전도서 1:5의 인용 해설

A Midrashic approach to our verses, based on Sifri Haazinu (page 460 Malbim edition); the words האזינו השמים are an introduction to G’d saying to Israel: “take a look at the heaven and the earth which I created to be useful to you; did either heaven or earth change their ways? Did you sow seed and it did not grow, did you sow wheat and barley came up? Or, has a cow stopped ploughing or threshing? Has the donkey ceased being a beast of burden? If these planets, or animals which do not receive a reward for performing their duties and which do not even get punished for failing to do their duty have not refused to do them, how much more so could you people who are rewarded for doing your duty and who are being punished for failing to do your duty be expected to be smart enough not to deviate and rebel against Me?”
The meaning of this Midrash is that all natural phenomena do not change their norms. If Moses singled out only heaven and earth as examples to illustrate this principle, it was because they, more than any other phenomena in our universe, are charged with preserving the laws of nature which ensure continued existence of the world as we know it. Just as if the oceans would break out of their assigned role and parameters would bring in the wake of such departure of the norm immediate calamity upon earth, so if heaven and earth were to disobey the rules laid down for them the result would be even more catastrophic. What is true of inert phenomena such as heaven and earth, is also true of living creatures such as cows and asses which are the mainstays of the farmer on earth. If all these creatures do not change their habits, man must certainly not change his habits and thereby endanger not only his surroundings but himself.

והארץ היתה תהו ובהו “and the earth had been in a chaotic state, etc." This is a reference to the raw material which had not yet been properly defined and therefore could not yet be named. This explanation is analogous to what our sages have said in Kidushin 40 בתוהא על הראשונות “he had second thoughts on what he had thought before." The Torah called this indefinable material "tohu," whereas Greek philosophers called it "hayuli," the original matter. The word "bohu," on the other hand, refers to this material once it had been equipped with a distinctive shape and had assumed a definitive form. The word בהו is actually two words comprised of בו הוא"something which does have a certain form by which is identifiable". This is what Isaiah 34,11 had in mind when he said "He will measure it with a line of chaos and with weights of emptiness." The prophet related the word "a line," to the word which described something indefinable, visible but not substantive. Incidentally, this word is related or derived from Psalms 40,2 קוה קויתי ה' [i.e. intense hope precedes concretisation of one's wishes. Ed.] An artisan envisages מקוה, a building in his mind's eye before he builds it. The relationship of the word is that the stones are the manifestation, the format of the building the artisan had first envisaged
To sum up the whole passage: "At the beginning G'd created a minute amount of matter out of absolute nothingness. This contained within itself the potential and energy to expand into what we call "heaven and earth." After this initial stage of creative activity by G'd the earth had still remained in a chaotic state, matter without separation into shape or form of the four basic raw materials (elements) of the universe, i.e. fire, wind, water and dust. The word הארץ includes all these four basic materials the earth is made of. [Even though the material עפר is only the last one described in the record of מעשה בראשית at the creation of man. Ed.] the Torah refers to it first when speaking about ארץ which was a minute point. Philosophers called it a "point," [to distinguish between the solar system which appears in constant motion, whereas earth appears stationary. Ed.]. They viewed the earth as if it were a point surrounded by the planetary system. Earth was viewed as stationary based on Kohelet 1,4 והארץ לעולם עומדת “and the earth remains in its place forever." This is in contrast to the planets surrounding it which move from place to place and never remain in the same spot. Only a small part of earth is in motion, ever. The reason the planetary system, i.e. ,שמים is called עליון lofty, high, is because the material it is made of is so delicate, so fine, and so pure. Earth, on the other hand, is made of the coarsest, the most opaque material. Once the Torah had begun to discuss the properties of earth it returns its attention to the heaven and lists the other basic raw materials (elements) in their proper order, i.e. "fire, wind, and water. The word חשך darkness, is a reference to elemental fire which is dark (compare Shemot Rabbah 2,10.) [This recalls the statement of our sages that the Torah was written with black fire on white fire. Ed.] It is listed ahead of the second element רוח, wind, seeing that fire is a more comprehensive element than wind. The wind precedes water, i.e. "the wind (spirit) of G'd hovered over the deep." This is because wind is a more comprehensive element than water. Water, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive element than earth (dust). We find this order of the basic elements both in Kohelet and in Job. Just as the Torah in this instance began its detailed description with the נקודה the "point," when it wrote: "and the earth was chaotic," so the Book of Kohelet begins with this "point" describing it as something which remains in place forever, i.e. והארץ לעולם עומדת (Kohelet 1,4). Next Solomon mentions the element fire when he wrote וזרח השמש ובא השמש sun shone and the sun set (Kohelet 1,5)." After the fire Solomon mentions the wind in Kohelet 1,6 where he wrote סובב סובב הולך הרוח “the wind goes round and round." Lastly, Solomon mentions the water when he wrote הנחלים הולכים אל הים", “all the rivers flow into the sea" (Kohelet 1,7).
Also in the Book of Job (Job 28,24) its description of creation begins with the "point," i.e. earth, or "dust," when the author wrote: i.e. כי הוא לקצות הארץ יביט תחת כל השמים יראה, ”for He sees to the ends of the earth, observes all that is beneath the heavens." The reference to the heavens is a reference to fire. The text continues: לעשות לרוח משקל ומים תכן במדה when He fixed the weight of the winds, set the measure of the waters." We observe that the elements are listed in the same order as in Kohelet and in Bereshit. The reason for this is that all these three Books concern themselves with some degree of research, and its words are based on our knowledge of nature.
In our verse the Torah informed us that the earth assumed a shape, that the darkness which is the fire, spread out above the mixture of dust and water. This mixture is called תהום,"the deep," in the language of the Torah. It describes the ocean which has earth dissolved in it. Compare Jonah 2,6 תהום יסובבני, "the deep surrounds me.
The wind was blowing entering the darkness and hovering above the water. When the Torah speaks of ורוח אלוקים, we would actually have expected ורוח האלוקים, i.e. “the wind (spirit) of G'd;" the reason the Torah chose to omit the letter ה , thereby apparently identifying wind as something divine, this is because of all matters in the physical universe wind is the closest to the invisible abstract force called G'd. Even though in some respects fire is even more insubstantial, diaphanous, than the wind, the Torah did not want to associate this word with G'd seeing that we described fire as a product of, or rather synonymous with, darkness.

Sarah died. She did not die until a fitting successor was born and Avraham was apprised of the fact.

העדתי בכם היום את השמים ואת הארץ I CALL AS WITNESSES AGAINST YOU THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH, which exist for ever, and when evil will befall you they will be witnesses that I have warned you regarding all this (cf. Targum Jonathan on). Another explanation of העדתי בכם את השמים וגו׳ I CALL THE HEAVEN [AND THE EARTH] AS WITNESSES AGAINST YOU: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Look at the heavens which I have created to be at your service; have they perhaps ever changed their character? Has the orb of the sun perhaps ever failed to rise in the East and to give light to the whole world, just as is stated, (Ecclesiastes 1:4—5) “And the sun riseth, and the sun goeth down [and hasteth to its place where it arises]”?! Look at the earth which I have created to be at your service! Has it perhaps ever changed its character? Have you perhaps sown it and it did not bring forth, or have you sown wheat and it brought forth barley?! Now how is it with these that have been made neither with the end in view that they should receive a reward nor that they should suffer a loss — for if they act meritoriously (if they follow the natural laws by which they are governed) they receive no reward and if they were to fail they would receive no punishment? They have never changed their character! You, who if you act meritoriously do receive a reward and if you sin do receive punishment, how much the more so should you obey the commands of your Maker! (Sifrei Devarim 306:1).