LET THE EARTH PUT FORTH GRASS: this indicates the union of the upper with the lower waters so as to bear fruit. The upper waters generate, and the lower call to them as the female to the male, because the upper waters are male and the lower female.
R. Simeon said: ‘All this takes place both above and below.’ Said R. Jose, ‘If so, seeing that we have posited Elohim hayyim (living God) above, are we to posit plain Elohim below? Not so, but the truth is that generation is only below (according to our explanation of the words “these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created (behibaream)”, or, as we explain, “which were created with he)”, while the one above is the father of all; the other is a creation, and therefore it is the earth which brought forth products (toledoth), being made pregnant like a female by a male.’
R. Eleazar said: ‘All forces were latent in the earth from the first, but it did not bring forth its products till the sixth day, as it is written, “let the earth bring forth living soul״. True, it is written that on the third day “the earth brought forth grass״, but this only means that it brought its forces into a state of preparedness, and all its products remained latent in it till the due time. First it was “void and without form״, then it was duly prepared and furnished with seeds and with grass, plants, and trees, and finally it put them forth. Similarly the luminaries did not emit their light till the due time.’
תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא, אִתְחַבְּרוּתָא דְּמַיִּין עִלָּאִין בְּתַתָּאִין לְמֶעְבַּד פֵּירִין. מַיִין עִלָּאִין (ד"א פרין ורבין) וְעַבְדֵי אִיבִּין, וְתַתָּאֵי קָרָאן לוֹן לְעִלָּאִין כְּנוּקְבָא לְגַבֵּי דְכוּרָא, בְּגִין דְּמַיִין עִלָּאִין דְּכוּרִין וְתַתָּאֵי נוּקְבִין.
LET THE EARTH PUT FORTH GRASS: this indicates the union of the upper with the lower waters so as to bear fruit. The upper waters generate, and the lower call to them as the female to the male, because the upper waters are male and the lower female.
רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר כָּל דָּא הוּא לְעֵילָא וְהוּא לְתַתָּא. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אִי הָכִי אֱלהִים דְּקָא אֲמָרָן (ד"א אמר) מַאן אֱלהִים, (ד"א ל"ג אלא אלהים סתם) אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים לְעֵילָא, וְאִי תֵימָא לְתַתָּא אֱלֹהִים סְתָם. אֶלָּא לְתַתָּא אִיהוּ תּוֹלְדוֹת, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּרְאָם וְאַמְרִינָן בְּה' בְּרָאָם, וְהַהוּא (ס"א דלעילא) לְעֵילָא אֲבָהָן דְּכֹלָּא הוּא אִיהִי עֲבִידְתָּא, וְעַל דָּא אַרְעָא עַבְדַת תּוֹלְדוֹת, דְּהָא הִיא מִתְעַבְּרָא כְּנוּקְבָא מִן דְּכוּרָא.
R. Simeon said: ‘All this takes place both above and below.’ Said R. Jose, ‘If so, seeing that we have posited Elohim hayyim (living God) above, are we to posit plain Elohim below? Not so, but the truth is that generation is only below (according to our explanation of the words “these are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created (behibaream)”, or, as we explain, “which were created with he)”, while the one above is the father of all; the other is a creation, and therefore it is the earth which brought forth products (toledoth), being made pregnant like a female by a male.’
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר כָּל חֵילִין הֲווּ בְּאַרְעָא וְלָא אַפִּיקַת חֵילָהָא וְאִנּוּן תּוֹלְדוֹתֶיהָ עַד יוֹם (חמישי) הַשִּׁשִּׁי דִּכְתִיב תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, וְאִי תֵימָא וְהָא כְּתִיב וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא. אֶלָּא אֲפִיקַת תִּקּוּן חֵילָהָא לְאִתְיַישְׁבָא כְּדְקָא יָאוּת וְכֹלָּא הֲוָה גָּנִיז בֵּהּ עַד דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ. דְּהָא בְּקַדְמִיתָא כְּתִיב צַדְיָיא וְרֵיקַנְיָא כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, וּלְבָתַר אִתְתַּקָּנַת וְאִתְיַישְׁבַת וְקַבִּילַת זַרְעָא וּדְשָׁאִין וְעִשְׂבִין וְאִילָנִין כְּדְקָא יָאוּת, וְאַפִּיקַת לוֹן לְבָתָר. וּמְאוֹרוֹת הָכִי נָמֵי לָא שִׁמְשׁוּ נְהוֹרָא דִּלְהוֹן עַד דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ:
R. Eleazar said: ‘All forces were latent in the earth from the first, but it did not bring forth its products till the sixth day, as it is written, “let the earth bring forth living soul״. True, it is written that on the third day “the earth brought forth grass״, but this only means that it brought its forces into a state of preparedness, and all its products remained latent in it till the due time. First it was “void and without form״, then it was duly prepared and furnished with seeds and with grass, plants, and trees, and finally it put them forth. Similarly the luminaries did not emit their light till the due time.’