(ה) וְכֹ֣ל ׀ שִׂ֣יחַ הַשָּׂדֶ֗ה טֶ֚רֶם יִֽהְיֶ֣ה בָאָ֔רֶץ וְכָל־עֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה טֶ֣רֶם יִצְמָ֑ח כִּי֩ לֹ֨א הִמְטִ֜יר יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָדָ֣ם אַ֔יִן לַֽעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה׃
(א) טרם יהיה בארץ. כל טרם שבמקרא לשון עד לא הוא, ואינו לשון קודם, ואינו נפעל לומר הטרים כאשר יאמר הקדים, וזה מוכיח, ועוד אחר (שמות ט ל) כי טרם תיראון, עדין לא תיראון ואף זה תפרש עדיין לא היה בארץ כשנגמרה בריאת העולם בששי קודם שנברא אדם:
Rashi makes a point here of emphasizing the טרם.
There is no הפעיל - that טרם can not be influenced from the outside. It is latent potential.
The difference between the first story and the second story differs in this way - that in this second story, the potential is latent, and needs prayer to be drawn out. It is like the wave function of quantum mechanics - man adds the ability for the טרם to be actualized.
Pushing to the boundaries of understanding - the world is so בהבראם that there is nothing there until there is consciousness. Huh? How can there be consciousness before there is something for it to emerge from? Yes. But still - there is nothing here until there is the emergence of awareness.
וְאָדָ֣ם אַ֔יִן לַֽעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה
Man is the unrealized potential. (so - hey, you can relax.) Your potential is an endless resource. We forever remain in a state of אין - and therefore able to join in the aspect of reality that is in a state of טרם. That is what makes prayer possible and relevant.
In the first story, the last creature to be created is man - consciousness is the product of all creation. In the second story, Man is the first creature - because nothing can exist without awareness, consciousness, perception.
(יז) וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
Both present - זה בית אלוקים,
and on the threshold - זה שער השמים.
This is the first dream, and self-reflective of the nature of dreaming.
Both טרם and מטר. Both present and on the threshold.
These are the two wives, and the two names.
Rahel - Yaakov - Right here.
Leah - Yisrael - The next world.
When he is really named Yisrael, Rahel dies.
These are the two yuds of וייצר
(א) וייצר. שתי יצירות, יצירה לעולם הזה ויצירה לתחית המתים, אבל בבהמה שאינה עומדת לדין לא נכתב ביצירה שני יודי"ן:
שדה - the field
(The word field is proliferating incredibly - in Hebrew and English.)
There are two approaches to the field - one is Esav's - the other:
The field is called שדה from the language of throwing. Throw the seed out there, and pray.
The seed is nothing but potential - it needs the field.
The man who is אין, who can hold the nothing and the potential at the same time, can come to serve the land in a שדה mode.
Yitzchak was the one of the Avot who farmed. And he is the one who loves his wife.
The previous world has died - he lost everything. If you can loose everything and still be here, then you can be here in love. This is the beginning of the Tikkun of "he will rule over you". He's the first to pray opposite his wife. And to play with her.
...
... we can't pray except from Joy ...
... the Shechinah isn't present except in Joy ...
... as Adam is unahppy, the life is sucked out of the presence of God ... and the rest of the parasha is all about sadness.
That joy is fostered by music...