ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף קהלת 1:6

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.

[Ps. 104:11]: “The wild beasts quench their thirst”: The angels are thus called, those appointed to serve over matters of this world, as it is conducted. These are also “the young lions roar for prey” [Ps. 104:21]. And thus: “the gathering of waters He called seas” [Gen. 1:10]. He drew forth the central line, the one that nurses from the Source, like a spinal column drawing sustenance from the brain, into an attribute of day, passing through the cosmic Foundation, as in “all the rivers flow into the sea” [Eccles.1:6]. All the channels flow from the attribute of day to that of night by means of the cosmic Foundation.¹⁷⁷Tiferet, the male energy of the central column, reaches into the heights of keter, the Will that is above the upper reaches of Mind, and flows down through yesod, its sexual manifestation, into malkhut, the “garden” or female.

And his circuit over the ends of it: – Over all the ends of the heaven is his course. And he says: And his circuit, the interpretation being “his round,” as “the cycle (round) of the year” (Exod. 34:22), because he goes round the (four) quarters and returns to the place of his rising, as Solomon says (Koh. 1:6): “He goeth toward the south and roundeth unto the north” because his course in a day is seen in the south quarter, and he proceeds to the west, and rounds the north quarter at night until he returns in the morning to the quarter from which he rose. And so, in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory (Babli, 'Erubin 56a), “He proceeds towards the south by day and goes round to the north at night.” This, however, is in appearance only; for his course inclines toward the south side, but does not go to the angle of the south. But according to Astronomy, this is not said of the cycle of the day, but of the year, because he (the sun) inclines southwards in winter and to the north in summer, and this is apparent to the eyes and clear and certain. And so, in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory, in the Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer (ch. 6): “He goes towards the south in the Tekuphah of Tisri and in the Tekuphah of Tebeth, and goes round to the north at the Tekuphah of Nisan and the Tekuphah of Tammuz.”

A merry heart makes a cheerful face If you cheer up the heart of the Holy One, blessed be He, by following His ways, He will show you a cheerful face to do your will, but if you sadden Him, He will show you a breaking spirit, as it is stated (Gen. 6:6f): “And He became saddened to His heart. And the Lord said, ‘I will erase man, etc.’“ a breaking spirit (Talant in Old French, explained in Ecc. 1:6) a spirit of fury.

that snuffs up the wind She opens her mouth and snuffs up the wind, and he always returns to his place.