Pensamento Judaico sobre Gênesis 1:6

The kind of tolerance G-d displays depends on who He needs to relate to. In the first instance there are the spiritual, completely disembodied beings inhabiting the "upper" world, who are closest to Him. Since these beings by their very nature are close to perfection, tolerating them does not require a major effort on G-d’s part. Also the bodies in outer space whose regular and constant orbit represent service of G-d on a non-stop basis, do not require a great deal of tolerance on the part of G-d. These heavenly bodies, which provide the four basic raw materials for our physical universe, in a sense support this earth. At the time of the garden of Eden being at man's disposal, G-d had a home in the material universe because His spirit was present within man. This was the connection between the worlds above the rakiyah, firmament, and the world "below." Both harbored the Divine spirit. The commandment, "Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil," meant "do not become engrossed in the material world except to the extent of doing good. Engrossing yourself in evil will make you part of this finite world, make you mortal." Since we have defined mavet, death, as being equal to ra, evil, and chayim, life, as being equal to tov, good, it is quite clear that contact with ra is contact with death (Deut. 30,15, compare our Chapter 7). Breaking this commandment, then, had to result in the Shechinah, G-d’s Presence withdrawing. Shechinah cannot associate with death; since there did not remain any immortal human beings on earth, there was no alternative but to withdraw to a level further removed from earth. At this point, the author describes successive withdrawals of G-d from different planets in outer space as being connected with the individual functions of these planets in our world. Abraham made up for the commandment that Adam had transgressed, by taking upon himself to command his offspring to observe the commandments of the Lord. G-d acknowledged this when He said, "As a result of Abraham having listened to My voice etc." (Genesis 26,5). Isaac repaired the damage done by Cain who had committed murder, when he voluntarily submitted to the command of His Creator, in contrast to Cain who had acted as if there were no judge or judgment in the world. His deed was acknowledged when the angel instructed Abraham, "Do not lay a hand on the lad, do not touch him" (Genesis 22,12). Jacob, who had been able to prevail on all his children to remain loyal to G-d and to proclaim His Unity when they said, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d is One," enabled G-d to return His Presence still closer to earth. Jacob had thus repaired the damage done by Enosh who had been the first to introduce the concept of G-d not being One. When Levi appeared, risking his life to avenge the shame of the rape of his sister Dinah, he repaired the damage done by the generation of the deluge, who had practiced immorality, incest etc. Kehot was the leader of the Jewish people when the latter were forced to commence performing slave labor for the Egyptians. The Jews who had been singled out for this cruel treatment, because they had failed to assimilate to the Egyptians, maintained a profile of being different by keeping their Hebrew names, language, and religion in spite of persecution suffered. This fact enabled G-d to move still closer to earth, as the damage done by the collective insubordination of the generation that built the tower of Babel had now been repaired. Amram in turn repaired the damage done by the people of Sodom, who through lack of concern for their fellow man, had driven the Shechinah still further away. Amram demonstrated his concern for the future of his nation when he responded to the admonition of his daughter not to stop having children, even at the risk of a baby boy being drowned by the Egyptians. When Moses finally made his appearance, and instead of persecuting the just, stood up against terror, injustice, and "might is right," he repaired what Nimrad/Amrafel had destroyed when he made war against the weak who had not provoked him. G-d was thus able to feel at home again on earth since the counterweight to everything the serpent had helped ruin had appeared on earth, and had made its impact. The Talmud Yevamot 112 says that when Israel stood at Mount Sinai, their "filth" departed from them. What is meant is that they reverted to the state of innocence that existed when Adam had just been created. The book of Exodus deserves to be called the book of redemption, since it tells of the redemption of the Jewish people from a cruel and barbaric fate at the hands of a cruel and barbaric nation. Apart from the physical redemption from slavery, the promise of being given the land of Israel with all its abundant natural wealth, would enable the Jewish people to live a life of ease and to be tested if they would indeed prove obedient to G-d, so that He could allow His Presence to dwell amongst them. Moses’ss accomplishment in restoring G-d’s Presence to earth, made him the intermediary between G-d and His people. To be a good intermediary requires that the intermediary himself feels in harmony with the objectives and methods of the one who has made him intermediary. Such rapport can exist either naturally, or in spite of one's natural inclinations. When Moses was shown a kind of wood that sweetens the waters at Marah (Ex. 15,25), our sages are in two minds about the nature of this wood. Some say that it was sweet wood, and that the resultant sweetening of the waters was a natural process. Others maintain that the wood itself was bitter, in which case the transformation of the waters was miraculous (Mechilta Beshalach). We find that G-d employs both kinds of agents as leaders of the Jewish people at different times. Gideon, who abandoned his preoccupation with salvaging his harvest, and who challenged the angel about G-ds apparent abandonment of His people, demonstrated selflessness and lack of concern with his private business to such an extent that the angel could say to him "go forth with this strength of yours and save the Jewish people." (Judges 6,14) He succeeded because he possessed the major ingredient needed for leadership. The reverse may be the case when the emissary of G-d is motivated by a feeling of obedience to G-d, but lacks the characteristics that put him in harmony with the purpose of his Sender. When attacking Amalek, Saul allowed considerations of economic gain to persuade him not to kill the best of the herds; he also displayed pity just when G-d had forbidden pity. This led to tragic results for his dynasty (Samuel I Chapter 15). His downfall can be traced not to lack of basic obedience, but to internal conflict between his own aims and methods, and G-ds aims and methods. Therefore, G-d looked for another man, David, who would be in tune with His objectives heart and soul, and who is held up as a model human being whose inner strivings coincide with G-d’s. When Jerobam is chastised by Achyah (Kings I 14,8-9), the point emphasized is that he failed to be with G-d "like My servant David, who observed My commandments, who followed Me with his whole heart to do only what is right in My eyes." This same David describes his own world outlook in Psalms 139,20 in the following words, "Those who hate You O G-d, I hate, and those who rebel against You, I quarrel with." When the Messiah is described, three characteristics are described as essential (Psalms 72,12-14). "For he will deliver the defenseless man who cries, and the poor who has no helper; he will care for those who have been brought low." "He will redeem their souls from malice and violence, and their blood will be precious to him." Our Parshah tells us that Moses possessed the qualities enumerated in Psalms and that therefore he was the ideal intermediary and saviour for Israel. When Moses, on his first outing to his brethren, saw an Egyptian torture a Jew, he could not stand this and he slew the Egytian. This corresponds to the line, "He will deliver the defenseless man who cries out." On the second day, when he observed injustice being perpetrated among his Jewish brethren, he stood up for the victim, the defenseless, as he did when he helped the daughters of Yitro at the well. In each case he risked his life or safety. Despite his disappointing experiences, he continued to involve himself in other peoples' problems. It is clear then that with the advent of Moses, G-d had found the person who was likely to lead the Jewish people successfully.

Our opening Midrash reflects the same theme. Although all of Israel had contributed in providing the various sections of the tabernacle and its furnishings, when it came to assembling it, the people could not manage, whereas Moses unassisted did manage. The people's contribution then consisted only in preparing the material, providing the basis for the tabernacle's ultimate form, to be erected when it would be ready for use. We find a parallel at the time of the creation of the universe. During six days of creative activity, G-d created all the individual parts and sections of the universe. On the seventh day though, the Torah says "heaven and earth had been completed," this referred only to its constituent parts, not to the whole. Subsequently, "G-d completed on that day," something which follows the statement of "and the heavens and the earth had been completed." Similarly, we find in connection with the completion of the work of the tabernacle "all the work on the tabernacle had been completed," whereas afterwards we read "Moses erected it." Most of this has been explained in chapter four. Midrash Tanchuma points out many parallel expressions employed by the Torah both during creation and during construction of the tabernacle. The common denominator is that the former is a macrocosm whereas the latter is a microcosm designed to mirror the universe. If Moses had been unaware that his face emitted rays, and the fact that he alone could erect the tabernacle is remarkable, it reflects the idea that or with the letter ayin and with the letter aleph can be used interchangeably. The Divine, inner light illuminating the soul of Moses, was visible in the form of his skin giving off a glow, sending out rays.

והיו למאורת ברקיע השמים Let them serve as luminaries in the expanse of the heaven to radiate light – The repetition of the word והיו refers to another change that would come to pass as a result of the diminishing of the moon, creating a new entity, {the light,}¹⁹This and other additions in squiggle brackets were made on the basis of the text of Chiddushei HaLevanah printed as an addendum to Machon Chochmas Shlomoh edition of Rambam’s Hilchos Kiddush HaChodesh. that would exist “in the rakia, the expanse of the heaven.” The rakia constitutes the lower heaven which was created to separate between the higher waters and the lower waters. This refers to the open space that is between the spheres, as I explained in another exposition, which explains the entire process of creation as it transpired in all the first Six Days of Creation, which I called The Formation of the Elements.²⁰Tosfos Yom Tov wrote several expositions, derushim, which are transcripts of sermons that he delivered. Of these, Chiddushei HaLevanah is one of the few for which the text is extant. In essence, the sun and the moon do not possess the potential to radiate light, for the heavens and all their hosts do not possess any defined potential. All the changes that result from them in this lowly world stem from the recipients. Therefore, the sun darkens a person’s complexion, but whitens clothes, for everything depends on the recipients. Hence, were the moon not to have been diminished, the difference between the day and the night would have been of an entirely different nature. The light that radiated forth on the first day of Creation, before the creation of the luminaries, and the darkness mentioned in those verses, would have continued, and the distinction between this primeval light and primeval darkness would have come as a result of the luminaries. This constituted the difference between the first three days of Creation and all subsequent time. During the first three days of Creation, the distinction between light and darkness was made without the luminaries. From the fourth day onward, God desired that the difference between light and darkness come as a result of these luminaries. Initially, {however, God did not desire} to conceal the original light that radiated forth throughout the first three days. Nevertheless, {after the complaint of the moon,} God desired that one of the luminaries be diminished, and that the light of the first three days of Creation be concealed. The luminaries would come into existence and they would generate light in “the expanse of the heaven,” i.e., in the area that separates between the higher waters and the lower waters. The light that the luminaries would generate would be dependent on the manner in which its influence is accepted by the recipients, as stated above.