R. Jose propounded the question: ‘What are the “six days of Bereshith” of which the Rabbis speak so often?’ R. Simeon answered: ‘These are, in truth, “the cedars of Lebanon which he has planted״. As the cedars spring from Lebanon, so these six days spring from Bereshith.
These are the six supernal days which are specified in the verse: “Thine, O Lord, are the Greatness (Gedulah), the Might (Geburah), the Beauty (Tifereth), the Victory (Nezah), and the Majesty (Hod)” (I Chron. 29, 11). The words “For all” refer to the Zaddik (righteous one), who is Yesod (foundation of the world)….
The word Bereshith we interpret to mean “the second, i.e. Hokmah (Wisdom) is the starting-point”, because the supernal Kether (Crown), which is really first, is too recondite and therefore is not counted; hence the second is the starting-point. Again, the word be-reshith indicates that there are two reshith’s, because as the upper Wisdom is a reshith (starting-point), so the lower Wisdom is a reshith.
Further, we reckon Bereshith as a maamar (creative utterance), and six days issued from it and are comprised in it, and bear the names of those others.
The next words, Created Elohim, are analogous to the verse “and a river went forth from Eden to water the garden”, i.e. to water it and keep it and attend to all its needs. Thus this Elohim is Elohim Hayyim (the living God), and we render ‘Bereshith created Elohim” by means of that stream, as the agent for producing the world and vivifying it.
Further, the two words eth hashamaim (the heavens) signify the fitting union of male and female. After this a lower world was created through the agency of the heavens, and through it Elohim gave being to all.
More precisely, the heavens produced eth, which is the Whole. When the Whole was settled in its place, this last link in the chain became in turn a starting-point (reshith), through which Elohim released the stream, and the waters began to flow to the lower world, so that we can now render “by means of reshith God created”, viz. the lower world; by its means He produced radiances and gave being to all.’
R. Judah said: ‘In allusion to this it is written, “should the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith?” (Is. 10, 15). Surely it is the craftsman who is entitled to boast. So here, seeing that by means of this reshith the supernal Elohim created the heavens, it is God to whom the glory belongs….’
בֵּית דִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבְרְבָא. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי שָׁאִיל לֵיהּ. וְאָמַר הַאי שִׁיתָּא יוֹמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית דְּקָא תָּנִינָן מָאן אִנּוּן. אָמַר לֵיהּ הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב (תהילים ק״ד:ט״ז) אַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן אֲשֶׁר נָטָע. כְּמָה דְּאִלֵּין אֲרָזִין נָפְקִין מִן לְבָנוֹן. הָכִי נָמֵי אִנּוּן שִׁיתָּא יוֹמִין נָפְקִין מִן בְּרֵאשִׁית.
R. Jose propounded the question: ‘What are the “six days of Bereshith” of which the Rabbis speak so often?’ R. Simeon answered: ‘These are, in truth, “the cedars of Lebanon which he has planted״. As the cedars spring from Lebanon, so these six days spring from Bereshith.
וְאִלֵּין שִׁיתָּא יוֹמִין עִלָּאִין קְרָא פָּרִישׁ לוֹן דִּכְתִיב, (דברי הימים א כ״ט:י״א) לְךָ יְיָ הַגְּדוּלָה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְגו'. כִּי כֹל דָּא צַדִּיק. בַּשָּׁמַיִם דָּא תִּפְאֶרֶת. וּבָאָרֶץ דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ דִּי אָחִיד בִּשְׁמַיָא וּבְאַרְעָא. כְּלוֹמַר דִּיסוֹדָא דְעָלְמָא דְּאִקְרֵי כֹּל, אִיהוּ אָחִיד בְּתִפְאֶרֶת דְּאִקְרֵי שָׁמָיִם, וּבָאָרְץ דְּאִקְרֵי כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.
These are the six supernal days which are specified in the verse: “Thine, O Lord, are the Greatness (Gedulah), the Might (Geburah), the Beauty (Tifereth), the Victory (Nezah), and the Majesty (Hod)” (I Chron. 29, 11). The words “For all” refer to the Zaddik (righteous one), who is Yesod (foundation of the world)….
וְעַל דָּא בְּרִאשִׁית, ב' רֵאשִׁית הִיא (חכמה, כמה דתרגם יונתן בראשית בחכמתא) בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי תִּנְיָינָא לְחוּשְׁבְּנָא וְאִקְרֵי רֵאשִׁית. בְּגִין דְהַאי כִּתְרָא עִלָּאָה טְמִירָא הִיא קַדְמָאָה. וְעַל דְּלָא עָיִיל בְּחוּשְׁבְּנָא, תִּנְיָינָא הֲוֵי רִאשִׁית. בְּגִין דָּא ב' רֵאשִׁית. וְעוֹד כְּמָה דְחָכְמָה עִלָּאָה אִיהִי רֵאשִׁית. חָכְמָה תַּתָּאָה רֵאשִׁית נָמֵי הַוְיָא. וְעַל דָּא לֵית לְאַפְרָשָׁא ב' מִן רֵאשִׁית.
The word Bereshith we interpret to mean “the second, i.e. Hokmah (Wisdom) is the starting-point”, because the supernal Kether (Crown), which is really first, is too recondite and therefore is not counted; hence the second is the starting-point. Again, the word be-reshith indicates that there are two reshith’s, because as the upper Wisdom is a reshith (starting-point), so the lower Wisdom is a reshith.
בְּרֵאשִׁית מַאֲמָר קָרִינָן לֵיהּ וְהָכִי הוּא. וְשִׁיתָּא יוֹמִין נָפְקִין מִינָהּ וְאִתְכְּלִילָן בֵּיהּ. וְאִלֵּין אִקְרוּן כְּגַוְונָא דְאִלֵּין אָחֳרָנִין.
Further, we reckon Bereshith as a maamar (creative utterance), and six days issued from it and are comprised in it, and bear the names of those others.
בָּרָא אֱלהִים. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְנָהָר יוֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַגָּן. מַאי לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַגָּן לְאַשְׁקָאָה וּלְקַיְימָא לֵיהּ וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בֵּיהּ בְּכָל מַה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ. אֱלֹהִים אֱלהִים חַיִּים, דְּמַשְׁמַע בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלהִים וַדַּאי עַל יְדָא דְהַהוּא נַהֲרָא בְּגִין לְאַפָּקָא כֹּלָּא וּלְאַשְׁקָאָה כֹּלָּא.
The next words, Created Elohim, are analogous to the verse “and a river went forth from Eden to water the garden”, i.e. to water it and keep it and attend to all its needs. Thus this Elohim is Elohim Hayyim (the living God), and we render ‘Bereshith created Elohim” by means of that stream, as the agent for producing the world and vivifying it.
אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם חִבּוּרָא דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָא כְּדְקָא חָזֵי. לְבָתַר הַאי. בֵּיהּ אִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא לְתַתָּא. בֵּיהּ יָהִיב חֵילָא לְכֹלָּא. אֶ"ת הַשָּׁמַיִם דְּמַשְׁמַע דְּשָׁמַיִם אַפִּיקוּ אֶת בְּחֵילָא דְרָזָא דְּאֱלֹהִים חַיִּים בָּתַר דְּרֵאשִׁית אַפִּיק לֵיהּ.
Further, the two words eth hashamaim (the heavens) signify the fitting union of male and female. After this a lower world was created through the agency of the heavens, and through it Elohim gave being to all.
כֵּיוָן דְּהַאי אַפִּיק כֹּלָּא וְכֹלָּא אִתְיְישַׁב בְּדוּכְתֵיהּ כְּחַד. עִזְקָא דָא בַּתְרַיְיתָא אִתְעֲבִידַת רֵאשִׁית. וּבְהַאי רֵאשִׁית אַפִּיק נְהוֹרִין עִלָאִין וְשָׁרֵי נַהֲרָא וְשָׁרֵי מַיָא לְנַגְדָא לְקַבְּלָא לְתַתָּא. וְעַל דָּא בְּרֵאשִׁית וַדַּאי בָּרָא אֱלהִים. בֵּיהּ בָּרָא עַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה. בֵּיהּ אַפִּיק נְהוֹרִין. בֵּיהּ יָהִיב חֵילָא לְכֹלָּא.
More precisely, the heavens produced eth, which is the Whole. When the Whole was settled in its place, this last link in the chain became in turn a starting-point (reshith), through which Elohim released the stream, and the waters began to flow to the lower world, so that we can now render “by means of reshith God created”, viz. the lower world; by its means He produced radiances and gave being to all.’
רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר עַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו י׳:ט״ו) הֲיִתְפָּאֵר הַגַּרְזֶן עַל הַחוֹצֵב בּוֹ. שְׁבָחָא דְּמַאן, לָאו דְּאוּמָנָא הוּא. כָּךְ בְּהַאי רֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלהִים עִלָּאָה אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם. שְׁבָחָא דְּמַאן דְּאֱלהִים הוּא.
R. Judah said: ‘In allusion to this it is written, “should the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith?” (Is. 10, 15). Surely it is the craftsman who is entitled to boast. So here, seeing that by means of this reshith the supernal Elohim created the heavens, it is God to whom the glory belongs….’
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי הַאי דִכְתִיב, (דברים ד׳:ז׳) אֲשֶׁר לוֹ אֱלֹהִים קְרוֹבִים אֵלָיו. קְרוֹבִים. קָרוֹב מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא אֱלֹהִים עִלָּאָה. אֱלֹהִים דְּפַחַד יִצְחָק. אֱלהִים בַּתְרָאָה. וּבְגִינֵי כָּךְ קְרוֹבִים (לקמן קלה א) וּגְבוּרוֹת סַגִּיאִין אִנּוּן דְּנָפְקִין מֵחַד וְכֻלְהוּ חַד.
תּוֹסֶפְתָּא בְּרֵאשִׁי"תּ בָּרָ"א רֶמֶז לְכֶתֶּ"ר חָכְמָ"ה. אֱלֹהִים רוֹמֵז לְבִינָ"ה. אֶ"תּ רוֹמֵז לִגְדוּלָ"ה וּגְבוּרָ"ה. הַשָׁמַיִ"ם דָּא הוּא תִּפְּאֶרֶ"תּ. ואֶ"תּ רוֹמֵז לְנֶצַּ"ח הוֹ"ד יְסוֹ"ד. הָאָרֶ"ץ רוֹמֵז לְמַלְכוּ"תּ: (עד כאן תוספתא)