Earth, Man, and Rain \ Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
Earth, Man, and Rain
Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
Summarized by students
Dedicated to the memory of
Asher Ben Haim
1. Creating and Sustaining
2. Were it Not for Man
3. “Until Adam Came and Prayed for Rain”
Creating and Sustaining
In what follows, we shall discuss an immutable triangle which exists in creation. What sort of
associations does the word “triangle” trigger? For seafarers - the Bermuda Triangle; for
engineers - a geometrical triangle; for residents of the Shomron region - the Arab Triangle.
Presently, however, we shall discuss an immutable triangle which must by its nature be
present everywhere in the universe.
We are all familiar with the triangle behind the creation of human life: man, woman, and the
Almighty. Here, however, we shall consider a different, more general and all-encompassing
triangle: man, earth, and rain. It would appear that a creative interdependence exists and is
at work between these three forces.
When we speak about a triangle, what we mean to say is that regardless of which angle we
put on top, we remain dependent upon the other two angles. We employ the concept of a
triangle in order to express a relationship and interdependence which exists between all of
the parts and ingredients involved, a relationship which transforms them into one complete
unit.
The Midrash tells us that “just as the full Name [of God] is employed in connection with a full
world, it is similarly employed in connection with the fall of rain” (Bereshit Rabba 13:3).
At the beginning of the Torah's account of the creation of heaven and earth, a single name of
God appears: “Elohim.” With creation's completion, two names appear: the ineffable name,
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Earth, Man, and Rain \ Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
“YHVH,” and “Elohim.” Similarly, in relation to rainfall, the Torah employs God's two names:
“God (YHVH Elohim) had not brought rain on the earth” (Genesis 2:5).
In other words, sustaining the world via rain is no less important than the creation of the
world itself. In the words of the Talmud, “The day when rain falls is as great as the day on
which heaven and earth were created (Taanit 8b). Therefore, rain is equal in importance to
heaven and earth, for without rain, creation could not exist. The laws of nature which
preserve creation's existence are as valuable as the laws which bring creation into being and
are to be seen as their equal.
Creation would wither and decay were it not for the water which infuses it with life. Rain
allows for the actual realization of the potential which is hidden and concealed within the
earth. Without rain, earth remains dense, raw material. Rain uncovers the potential which
has been embedded in it since the six days of creation.
We we have considered the nature of the interdependence which exists between the earth
and the rain, the mutual supplementation of the their roles. These are only two angles of the
triangle; let us now consider the third.
Were it Not for Man
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: “Three things are equal in importance, viz., earth, man, and
rain.” Rabbi Levi ben Chiyata said: And these three each consist of three letters, to teach
that without earth there would be no rain and without rain earth could not endure; while
without either man could not exist” (Bereshit Rabba, ibid.).
We find, then, that the entire purpose of the existence of rain and earth is to aid man, to
provide him with life in order that he be able to fulfill his role in the world - “Without either,
man could not exist.” On the other hand, the earth and the rain are immaterial without man,
for without man they too lack purpose, as the Midrash teaches elsewhere: “Were it not for
man, there would be no covenant with the land to have rain to fall upon it (ibid. 13:8).
In other words, if man does not exist, neither of these two elements has purpose. This is how
we arrived at the conclusion that there is an interdependence between them. Perhaps this is
what is meant by the addition, “And these three each consist of three letters.” It is meant to
underscore the mutual dependence and equality which the three of them create together.
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Earth, Man, and Rain \ Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
This is the “triangle of creation”! Without rain, the earth would decay and the purpose of its
existence would be lost. Life would not be able to subsist upon it. Without land, rain too lacks
purpose. What good does it do for rains to fall in the desert or in the ocean, places where
they are of no benefit. It is man who gives purpose to both the land and the rain, for without
man, what are they worth; they are but, in the words of Job, “rain on a land where no man is;
on the wilderness where there is no man” (38:26).
“Until Adam Came and Prayed for Rain”
Therefore, at the inception of creation, so long as man had not entered his place and his
position, rain did not appear, for “God had not brought rain on the earth, and there was no
man to work the ground” (Genesis 2:5).
Indeed, the sages of the Talmud point to a contradiction:
“One verse says: 'And the earth brought forth grass,' referring to the third day, whereas
another verse when speaking of the sixth day says: 'No shrub of the field was yet in the
earth.' This teaches us that the plants commenced to grow but stopped just as they were
about to break through the soil, until Adam came and prayed for rain for them; and when rain
fell they sprouted forth” (Chullin 60b).
Based upon the above source, Maharal provides us with a descriptive portrayal of man's
place between the upper and lower worlds:
“Therefore, the plants stopped just as they were about to break through the soil, and there
was no rain from above or below. For there was no bond between the lower and upper
realms allowing the upper realm to provide rain below, until finally, man, who existed
between the upper and lower worlds, caused the rain to be brought from above to below via
the prayer which he offered from below to his blessed Creator. It is at this point, and no
sooner, that the upper realm and the lower realm unite, and rain comes from the upper realm
to the lower realm,” (Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot, on ibid.).
Here, the plants stop just as they are about to break through the soil. They do not develop
and grow. They are waiting for rain, yet the rain does not come! Why? Because man had not
yet prayed. And, on the other end, though the rain is in the heavens, waiting to fall upon the
earth, it does not receive the order to fall. What is it waiting for? For man's prayer. This is
what is meant by the words “and there was no man to work the ground.” There was no
human to pray for rainfall! The earth faces the heavens and nothing happens, everything
waits . . .
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Earth, Man, and Rain \ Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
But the moment that man's prayer is heard, a wonderful event will take place in creation!
Man's prayer will create a bond between heaven and earth: rain for the plants, plants for the
rain. Therefore the sages say, “This teaches you that the Almighty longs for the prayers of
the righteous” (ibid.). Only man appreciated the importance of rain! “When man came,
however, and he realized that it was necessary for the world, he prayed for it and it fell,
causing trees and plants to spring forth” (Rashi on Bereshit 2:3). It turns out that it is man
who is the conductor of the orchestra of creation, and he unites and joins the heavens and
earth.
We have now gained an awareness of the triangular covenant which exists between the
earth, the rain, and man, and of the key which opens the gates and creates the bond
between them - the prayer of man. Therefore, we may arrange the triangle in such a manner
that the top angle is man's prayer, and it rests upon the foundation of the two other angles:
earth and rain.
Noteworthy is the fact that it is none other than Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai who informs us of
this covenant. It is possible that he was referring to all of humankind as being included in this
covenant, “And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks” (Isaiah 61:5). This promise is
fulfilled when Israel merits it (see Berakhot 35b). It is also possible that Rabbi Shimon said
what he did when he left the cave for the second time (see Shabbat 33b), after having
learned that contributing to the inhabitation of the world has value when carried out by Israel,
those who love the commandments.
--The translated Talmudic and Midrashic sources in the above article come from, or are based
upon, the Soncino Judaic Classics Library (CD-Rom).
E-mail : beitel@yeshiva.org.il
For more Shiurim from the site: www.yeshiva.org.il
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