אֵלֶּה תוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם בְּיוֹם עֲשׂוֹת יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָיִם: וְכֹל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִהְיֶה בָאָרֶץ וְכָל עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִצְמָח כִּי לֹא הִמְטִיר יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהִים עַל הָאָרֶץ וְאָדָם אַיִן לַעֲבֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה
Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created. When the Lord God made earth and heaven - when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no human to till the soil...[JPS translation. Edited for gender neutrality]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What does this source teach about the interdependence of people, rain and land?
2. According to this text, who sends rain to the earth? Whose job is it to ensure that the rain is used properly by the land?
3. How do we explain a lack of rain? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that areas that aren't receiving rain still have access to water?
Time Period: Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)