast lots for my people." Rabbi Yudan, son of Rabbi Ivu, said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, 'I will perform your wish,' as it is stated (Habakkuk 3:3), 'His glory covers the heavens.'" Until they have no response and answer. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to serve in the Tabernacle, the ministering angels said before Him, "What is man that You should remember him?" Rabbi Yehuda in the name of Rabbi Yivvo and Rabbi Yehuda the son of Rabbi Simon said that they would cast lots with a single verse, as it is said, "Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who sits at home divides the spoil" (Psalms 68:13), like the verse that says, "And upon My people they cast lots" (Joel 4:3). Rabbi Yudan the son of Rabbi Yivvo said that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "By My life, I will do it," as it is said, "His glory covered the heavens" (Habakkuk 3:3). Know that it is as it is said, "Praise the Lord from the heavens" (Psalms 148:1). Therefore, David said, "The Lord our God, how majestic is Your name."]

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Eliezer says: Everything that is in the heavens is created out of the heavens; everything that is on earth is created out of the earth. He derives it from here: “Praise the Lord from the heavens [Praise Him all His angels…Praise Him sun and moon]…” (Psalms 148:1–3); “praise the Lord from the earth [all great sea creatures…mountains and all hills]…” (Psalms 148:7–9).⁴¹All the objects in the heavens are listed as products of heaven, and all the objects on earth are listed as products of the earth. Rabbi Yehoshua says: Everything that is in the heavens and on the earth were created only out of the heavens. He cites it from here: “For He says to the snow: Be on the earth” (Job 37:6) – just as the snow, though its [ultimate] place of existence is on the earth, is created only in the heavens, so, too, everything that is in the heavens and on the earth, its creation is only out of the heavens. Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Yosef: Everything that is in the heavens and on the earth, its creation is only out of the earth. That is what is written: “For, just as the rain and the snow descend from the heavens…” (Isaiah 55:10) – just as the rain, even though its descent is from the heavens, its creation is only out of the earth,⁴²Rain comes from water evaporated from the oceans. so, too, everything that is in the heavens and on the earth, its creation is only from the earth. Rabbi Yudan cites it from here: “Everything was from the dust, and everything returns to the dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:20). Rav Naḥman said: Even the orb of the sun, as it is stated: “He says to the sun [ḥeres]⁴³The verse calls the sun ḥeres, which usually means earthenware. and it does not shine” (Job 9:7).