Text Study 5: Creation, Destruction, Creation

Before the world was created, God alone existed, one and eternal, beyond any boundary, without change or movement, concealed within Godself. When the thought arose in God to bring the world into being, God’s glory became visible. God began to trace the foundations of a world before Godself, and in this way God brought a heaven and earth into being. But when God looked at them, they were not pleasing in God’s sight, so God changed them back into emptiness and void. God split and rent and tore them apart with God’s two arms, and ruined whole worlds in one moment. One after another, God created a thousand worlds, which preceded this one. And all of them were swept away in the wink of an eye.

At the beginning God created the heaven and theearth. And the earth was tohu va-vohu, darknessover the face of the deep, and the spirit of Godhovering over the face of the waters (Gen 1:1).

What did She think at that moment, when Shecould no longer bear to look on those worlds?She remembered that it is said of Her, Youbrought forth the earth and the world (Ps 90:2)and her womb, eternal (Jer 20:17), and She felther sons and daughters straining to be born sothat they could say in gratitude, for I was notkilled in the womb (Jer 20:17). She closed Hereyes, swallowed the pain lodged in Her throat,and pleaded for Herself, that She might findmore loving-mercy, and faith, as is written, Ideclare, a world of loving-mercy will be built, Yourfaithfulness will be established in the heavens (Ps89:3). And from that She went and created newheavens and a new earth.

The Holy One blessed be God said to the ministering angels: ‘Come and let us go, you and I, and let us see what the enemies did in My Temple.’ Immediately, the Holy One blessed be God and the ministering angels went, with Jeremiah before God. When the Holy One blessed be God saw the Temple, God said: ‘Certainly, this is My Temple and this is My resting place that enemies entered and did in it as they pleased.’ And at that moment, the Holy One blessed be God began weeping, saying: ‘Woe is Me for My Temple. My children, where are you? My priests, where are you? My beloved, where are you? What could I do for you?’…The Holy One blessed be God said to Jeremiah: ‘Today I am like a person who had an only son, made a wedding canopy for him, and he died within his wedding canopy; do you not feel pain for Me or for My son? Go and call Avraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses from their graves, as they know how to weep.’

Rav Chiyya said: Terach [Avraham's father] was a manufacturer of idols. He once went away somewhere and left young Avraham to sell them in his place. A man came in and wished to buy one. "How old are you?" Avraham asked the man. "Fifty years old," he said. "Woe to such a man, who is fifty years old and would worship a day old object!" Avraham said. On another occasion a woman came in with a plateful of flour and requested of him, "Take this and offer it to them." So Avraham took a stick and broke the idols, and put the stick in the hand of the largest. When his father returned he demanded, "What have you done to them?" "I cannot conceal it from you. A woman came with a plateful of fine meal and requested me to offer it to them. One claimed, 'I must eat first,' while another claimed, 'I must eat first.' Thereupon, the largest arose, took the stick and broke them." "Why do you make sport of me? Have they any knowledge?" Terach said. "Should not your ears hear what your mouth has said?" Avraham said. Thereupon Terach seized him and delivered him to Nimrod.

"Let us worship fire," Nimrod said. "Let us rather worship water which quenches fire," Avraham said. "Let us worship water," Nimrod said. "Let us rather worship the clouds which bear the water," Avraham said. "Let us then worship the clouds," Nimrod said. "Let us worship the wind which disperses the clouds," Avraham said. "Let us worship the wind," Nimrod said. "Let us worship human beings which can stand up to the wind," Avraham said. "You are just bandying words, and we will worship nothing but the fire. Behold, I will cast you into it, and let your God whom you adore come and save you from it!" Nimrod said.

Now Haran was standing there undecided. "If Avraham is victorious, I will say that I am of Avraham’s belief, while if Nimrod is victorious, I will say that I am on Nimrod’s side," he thought. When Avraham descended into the fiery furnace and was saved, Nimrod asked him, "Of whose belief are you?" "Of Avraham’s," Haran replied. Thereupon Nimrod seized him and cast him into the fire; his innards were scorched and he died in the presence of his father. Hence it is written, "And Haran died in the presence of his father Terach."