Kaisipang Hudyo sa Mga Awit 95:5: Akeidat Yitzchak & Derush Chiddushei HaLevanah

Bar Kapparah, in Ketuvot 5, explained that the deeds of the righteous are greater than the creation of heaven and Earth. It is written, "Also My hand set the foundations of the earth, and My right hand spanned the heavens.” Concerning the deeds of the righteous however, it is written, "The sanctuary of G-d which Your hands (pl) have established"(Exodus 15,17). A Babylonian by the name of Rabbi Chiyah objected, saying that it is written in Psalms 95,5, "His hands have fashioned the land masses." Rabbi Nachman explained that this refers to His fingers, since it says "When I behold the heavens, the work of Your fingers" (Psalms 8,4). Another objection was raised; it says, "The heavens proclaim the glory of G-d and the expanse of the sky, the work of His hands (Psalms 19,2). The passage means, "What tells the important work of the righteous? the skies. By what means? By means of the rainfall."

From the following verse,²⁶Tehillim 8:4. “When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,” another interpretation can be reached. Thus, Tractate Kesubos relates:²⁷Kesubos 5a. Bar Kappara expounded: The work of the righteous is greater than the work of heaven and earth, for regarding the creation of heaven and earth it is written,²⁸Yeshayahu 48:13. “Behold, My hand laid the foundation of the earth and My right hand spread out the heavens,” while regarding the work of the hands of the righteous it is written,²⁹Shmos 15:17. This verse states that the building of the Beis HaMikdash, which is the handiwork of the righteous, motivates God to join in its construction and invest Himself in it with both hands, as it were. In contrast, the verse cited previously states that God made heaven and earth with only with one hand, a lesser degree of involvement, as it were. “The place that You, O God, founded for Your dwelling, the Sanctuary that Your hands, O God, established.” One Babylonian, Rabbi Chiyya was his name, challenged [that statement, noting: It is written:³⁰Tehillim 95:5.] “And His hands formed the dry land.” [In support of bar Kappara, it was said: “Although the term “His hand” is pronounced in the plural,] it is written in the singular.”³¹The difference between the word yado, “his hand” and yadav, “his hands” is the letter yud. Those supporting bar Kappara were explaining that the verse in Psalm 95 is written yado, as the singular “His hand”, but it is read yadav, “His hands”.
As Minchas Shai notes in his commentary to the verse, the Mesorah (“tradition”) does not reflect a difference between the ksiv, the written text of the Tanach, and the kri, the manner in which the verse is read, concerning this matter. Indeed, in our version of Tehillim, the word in question is written ידיו, “His hands”, with the yud denoting the plural.
The Shita Mekubetzes suggests that the Gemara informs us that R. Chiyya is a Babylonian to explain the context of the Talmud’s discussion, for the Babylonians did not have accurate knowledge of the exact mesorah regarding when words are spelled one way, but read a slightly different way. [In response, it was said, “The verb,] ‘formed’³²Although the English verb “formed” is both singular and plural, in Hebrew verbs are conjugated differently to denote whether they are singular or plural. Psalm 95:5 uses the plural form of the verb “formed”. is plural!” Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: “His fingers ‘formed,’ as it is written,³³Tehillim 8:4. “When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers.” [Since His fingers “formed” a plural form of the verb is used].