But now that this is inferred from [the expression] ‘ From one end of heaven unto the other’, wherefore do I need [the expression], ‘Since the day that God created man upon the earth’? — To intimate that which R. Eleazar taught. For R. Eleazar said: The first man [extended] from the earth to the firmament, as it is said: Since the day that God created man upon the earth; but as soon as he sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hand upon him and diminished him, for it is said: Thou hast fashioned me after and before, and laid Thine hand upon me. Rab Judah said that Rab said: The first man [extended] from one end of the world to the other, for it is said: ‘Since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from one end of heaven to the other’; as soon as he sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hand upon him and diminished him, for it is said: ‘And laid Thine hand upon me’. If so, the verses contradict one another! — They both [have] the same dimensions. Rab Judah further said that Rab said: Ten things were created the first day, and they are as follows: heaven and earth, Tohu [chaos], Bohu [desolation], light and darkness, wind and water, the measure of day and the measure of night. Heaven and earth, for it is written: In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Tohu and Bohu, for it is written: And the earth was Tohu and Bohu. Light and darkness: darkness, for it is written: And darkness was upon the face of the deep; light, for it is written: And God said, Let there be light. Wind and water, for it is written: And the wind of God hovered over the face of the waters. The measure of day and the measure of night, for it is written: And there was evening and there was morning, one day. It is taught: Tohu is a green line that encompasses the whole world, out of which darkness proceeds, for it is said: He made darkness His hiding-place round about Him. Bohu, this means the slimy stones that are sunk in the deep, out of which the waters proceed, for it is said: And he shall stretch over it the line of confusion [Tohu] and the plummet of emptiness [Bohu]. But was the light created on the first day? For, behold, it is written: And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, and it is [further] written: And there was evening and there was morning a fourth day — This is [to be explained] according to R. Eleazar. For R. Eleazar said: The light which the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day, one could see thereby from one end of the world to the other; but as soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, beheld the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion, and saw that their actions were corrupt, He arose and hid it from them, for it is said: But from the wicked their light is withholden. And for whom did he reserve it? For the righteous in the time to come, for it is said: And God saw the light, that it was good; and ‘good’ means only the righteous, for it is said: Say ye of the righteous that he is good. As soon as He saw the light that He had reserved for the righteous, He rejoiced, for it is said: He rejoiceth at the light of the righteous. Now Tannaim [differ on the point]: The light which the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day one could see and look thereby from one end of the world to the other; this is the view of R. Jacob. But the Sages say: It is identical with the luminaries; for they were created on the first day, but they were not hung up [in the firmament] till the fourth day. R. Zulra b. Tobiah said that Rab said: by ten things was the world created: By wisdom and by understanding, and by reason, and by strength, and by rebuke, and by might, by righteousness and by judgment, by lovingkindness and by compassion. By wisdom and understanding, for it is written: The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; and by understanding established the heavens. By reason, for it is written: By His reason the depths were broken up. By strength and might, for it is written: Who by His strength setteth fast the mountains, Who is girded about with might. By rebuke, for it is written: The pillars of heaven were trembling, but they became astonished at His, rebuke. By righteousness and judgment, for it is written: Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of Thy throne. By lovingkindness and compassion, for it is written: Remember, O Lord, Thy compassions and Thy mercies; for they have been from of old. Rab Judah further said: At the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, it went on expanding like two clues of warp, until the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked it and brought it to a standstill, for it is said: ‘The pillars of heaven were trembling, but they became astonished at His rebuke’. And that, too, is what Resh Lakish said: What is the meaning of the verse, I am God Almighty? [It means], I am He that said to the world: Enough! Resh Lakish said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the sea, it went on expanding, until the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked it and caused it to dry up, for it is said: He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers. Our Rabbis taught: Beth Shammai say: Heaven was created first and afterwards the earth was created, for it is said: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Beth Hillel say: Earth was created first and afterwards heaven, for it is said: In the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. Beth Hillel said to Beth Shammai: According to your view, a man builds the upper storey [first] and afterwards builds the house! For it is said: It is he that buildeth His upper chambers in the heaven, and hath founded His vault upon the earth. Said Beth Shammai to Beth Hillel: According to your view, a man makes the footstool [first], and afterwards he makes the throne! For it is said: Thus saith the Lord, The Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. But the Sages say: Both were created at the same time. For it is said: Yea, Mine hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand hath spread out the heavens: When I call unto them they stand up together. And the others? What is the meaning of ‘together’? — [It means] that they cannot be loosened from one another. However, the verses contradict one another! — Resh Lakish answered: When they were created, He created heaven [first], and afterwards He created the earth; but when He stretched them forth He stretched forth the earth [first], and afterwards He stretched forth heaven. What does ‘heaven’ [Shamayim] mean? R. Jose b. Hanina said: It means, ‘There is water’. In a Baraitha it is taught: [It means], ‘fire and water ;’ this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought them and mixed them one with the other and made from them the firmament. R. Ishmael questioned R. Akiba when they were going on a journey together, saying to him: Thou who hast waited twenty-two years upon Nahum of Gimzo, who used to explain the [particle] Eth throughout the Torah, [tell me] what exposition did he give of [Eth] the heaven and [Eth] the earth? Said [R. Akiba] to him: If it had said, ‘heaven and earth’, I could have said that Heaven and Earth were names of the Holy One, blessed be He. But now that it says: ‘[Eth] the heaven and [Eth] the earth’, heaven [means] the actual heaven, and earth [means] the actual earth.

Which is further, from heaven to earth or from east to west? They replied: From east to west. The proof is that when the sun is in the east all can look at it, and when it is in the west all can look at it, but when the sun is in the middle of the sky no — one can look at it. The Sages, however, say: The distance in both cases is the same, as it says, For as the heaven is high above the earth [so great is His mercy towards them that fear Him]; as far as the east is from the west, [so far hath He removed our transgressions from us]. Now if one of these distances is greater, the text should not write both but only the one which is the greater. What then is the reason why no — one can look at the sun when it is in the middle of the sky? Because it is absolutely clear and nothing obstructs the view. He said to them: Were heavens created first or the earth? They replied: The heavens were created first, as it says. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. He said to them: Was light created first, or darkness? They replied: This question cannot be solved. Why did they not reply that darkness was created first, since it is written, Now the earth was unformed and void and darkness, and after that, And God said, Let there be light, and there was light? — They thought to themselves: perhaps he will go on to ask what is above and what is below, what is before and what is after. If that is the case, they should not have answered his question about the heaven either? — At first they thought that he just happened to ask that question, but when they saw that he pursued the same subject, they bethought themselves not to answer him lest he should go on to ask what was above and what was below what was before and what was after. He said to them: Who is called wise? They replied: Who is wise? He who discerns what is about to come to pass. He said to them: Who is called a mighty man? They replied: Who is a mighty man? He who subdues his evil passions. He said to them: Who is called a rich man? They replied: Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot. He said to them: What shall a man do to live? They replied: Let him mortify himself. What should a man do to kill himself? They replied: Let him keep himself alive. He said to them: What should a man do to make himself popular? They replied: Let him hate sovereignty and authority. He said to them: I have a better answer than yours: let him love sovereignty and authority and confer favours on mankind. He said to them: Is it better to dwell on sea or on dry land? They replied, It is better to dwell on dry land, because those who set out to sea are never free from anxiety till they reach dry land again. He said to them: Which among you is the wisest? They replied: We are all equal, because we have all concurred in the same answers to your questions. He said to them: Why do you resist me? They replied: The Satan is too powerful. He said to them: Behold I will slay you by royal decree. They replied: power is in the hands of the king, but it beseems not a king to be false. Forthwith he clothed them with garments of purple and put chains of gold on their necks. He said to them: I want to go to the country of Africa. They said to him: You cannot get there, because the Mountains of Darkness are in the Way. He said to them: That will not stop me from going. Was it for that I asked you? But tell me what I am to do. They said to him: Take Libyan asses that can travel in the dark and take coils of rope and fix them at the side [of the road] so that when you return you can guide yourself by them and reach your destination. He did so and set forth. He came to a place where there were only women. He wanted to make war with them, but they said to him, If you slay us, people will say that he killed women, and if we slay you they will call you the king who was killed by women. He said to them: Bring me bread. They brought him gold bread on a gold table.

written, And God created man in his own image,  and it is written, Male and female created He them.  How is this [to be understood]? [In this way:] In the beginning it was the intention

Lord your God. What then is the point of the words, I am the Lord your God’? This creates a general pattern for all places where we say remembrance verses, [to show] that kingship verses ... which the world was created. Which are they? The phrase ‘and he said’ occurs in the account of the creation only nine times? — The words ‘in the beginning’ are also an utterance

with which the world was created. What are these? The expressions ‘And [God] said’ in the first chapter of Genesis. But there are only nine? — The words ‘In the beginning’ are also a [creative] utterance

Glory and the Temple, for it is written, Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of our sanctuary. The name of the Messiah, as it is written, His [sc. the Messiah ... tell you: only its cavity was created before the world was created, but its fire [was created] on the eve of the Sabbath. Yet was its fire created on the eve of the Sabbath? Surely ... Gehenna was created therein. Also R. Eleazar said, Although ‘it was good’ was not said in connection with it, yet He re-included it in the sixth, as it is said, And God saw everything

said, O Lord of Zebaoth [Hosts].  R. Eleazar said: From the day that God created His world there was no man called the Holy One, blessed be He, Zeboath [hosts] until Hannah came and called ... blessed be He: Sovereign of the Universe, of all the hosts and hosts that Thou hast created in Thy world, is it so hard in Thy eyes to give me one son? A parable ... three 'handmaids'? Hannah said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of the Universe, Thou hast created in woman three criteria [bidke] of death  (some say, three armour-joints [dibke] of death),  namely, niddah

they not hide it? Because its beginning is religious teaching  and its end is religious teaching. Its beginning is religious teaching, as it is written, What profit hath man of all his labour wherein ... matter, fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole of man.  What is meant by, 'for this is the whole of man'? — Said R. Eleazar, The entire world was created only

Lord create it. But that is not so, for it was taught: Seven things were created before the world, viz., The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple ... Messiah. The Torah, for it is written, The Lord possessed me [sc. the Torah] in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.  Repentance, for it is written, Before the mountains were brought ... sayest, Repent, ye sons of men.  The Garden of Eden, as it is written, And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden from aforetime.  Gehenna, as it is written, For Tophet  is ordained

Eliezer says: Whence do we know that the world was created in Tishri? Because it says, And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree. Which is the month ... mist went up from the earth. R. Joshua says: Whence do we know that the world was created in Nisan? Because it says, And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind ... tree bearing fruit. Which is the month in which the earth is full of grass and trees [begin to] produce fruit? You must say that this is Nisan. That time was the period when cattle

utterance that goes forth from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, an angel is created, for it is said: By the word of the Lord were the heavens made ... locks are curled and black as a raven! — There is no contradiction: one verse [refers to God] in session, and the other in war. For a Master said: In session none is more fitting than ... wise [man]’ -this means a disciple who makes his teachers wise. ‘Charmer’ — at the moment that he begins a Torah — discourse, all become dumb. ‘And the skillful [‘man]’ — this means one who understands one thing

each one of them and they all conceived the same idea and wrote for him, God created in the beginning, I shall make man in image and likeness, And he finished on the sixth

favourite saying of the Rabbis of Jabneh was: I am God's creature and my fellow  is God's creature. My work is in the town and his work is in the country. I rise ... superior in wisdom and rank, as it says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding have all they that do thereafter.  It does not say, 'that do',  but 'that ... other motives.  If one does them for other motives, it were better that he had not been created. A favourite saying of Rab was: [The future world is not like this world.]  In the future

Rabbis have taught: Palestine was created first and then the rest of the world, as it is said, While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields. Palestine is watered ... Eliezer?-[He is of the opinion] that this [verse] refers to the other handiwork of God. R. Joshua b. Levi said: The whole world is watered by the residue of the Garden of Eden ... tradition, Better is a flooded land than an arid land. MISHNAH. ON THE THIRD OF MARCHESHVAN WE [BEGIN TO] PRAY FOR RAIN. R. GAMALIEL SAYS: ON THE SEVENTH, [THAT IS.] FIFTEEN DAYS AFTER THE FEAST

afraid of the morning?’ He replied: ‘I am an angel, and from the day that I was created my time to sing praises [to the Lord] had not come until now’. This supports the statement ... whereas Israel mention the name of God after two words, as it is said: Hear, Israel, the Lord etc., the ministering angels only mention the name of God after three words, as it is written ... Holy, holy, holy, the Lord of hosts. Moreover, the ministering angels do not begin to sing praises in heaven until Israel have sung below on earth, for it is said: When the morning stars sang

heart, my sister, my bride: Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes?  In the beginning with one of thine eyes; when thou fulfillest, with both thine eyes. 'Ulla said: Shameless ... with which He will resurrect the dead and revived them, as it is said, Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. R. Joshua b. Levi ... which has been hidden by Thee for nine hundred and seventy-four generations before the world was created.  Thou desirest to give to flesh and blood! What is man, that thou art mindful

holds that he cannot have a first-born with respect to inheritance, for he already had ‘the beginning of his strength’, whereas R. Simeon b. Lakish says that he can have a first-born ... fulfilled the command. R. Johanan says: He has fulfilled [the command]: Since it is written, He [God] hath created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited, whereas R. Simeon b. Lakish says

recover, and he made a feast for all the Rabbis. When the time came to begin the meal,  he said to R. Zera: Will your honour please commence for us.  He said to him: Does ... says grace so that he should bless the host. How does he bless him? 'May it be God's will that our host should never be ashamed in this world nor disgraced in the next ... extends to 'Let us bless'. On the view of him who says, 'three or four', this creates no difficulty.  The one who says 'two or three' can say that here we are dealing with