Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/61

 The Story of Creation

43

source of the rain, which falls to the earth beneath through the little openings or windows in the bottom of the bowl (cf. Gen. VII, 11 and VIII, 2). The bottom of the upper bowl is the heaven or firmament, which God spread out in the midst of the waters, to divide the waters above the earth from those below. the

moon and

sun,

universe which

many

lies

are fixed.

other parts of the Bible.

The

rabbis later expanded this con-

and

spoke of seven heavens, other, and also seven earths one below the other. considerably

ception

V.

9.

In this heaven

This is the conception of the at the bottom, not only of this chapter, but of stars

"The waters under the heaven,"

now existing. Here God does not

i.

e.

one

above the

the lower of the

two

bodies of water -

V.

11.

speaks the

word which endows

grass and plants to spring forth.

directly create the grass, but merely

the

earth with

power

In other words God's

to

cause the

word endows

power of plant propagation. is often asked, and is generally found the sun. moon and stars were created only on the

the earth with the

A

14.

The

troublesome, "If

question

how could light have existed on the very first day of and also how could plant life, for which sunlight is indispensable, have begun on the third day ?" The ancient rabbis tried to answer the first question with the tradition that the light of the first day was different from, and superior to, the light of the sun. This original light at first filled the whole universe. But when Adam sinned, this light was taken away, to be restored to man, however, when the [Messiah shall come at the end of time. Meanwhile mankind must content itself with the light of the sun, moon and stars, created on the fourth day. Other traditions told that God himself was clothed with light, and that this light emanated from Him and filled the universe before the creation of the sun (cf. Psalm CIV, 1-2). However, it is clear that these are only unsuccessful, though pious and reverential, attempts to account for what is obviously an anachronism on the part of the author. Inasmuch as he measures creation from the very beginning lv days and evenings and mornings, it is clear tliat he had in mind the orderly succession of day and night, of light and darkness caused by the presence or absence of the light of the sun. Similarly, the simple and natural answer to the second question, how could plant life have begun on the third day. if the sun was not created until the fourth day, is that the author of this story apparently bad no knowledge of the connection between the light and heat of the sun and plant life and growth. However, since, as we have seen, the framework of the fourth day,

creation,