Study Chagigah folio 12B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
״את הארץ״ למה לי — להקדים שמים לארץ. ״והארץ היתה תהו ובהו״, מכדי בשמים אתחיל ברישא, מאי שנא דקא חשיב מעשה ארץ? תנא דבי ר׳ ישמעאל: משל למלך בשר ודם שאמר לעבדיו: השכימו לפתחי. השכים ומצא נשים ואנשים. למי משבח — למי שאין דרכו להשכים והשכים.
Why do I need “and the earth” [et ha’aretz]? To teach that heaven preceded earth in the order of Creation. The next verse states: “And the earth was unformed and void” (Genesis 1:2). The Talmud asks: After all, the Bible began with heaven first; what is different about the second verse? Why does the Bible recount the creation of earth first in the second verse? The Sage of the school of R' Yishmael taught: This can be explained by a parable of a flesh-and-blood king who said to his servants: Rise early and come to my entrance. He arose and found women and men waiting for him. Whom does he praise? Those who are unaccustomed to rising early but yet rose early, the women. The same applies to the earth: Since it is a lowly, physical sphere, we would not have expected it to be created together with heaven. Therefore, it is fitting to discuss it at greater length.
תניא, רבי יוסי אומר: אוי להם לבריות, שרואות, ואינן יודעות מה רואות. עומדות, ואין יודעות על מה הן עומדות. הארץ על מה עומדת — על העמודים, שנאמר: ״המרגיז ארץ ממקומה ועמודיה יתפלצון״. עמודים, על המים — שנאמר: ״לרוקע הארץ על המים״. מים, על ההרים — שנאמר: ״על הרים יעמדו מים״. הרים, ברוח — שנאמר: ״כי הנה יוצר הרים ובורא רוח״. רוח, בסערה — שנאמר: ״רוח סערה עושה דברו״. סערה, תלויה בזרועו של הקדוש ברוך הוא — שנאמר: ״ומתחת זרועות עולם״.
§ It is taught in a baraita: R' Yosei says: Woe to them, the creations, who see and know not what they see; who stand and know not upon what they stand. He clarifies: Upon what does the earth stand? Upon pillars, as it is stated: “Who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble” (Job 9:6). These pillars are positioned upon water, as it is stated: “To Him Who spread forth the earth over the waters” (Psalms 136:6). These waters stand upon mountains, as it is stated: “The waters stood above the mountains” (Psalms 104:6). The mountains are upon the wind, as it is stated: “For behold He forms the mountains and creates the wind” (Amos 4:13). The wind is upon a storm, as it is stated: “Stormy wind, fulfilling His word” (Psalms 148:8). The storm hangs upon the arm of God as it is stated: “And underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27), which demonstrates that the entire world rests upon the arms of God.