Earth Day Torah

"I was with Him as a confidant, A source of delight every day, Rejoicing before Him at all times" (Proverbs 8:30) ...The Torah is saying, "I was the artisan's tool of Hashem." In the way of the world, a king of flesh and blood who builds a castle does not do so from his own knowledge, but rather from the knowledge of an architect, and the architect does not build it from his own knowledge, but rather he has scrolls and books in order to know how to make rooms and doorways. So too Hashem gazed into the Torah and created the world. Similarly the Torah says, "Through the reishis Hashem created [the heavens and the earth]," and reishis means Torah, as in "Hashem made me [the Torah] the beginning (reishis) of His way" (Mishlei 8:22).

G-d called the dry land "Earth" Eretz. Why was it called Earth? Because it wanted ratztah to do the will ratzon of its Creator. R Natan in the name of R Acha, and R Berechiah in the name of R Yitzchak, stated: (Bereishis 17:1) I am Almighty G-d. I am the One who told the heavens and earth, "Enough!" Because if not, they would have continued growing until now.

(9) God said, “Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. (10) God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good. (11) And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. (12) The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that this was good.

A God said let the “Let the earth sprout vegetation" (Genesis 1:11) Rabbi Natan taught: three entered into judgement and four emerged obligated/punished, and they are: Adam, Eve, and Serpent entered into judgement and with them was cursed the earth, as it is said, "Cursed be the ground because of you" (Genesis 3:17) that it will bring up accursed things for you, as in: worms and flies and fleas. Rabbi Yitzhak from Gedalia said: even from these one can derive benefit. And why is the earth cursed? Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Shalom said that the earth transgressed what was commanded, for the Holy Blessed One said to her: let the earth sprout vegetation [fruit trees of every kind that bear fruit]. Just in the way that fruit is edible so too, to tree was supposed to be edible, and she didn't do that, rather it says, "The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit..." (Genesis 1:12) The fruit was edible but the tree was not edible. Rabbi Pinchas said: No, rather, the earth added to that which was commanded, she delighted in doing the will of her Creator! A tree does create fruit, even ___ trees create fruit! The perspective of Rabbi Yehuda makes sense, but if we go with what Rabbi Pinchas says, then why was the earth cursed? Rather it's like a person who says "Cursed are the breasts from which I suckled."

ארורה האדמה בעבורך CURSED BE THE GROUND FOR THY SAKE — It will produce to you cursed objects such as flies, fleas and ants; it may be compared to the case of one who gets into depraved ways, and people curse the breasts at which he was suckled (Genesis Rabbah 5:9).

Why is the land of Israel likened unto Z'bi (deer)? Just as the skin of a deer [when once, taken off] cannot cover its body, so also cannot the land of Israel retain all its fruits. It may be explained in another way. Just as the deer is the swiftest of animals, so does Israel's fruit ripen sooner than all other lands. One might think that just as the deer is swift but its flesh is not fat, so also the land of Israel ripens fruit sooner than other countries, but does not yield fat fruit. It is thereupon written (Ex. 3, 8) Unto a land of flowing with milk and honey; i.e., a land which is even fatter than milk and even sweeter than honey.