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(Continued
from p. 39.)
By
Rabbi Isidore Kalisch, of Cleveland
No. II.
[NOTE. In our ninety-seventh number, page 37, we
requested the author of the Exegetical Lectures to
give us the passages to which he referred where
שדי was rendered in
the Septuagint by παντοχράτωρ or ίχανός, as we could
not find any example in Genesis and the other Mosaic
books; strangely enough we overlooked the book of
Job, where the term occurs quite frequently. Mr.
Kalisch has called our attention to the following
passages: Job v. 17, “Therefore despise not the
chastening of the Almighty,” νονδέτημα δέ
παντοχράτορθς μή άπαναίνου. Ibid. viii. 5 : “If thou
wouldst seek unto God betimes, and make thy
supplication to the Almighty,” Σύ δέ όρθριζε πρός
Κύριον παντοχζάτορα δεόμενος. So also in xi. 7; xv.
25; xxii. 17, 25; xxiii. 16 ; xxvii. 2; xxxii. 8;
xxxiii. 4; xxxiv. 10, 12; and xxxv. 15. In xxi. 15:
“What is the Almighty that we should serve him,” τί
ίχανός ότι δουλεύσομβν αύτώ. xxxi. 2: “And what
inheritance of the Almighty from on high,” χαί
χληρονομία ίχαύοΰ έξ ύψίστων. Generally the term is
παντοχράτωρ, and ίχανός is found but twice in all
the passages cited. We are indebted to Mr. K. for
his kind correction of our oversight.]
“And God said, There shall be an expansion in the
midst of the waters, so that there may be a division
between waters and waters. And God made an expansion
so that it divided between the waters which are
under the expansion, and the water which are above
the expansion.” Gen. i. 6, 7.
Simple as the history of the creation of the second
epoch is presented to us, the meaning thereof is
still very obscure. Already the sharp-witted and
clear-thinking commentator Nachmanides (רמב״ן
Ramban) said concerning this in his Commentary on
the Bible ואל תקוה
ממני שאכתוב בו דבר שהענין הוא מסתרי תורה וגו׳
“Expect not from me, that I should tell thee
respecting this anything; for it belongs to the deep
mysteries of the law, especially since the
Scriptures express themselves very briefly on this
topic,” &c. The explanation of Moses Mendels<<266>>sohn,
“that by the upper waters the clouds are designated;
by the lower waters, the waters upon our earth, and
by רקיע Rakia, the
clear sky is meant,” I must regard as incorrect,
notwithstanding my great admiration for this
world-renowned philosopher, and although he esteems
his explanation as quite simple and comprehensive.
For v. 7 says not “he divided between the waters
which are on the earth, and between the
waters which are above the earth,” but
“between the waters which are under the expansion,
and the waters which are above the expansion;” which
will make it clear that by Rakia’ cannot be
conveyed the open space, free from vapours, which is
between the surface of the earth and the region of
the clouds.
Before, however, I give my own exposition, which is
in accordance with the experience of the physical
sciences, I deem it necessary to premise a few
remarks.
The heavens were considered in ancient times as a
firm and solid vault, in which the stars were
fastened; and in order to account for the various
movements of particular heavenly bodies, people
assumed the existence of several celestial globes or
spheres, one lying above the other. The nations of
antiquity had therefore three different spaces of
the universe: 1st, the heaven, which was viewed as
the residence of God, of the pious and pure spirits;
2dly, the earth, the upper world, as the dwelling of
the living of mankind; and 3dly, the nether-world,
as the abode of the departed. (Elysium, Earth, and
Hades.)
The Rabbins do not agree as to the idea which our
ancestors had of heaven. Rabbi Yehudah
thought (Chagigah, ch. ii.), that there were two
different heavens; a, the one wherein the
constellations are found; and b the other,
which is elevated above everything that is impure,
and is filled with the purest light, and is the
dwelling-place of the angels and all the saints. The
first is then designated as simple
שמים the heaven,
and the other as שמי שמים
the Heaven of heavens. Resh Lakish (ibidem) was of
opinion that these to be assumed seven heavens, one
different from the other, to wit, גלגל
רקיע שחקים זבול מעון מכון ערבות or וילון
Velon or Galgal, Rakia, Shechakim, Zebul,
Maon, Machon, and ‘Araboth; of the seventh heaven it
is said that these are the sources of life, peace
and blessing; the souls of the pious; the spiritual
dew wherewith the dead shall be revived, and the
world renovated; also the Seraphim and myriads of
angels; and above all the throne of grace of the
Supreme Being who rules over all us his majesty.
(To be continued.) |
