The Gemara on Chagigah, page 12b, has been anonymously dedicated for the long life, success, and well-being of Yaakov Yisrael ben Frida Sipora and Sarah bat Semcha, as well as Shem Yarich Yimahem bat Tov and Shnutam ben Naimim. Amen; may this be the Divine will. This page is being studied in memory of Eliyahu ben Rachel Elna, before the Master of the Universe, among all the sick of Israel. Amen.
We begin today’s page on 12b, at the top. The Gemara says that a person may investigate only what lies “from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens.” We already explained that a person may contemplate only matters within the boundaries of the world, from one end of the heavens to the other.
However, the verse also says, “From the day that God created man upon the earth.” We learned yesterday that one may study only matters beginning from the time of Creation, from the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam. But if one is already forbidden to investigate what lies beyond the heavens, then matters that preceded Creation are automatically excluded. Why, then, does the verse need to specify “from the day that God created man upon the earth”?
The Gemara answers that the verse teaches something else. If we understand the earlier limitation literally, one may not ask what lies beyond the boundaries of Creation. One may not go beyond the partition. Why, then, does the verse have to teach separately that one may not investigate what preceded the creation of the world? That is already included in the prohibition against going beyond the heavens.
The Gemara therefore teaches that the verse is referring to Adam’s original stature. “From the day that God created man upon the earth” indicates that Adam originally extended from the earth to the heavens. This was his original physical stature. When Adam sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hands upon him and reduced him. God created Adam in two senses: first, He created him, and later He diminished him. In both cases, the verse uses the expression that God placed His hands upon him. The verse is therefore coming to teach us about the status of the first man.
Originally, Adam was extraordinarily tall, but ultimately he was reduced. Rabbi Yehudah said that Adam extended from one end of the world to the other. Here we are speaking about physical stature, not merely spiritual stature. The Gemara’s language appears literal: when Adam was lying down, he reached from one end of the world to the other.
We now seem to have two different descriptions. First, we were told that Adam extended from the earth to the heavens. Then we were told that he extended from east to west, from one end of the world to the other. The Gemara answers that these measurements were equal. When Adam sinned, God diminished him. One verse indicates that he extended from earth to heaven, while another indicates that he extended from east to west; the Gemara tells us that the two measurements were the same.
The word used for Adam’s reduced state can mean low or diminished. It can also refer to spiritual stature. That is why Tosafot points out that the passage appears to be describing a physical size. When Adam’s spiritual stature was great, it affected his physical stature. Once he sinned and his spiritual stature was diminished, his physical stature was also affected.
Tosafot asks about the statement that Adam extended from one end of the world to the other. If one wants to know how long it takes to travel from one end of the world to the other, the distance is described as a five-hundred-year journey. Tosafot cites a later passage that derives this from the Divine name Shaddai, understood as meaning that God said, “Enough”—enough for the world to extend any further.
Tosafot raises a difficulty: How do we know that the distance from one end of the world to the other is five hundred years? Perhaps it is greater. Clearly, no one measured it. Tosafot answers through the numerical value of the Divine name Shaddai. The name contains the letters shin, dalet, and yud. Taking the expanded forms of those letters produces an additional numerical calculation that equals five hundred. Tosafot is therefore deriving the measurement through the hidden structure of the name Shaddai. This is a major novelty in Tosafot.
The Gevurot adds that when the verse says, “You placed Your hand upon me,” the word for hand has a numerical value of one hundred. Adam and his descendants were therefore reduced to a height of one hundred cubits. The Gevurot then introduces a number of esoteric teachings.
Rabbi Yehudah said in the name of Rav that ten things were created on the first day. They are the heavens and the earth; chaos and desolation; light and darkness; wind and water; and the measure of day and the measure of night.
The heavens and the earth were created on the first day, as the verse says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Chaos and desolation are mentioned in the next verse, which says that the earth was chaos and desolation. Darkness is mentioned in the verse, “Darkness was upon the face of the deep,” and light is mentioned in the verse, “God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Wind and water are mentioned in the verse, “The spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters.” Finally, the measure of day and night is indicated by the verse, “It was evening and it was morning, one day.”
The Gemara then explains that “chaos” refers to a green line that surrounds the entire world. It is not the equator; it is some kind of spiritual boundary. From this green line, darkness emerged, as the verse says, “He made darkness His concealment, His surroundings His shelter.” The darkness was brought into the world from this line.
The Gemara also speaks of moist stones embedded in the depths, from which water emerges. This is connected to the verse that mentions the line of chaos and the stones of desolation. The Gemara has described what chaos is, although the description remains esoteric.
But if light was created on the first day, how can that be? The sun was not created until the fourth day, when God placed the luminaries in the firmament of heaven. How could there have been light before the sun?
Rabbi Elazar answers that the light created on the first day was the primordial light. Adam was able to use that light to see from one end of the world to the other. When the Holy One, blessed be He, looked ahead and saw the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion, He saw that their deeds were corrupt. He therefore concealed the light from them.
The verse says, “He withheld their light from the wicked.” The light was concealed for the righteous in the future, as the verse says, “God saw that the light was good.” The word “good” is understood here as referring to the righteous, based on the verse, “Say of the righteous that it is good.” The primordial light that God created on the first day was ultimately designated for the righteous.
When the world sees that light, it rejoices, as the verse says, “The light of the righteous rejoices.”
The Baal Shem Tov famously taught that this primordial light is mentioned in the Talmud, and the sages say that the lights of Hanukkah also contain an aspect of that light. We light a total of thirty-six candles throughout Hanukkah: one on the first night, two on the second, and so on until eight. The total is thirty-six, corresponding to thirty-six tractates of the Talmud. This is understood as an aspect of the primordial light.
There is also a linguistic observation regarding the account of Creation. After God created the other elements, the verse often says that He established them. But when He created the light, the verse says only, “God saw that the light was good”; it does not say that He established it. This is because the original primordial light did not remain in existence. God took it back and concealed it.
The verse says, “Not so are the wicked.” The expression “not so” is understood as an indication that the wicked do not possess this primordial light. The mystics write that when Aaron the priest lit the Menorah, the verse says, “Aaron did so.” My father used to point out that this expression does not appear in the account of Creation. Aaron’s lighting of the Menorah established that the primordial light has a certain presence even in this world. By lighting the Menorah exactly as commanded, Aaron brought the primordial light back into the world.
The Maharsha discusses this passage and asks how the statement that day and night were created on the first day can be understood. The sun was not created until the fourth day, so how could there have been day and night on the first day?
The Maharsha offers one approach: the heavens and the earth, as well as the measures of day and night, were created on the first day, but the luminaries were fixed in their places only on the fourth day. According to this approach, the primordial light was created on the first day and then concealed. On the fourth day, other luminaries were created and fixed in the heavens.
There are therefore two ways to understand the passage. One possibility is that the sun was created on the first day but was not suspended in its place until the fourth day. The other possibility, which follows the discussion of the primordial light, is that the light created on the first day was the primordial light, while the sun and the moon were actually created and placed in the heavens on the fourth day.
The Gemara then says that the order in which God created the world on the first day was the same order in which He ultimately established the elements on the fourth day. He created the luminaries at the beginning, but suspended them in their places later. Perhaps that is why the first day is called Sunday and the fourth day is called Wednesday: the creation occurred earlier, while the placement occurred later.
Rabbi Zutra bar Tuvya said in the name of Rav that the world was created through ten things. The Maharsha explains that these ten things correspond to the ten expressions associated with the ten sefirot discussed by the mystics: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, kindness, strength, beauty, endurance, splendor, foundation, and sovereignty.
The world was created through wisdom, understanding, and knowledge; through strength and rebuke; through righteousness and judgment; and through kindness and mercy. Wisdom is indicated by the verse, “God founded the earth with wisdom.” Understanding is indicated by the verse, “He established the heavens with understanding.” Knowledge is indicated by the verse, “Through knowledge the depths were split.” Strength is indicated by the verse, “He established the mountains with His strength.” Rebuke is indicated by the verse, “The pillars of heaven trembled and were astonished at His rebuke.” Righteousness and judgment are indicated by the verse, “With righteousness and judgment Your throne is established.” Kindness and mercy are indicated by the verse, “Remember Your mercies, God, and Your kindnesses, for they are eternal.”
Rabbi Yehudah of the West said that when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He continued expanding it like two balls of thread being unwound. The world continued spreading outward until the Creator rebuked it and made it stop. The pillars of heaven trembled and were astonished at His rebuke.
This is connected to the Divine name Shaddai, meaning, “I am the One who said to the world, ‘Enough.’” The world was expanding, and at a certain point God stopped it. Modern scientists speak about the universe continuing to expand, but the Gemara describes a point at which God stopped the expansion.
The same idea is applied to the oceans. When God created the sea, it continued spreading and deepening until He rebuked it, and it dried up. The verse says, “He rebuked the sea and it dried up; He dried up the rivers.”
The Maharsha explains that the two balls of thread represent the attribute of judgment and the attribute of mercy. This is connected to the verse, “On the day that God made earth and heaven,” in which the Divine name combines the two attributes. Tosafot also connects this discussion to the numerical value of the expanded name Shaddai, which equals five hundred and therefore indicates the five-hundred-year distance from one end of the world to the other.
The Sages taught a dispute between the School of Shammai and the School of Hillel: Which was created first, the heavens or the earth?
The School of Shammai says that the heavens were created first and the earth afterward, as the verse says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The School of Hillel says that the earth was created first, as the verse says, “On the day that God made earth and heaven.”
What exactly are they arguing about? On the surface, it appears to be a question of semantics, since each side is relying on a different verse. But each school is looking at the world from a different perspective. The School of Shammai looks at the ultimate purpose. The ultimate purpose is heaven. The School of Hillel looks at the process: a person must first come down to the earth, to this world of action, in order to perform Torah and mitzvot.
Each one is asking what the primary element is. Is the primary purpose to reach heaven, or is the primary concern the process that must occur on earth?
The School of Hillel says to the School of Shammai: When a person builds a house, does he build the roof first and then the house? No. He builds the house first and places the roof on it afterward. The verse calls the heavens a roof, as it says, “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool.”
The School of Shammai responds that when a person makes a chair, does he make the legs first and then place the seat upon them? No. He makes the seat first and then constructs the legs beneath it. The heavens are called a throne, while the earth is the place beneath God’s feet. Therefore, the throne was created first, and the earth was created afterward.
The other Sages say that the heavens and the earth were created simultaneously, as the verse says, “My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand together.” One hand created one, and the other hand created the other, and they stood together.
What do the other Sages do with the word “together”? They explain that even if one element was created before the other, the two are linked and interdependent. The heavens and earth are connected to each other, but that does not necessarily mean that they were created at precisely the same moment.
There are two verses: one mentions the heavens before the earth, and the other mentions the earth before the heavens. The Gemara answers that when they were created, the heavens came first and the earth afterward. But when they were placed in their proper positions, the earth was placed first and the heavens afterward. In this way, the verses are reconciled, although a dispute remains between the School of Shammai and the School of Hillel regarding the underlying order.
The Maharsha discusses this passage in an extremely esoteric section beginning with the words, “The School of Shammai says that the heavens were created first.” I did not attempt to summarize all of the Maharsha’s explanation because I probably do not understand all of it. Anyone who wants to examine it further would find a great deal of material there.
The Gemara then asks: Why are the heavens called heavens? The Maharsha explains that the word can be divided in two ways, connecting one part to fire and the other to water. The Tanna therefore teaches that the heavens are composed of fire and water. God mixed them together, and from them created the firmament.
Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Akiva about this when they were traveling. He said to him: You served Nachum Ish Gamzu for twenty-two years, is that correct? Rabbi Akiva was indeed a student of Nachum Ish Gamzu, and their styles of interpretation were similar. Rabbi Akiva was known for saying that everything the Merciful One does is for the good, while Nachum Ish Gamzu was known for saying, “This too is for the good.”
Nachum Ish Gamzu interpreted every occurrence of the word “et” in the Torah as adding something. The verse says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” What did your teacher interpret from the first “et” in that verse?
Rabbi Akiva answered that Nachum Ish Gamzu did not teach them that interpretation. He said that if the Torah had merely stated, “In the beginning God created the heavens,” one might have thought that “heavens” was the name of God. The first “et” separates God from the heavens and clarifies that God created the heavens; the word “heavens” is not itself God’s name.
Once the first “et” is understood, why is the second “et,” before “the earth,” necessary? It teaches that the heavens were created before the earth. Had the verse said only, “God created the heavens and the earth,” one might have understood that they were created together. The additional word indicates that the heavens were created first and the earth second.
The Gemara then asks: If the heavens were created first, why does the next verse immediately discuss the earth, saying, “The earth was chaos and desolation”? Why does the Torah move to the second element instead of continuing with the first?
The Gemara answers with a parable. A mortal king tells his servants to rise early and meet him at the entrance to his palace. The men and women arrive early. Whom does the king praise? He praises the women, because he did not expect them to rise as early as the men. The men are accustomed to rising early, but the women had a greater challenge.
Similarly, the heavens are naturally associated with lightness and movement, while the earth is heavy and inert. The heavens were expected to come first. The earth had the greater difficulty in coming into existence, so the Torah gives it prominence by discussing it immediately.
The Maharsha explains that the earth in this parable represents what is not naturally expected to rise first. The heavens are naturally swift, while the earth is slow and heavy. This is why the Torah gives the earth honor in the account, even though the heavens were created first.
This also provides an interesting connection to the mystical comparison between the feminine aspect and the earth. The earth is associated with the element that is not naturally expected to lead. The parable is therefore precise: the Torah gives priority to the element that required the greater effort.
The Gemara then teaches in the name of Rabbi Yose that woe to people who see what is before them but do not know what they are seeing or what they are standing upon. What does the world stand upon?
One teaching says that the pillars of the world stand upon the waters, as the verse says, “He suspends the earth upon nothing.” The waters stand upon the mountains, as the verse says, “The waters stood above the mountains.” The mountains stand upon the wind, as the verse says, “He forms mountains and creates wind.” The wind stands upon the tempest, as the verse says, “He makes the tempest His messenger.” The tempest is suspended upon the strength of the Holy One, blessed be He, as the verse says, “He alone spreads out the heavens.”
Other Sages say that the world stands upon twelve pillars, as indicated by the verse that refers to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel. Others say that it stands upon seven pillars, as the verse says, “She has hewn out her seven pillars.” Rabbi Elazar says that the world stands upon one pillar, and the righteous is its name, as the verse says, “The righteous is the foundation of the world.”
The Maharsha explains the meaning of the entire passage. In several places, Scripture and the Talmud explain that human beings were given free will in order to overcome the evil inclination and fulfill the Torah and its commandments. The Talmud says, “I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as its remedy.” If the evil inclination attacks a person, he should bring it into the study hall. Through Torah study, the person can overcome it.
If the Holy One, blessed be He, did not help a person, the person would not be able to defeat the evil inclination. Nevertheless, one who comes to purify himself receives assistance. Those who take the first step toward purification are helped from Heaven.
This is the meaning of Rabbi Yose’s statement: Woe to people who do not know what the world stands upon. The world stands upon human free will. If a person chooses correctly, he can sustain the world through his deeds. If he chooses wickedly, he can damage and destroy the world. The world stands upon the choices that human beings make and upon the deeds of the righteous.
There are also the three pillars upon which the world stands: Torah, divine service, and acts of kindness. The Maharsha focuses here on the primary pillar, Torah. The Mishnah teaches that the world stands upon justice, truth, and peace, and the Maharsha explains that these are expressions of the same essential pillars.
The problem is that people do not always fulfill the pillars that were given to them. The primary pillar is Torah, which is compared to water. Just as the world depends upon water, so the world depends upon Torah. The Torah was not given to the angels; it was given to human beings, especially to the righteous.
The righteous are compared to mountains because they use their free will for the good. They are strong like mountains because they overcome the evil inclination and choose correctly. In several places, the righteous are described through the image of mountains.
The mountains stand upon wind. The Maharsha explains that the wind represents the soul within the righteous. Their choices depend upon whether they allow the soul to rule over the body. The righteous give sovereignty not to the physical body but to the spiritual soul.
All of this depends upon a person’s ability to overcome the tempest, which represents the evil inclination. The Maharsha connects the tempest to the evil inclination and explains that the battle ultimately depends upon a person’s choice. The person must fight, but he also needs the help of the Holy One, blessed be He. That is why the tempest is described as standing upon the arm of God.
The Maharsha concludes that the different opinions regarding the number of pillars correspond to the discussion elsewhere in the Talmud about reducing the Torah’s six hundred and thirteen commandments to a smaller number of principles. One Sage speaks of twelve, another of seven, and another of one: “The righteous shall live by his faith.” In that discussion, these are counted as commandments; here, they are described as pillars upon which the world stands.
The Gemara then says that there are two heavens, as the verse says, “Behold, to God belong the heavens and the heavens of the heavens.” The Gemara asks whether Rabbi Yehudah knew about the seven heavens. The answer is that the seven are named: Vilon, Rakiya, Shechakim, Zevul, Maon, Machon, and Aravot.
We are now discussing the seven heavens. The Gemara begins to identify each one and describe what occurs there.
Vilon does not serve any permanent function. Rather, in the morning it enters, and in the evening it emerges and covers the sun like a curtain. Each day, Vilon renews the work of Creation, as the verse says, “He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent for dwelling.”
Rashi understands the passage to mean that in the morning Vilon enters into its case, and the light becomes visible. In the evening it emerges from its case and spreads downward, covering the light, so that the world becomes dark.
The Maharsha asks how the stars can be seen if Vilon covers the heavens. He therefore offers a different interpretation. According to him, Vilon existed from the first day of Creation, before the sun was created. During the day, Vilon produces a natural light, and at night it produces a natural darkness. This process has nothing to do with the sun.
According to the Maharsha, Vilon emerges during the day and creates the brightness of day. At night, it returns and brings darkness. Thus, even before the luminaries were established, Vilon distinguished between day and night. When Vilon emerged, it was day; when it returned, it was night. This is what the Gemara means when it says that Vilon renews the work of Creation each day.
The second heaven is Rakiya. The sun, moon, stars, and constellations are located there, as the verse says, “God placed them in the firmament of the heavens.”
Shechakim is the place where the manna was ground for the righteous of the generation that traveled through the wilderness. The verse says, “He commanded the upper heavens and opened the doors of heaven; He rained manna upon them to eat.” The Maharsha explains that this refers to the righteous of that generation, not to righteous people in the present who are literally eating manna.
Zevul is the place of the heavenly Jerusalem and the heavenly Temple. The altar is built there, and the angel Michael, the great minister, stands and offers sacrifices upon it.
The Maharsha asks what sacrifices are offered there. He explains that they are the souls of the righteous when they pass away. When a righteous person dies, that soul is brought upon the altar. This is also how the Tur explains a passage in the Amidah asking that the Temple service be restored.
We say, “May the offerings of Israel and their prayer be received with favor.” The Tur asks how this can refer to offerings when there are no sacrifices today. He answers that it refers to the righteous who are upon Michael’s altar, as well as to the prayers that we offer in the Amidah. “The offerings of Israel” can refer both to the righteous and to the prayers of the Jewish people.
How do we know that Zevul is a heaven? The verse says, “I have surely built You a lofty house, a place for You to dwell forever.” Another verse says, “Look down from Your holy dwelling, from heaven.” The connection between the dwelling place and heaven identifies Zevul as one of the heavens.
Maon is the place where groups of ministering angels sing at night. During the day, they are silent because the honor of Israel occupies the day. The verse says, “By day God will command His kindness, and at night His song is with me.” During the night, the angels sing; during the day, the song belongs to the Jewish people.
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says that anyone who studies Torah at night receives a thread of kindness during the day. This is derived from the verse, “By day God will command His kindness, and at night His song is with me.” A person who studies Torah at night receives divine kindness during the following day.
This is counterintuitive. Ordinarily, when a person stays awake all night, he loses his charm. He is tired, his eyes are heavy, and he is groggy. Yet the Gemara says that a person who studies Torah at night receives a special kindness during the day, contrary to what one might naturally expect.
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish also says that anyone who studies Torah in this world, which is compared to night, will receive the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the World to Come, which is compared to day. The verse says, “By day God will command His kindness, and at night His song is with me.”
Rabbi Levi says that anyone who interrupts his Torah study at night for idle conversation is fed coals of broomwood. These are not ordinary coals but coals that retain their heat. The verse says, “They gather broomwood over it,” alluding to those who interrupt their study for conversation.
The expression may also be read as referring to someone who takes a word from the tablets of Torah for the sake of idle speech. Because he takes time away from Torah for unnecessary conversation, he is punished by being given the coals of broomwood. The initial letters of the relevant expression also hint to this idea: when a person is studying, there should be no interruption.
How do we know that Maon is a heaven? The verse says, “Look down from Your holy dwelling, from heaven.” The holy dwelling is associated with Maon, and the verse identifies it with heaven.
Machon is the place of the storehouses of snow, the storehouses of hail, the attic of destructive dew, the attic of water, the chamber of the storm, the cave of vapor, and the doors of fire.
The Gemara notes that the verse mentions a good storehouse: “The Lord will open for you His good storehouse.” If there is a good storehouse, there must also be a harmful storehouse. The harmful storehouse is understood to be in Machon, containing the snow, hail, destructive waters, storms, vapors, and fire described by the Gemara.
The Gemara asks: These things are on earth. Snow and hail descend here, and the verse in Psalms says, “Praise the Lord from the earth; sea creatures and all depths; fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind fulfilling His word.” How can the Gemara say that they are in heaven?
Rabbi Yehudah in the name of Rav answers that David requested mercy and brought them down to earth. Tosafot raises a difficulty: When rain, hail, and snow fall, they come from the heavens. Why say that David brought them down?
Tosafot answers that once they descend from the clouds, they appear to come from a much lower place. David brought down only the destructive elements, and bringing them down mitigated their force. The Maharsha adds that these harmful forces were near the Divine Presence, and David requested that they be brought farther away so that they would not cause harm.
The Gemara then discusses Aravot. There are winds and souls there, and also the Ophanim, Seraphim, and holy creatures. The living angels are there, as well as the ministering angels. God is above them in the place called Aravot.
The verse says, “Exalt the One who rides upon the heavens,” and another verse says, “Exalt the One who rides upon the highest heavens.” Aravot is therefore identified with the heavens. Darkness, clouds, and thick clouds surround that place.
The Gemara asks whether there can be darkness near the Holy One, blessed be He. Is there darkness beside God? The answer is that God knows the deepest and most hidden things, and light is with Him. What appears to be darkness is not darkness for God. The inner chambers contain light, while the outer chambers may be described as dark.
We will leave the deeper interpretation of these inner and outer chambers for another time.