AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS, AND LET IT DIVIDE WATERS FROM WATERS. R. Judah said: ‘There are seven firmaments above, all in the realm of supernal holiness, and the Holy Name is completed through them. The firmament mentioned here is in the midst of the waters;
it rests upon other Hayyoth, separating the upper from the lower waters. The lower waters call to the upper and drink them in through the medium of this firmament, because all the upper waters are collected in it, and it then transmits them to these Hayyoth, and so they draw from there.
It is written: “A garden shut up is my sister, my bride, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (S. S. 4, 12). This firmament is called a “garden shut up”, because the whole is enclosed and embraced in it. It is called a “spring shut up”, because the supernal stream as it courses enters it but cannot issue, the waters being congealed. For the north wind blows on them, and so they become congealed and cannot issue, being made into ice; nor would they ever issue were it not for a wind from the South which breaks up the ice.
The appearance of this highest firmament is like that of the ice which collects all the waters. Similarly it collects waters and separates the upper from the lower waters. When we said above that it was in the middle, this refers to that firmament which was produced from this one, but this one is above and rests on the heads of the Hayyoth.’
Said R. Isaac: ‘There is a membrane in the inside of the human body which separates the upper from the lower part of the trunk, and which imbibes from the upper part and distributes to the lower part; so is this firmament between the waters….’
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר שִׁבְעָה רְקִיעִים אִנּוּן לְעֵילָא. וְכֻלְהוּ קַיְימָא בִּקְדוּשָׁתָּא עִלָּאָה. וּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּהוּ אִשְׁתַּכְלַל. וְדָא רָקִיעָא הוּא בְּאֶמְצָעוּת מַיָא.
AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS, AND LET IT DIVIDE WATERS FROM WATERS. R. Judah said: ‘There are seven firmaments above, all in the realm of supernal holiness, and the Holy Name is completed through them. The firmament mentioned here is in the midst of the waters;
דָּא רָקִיעַ קַיְימָא עַל גַּבֵּי חֵיוָותָא אָחֳרָנִין. וְאִיהוּ אַפְרִישׁ בֵּין מַיִין עִלָּאִין לְמַיִּין תַּתָּאִין. וּמַיִין תַּתָּאִין קָרְאִין לְעִלָּאִין. וּמֵהַאי רָקִיעַ שָׁתָאן לוֹן. דָּא הוּא דְּמַפְרִישׁ בֵּינַיְיהוּ. בְּגִין דְּכֻלְהוּ מַיָא בֵּיהּ כְּלִילָן. וּלְבָתַר נָחִית לוֹן לְהָנִי חֵיוָותָא וְשָׁאֲבִין מִתַּמָּן.
it rests upon other Hayyoth, separating the upper from the lower waters. The lower waters call to the upper and drink them in through the medium of this firmament, because all the upper waters are collected in it, and it then transmits them to these Hayyoth, and so they draw from there.
כְּתִיב, (שיר השירים ד׳:י״ב) גַּן נָעוּל אֲחוֹתִי כַלָּה גַּל נָעוּל מַעְיָן חָתוּם. גַּן נָעוּל, דְּכֹלָּא אַסְתִּים בֵּיהּ. דְּכֹלָּא אִתְכְּלִיל בֵּיהּ. גַּל נָעוּל, דְּהַהוּא נָהָר נָגִיד וְנָפִיק וְעֲיִּיל בֵּיהּ וְכָלִיל וְלָא אַפִּיק וְקָרְשֵׁי מַיָא בֵּיהּ וְקָיְימֵי. מַאי טַעְמָא בְּגִין דְּרוּחַ צָפוֹן נָשִׁיב בְּאִנּוּן מַיָא וְאִתְקְרִישׁוּ וְלָא נָפְקֵי לְבַר עַד דְּאִתְעֲבִיד קּ1ֶרח (לעיל כט ב) וְאִלְמָלֵא סִטְרָא דְדָרוֹם דְּאַקִישׁ תֻּקְפֵּיהּ דְּהַאי קֶרַח לָא נַפְקֵי מִנֵּיהּ מַיָּא לְעָלְמִין.
It is written: “A garden shut up is my sister, my bride, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (S. S. 4, 12). This firmament is called a “garden shut up”, because the whole is enclosed and embraced in it. It is called a “spring shut up”, because the supernal stream as it courses enters it but cannot issue, the waters being congealed. For the north wind blows on them, and so they become congealed and cannot issue, being made into ice; nor would they ever issue were it not for a wind from the South which breaks up the ice.
וְחֵיזוּ דְּהַהוּא רְקִיעָא עִלָּאָה כְּחֵיזוּ דְּהַאי קֶרַח דְּמִתְקַרְשָׁא וּמַכְנִיס בְּגַוֵיהּ כָּל אִנּוּן מַיִין. כָּךְ הַהוּא עִלָּאָה דְּעֲלֵיהּ כָּנִישׁ כָּל אִנּוּן מַיִין וְאַפְרִישׁ בֵּין מַיִין עִלָאִין לְמַיִין תַּתָּאִין. וְהַאי דְּאֲמָרָן יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם. בִּמְצִיעוּת. לָאו הָכִי. אֶלָּא יְהִי כְּתִיב. הַהוּא דְּהֲוֵי מִנֵּיהּ בִּמְצִיעוּת מַיָא הֲוֵי. וְאִיהוּ לְעֵיל דְּקַיְימָא עַל רֵישָׁא דְּחֵיוָותָא.
The appearance of this highest firmament is like that of the ice which collects all the waters. Similarly it collects waters and separates the upper from the lower waters. When we said above that it was in the middle, this refers to that firmament which was produced from this one, but this one is above and rests on the heads of the Hayyoth.’
אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק אִית קְרוּמָא בִּמְצִיעוּת מֵעוֹי דְּבַר נָשׁ דְּאִיהוּ פָּסִיק מִתַּתָּא לְעֵילָא וְשָׁאִיב מֵעֵילָא וְיָהִיב לְתַתָּא. כָּךְ גַּוְונָא דָא רָקִיעַ אִיהוּ בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא וְקַיְמָא עַל אִנּוּן חֵיוָתָא דִלְתַתָּא. וְאִיהוּ פָּרִישׁ בֵּין מַיִין עִלָאִין לְתַתָּאִין. תָּא חֲזֵי, אִנּוּן מַיִן אַעֲדוּ וְאוֹלִידוּ חֲשׁוֹכָא. וְעַל רָזָא דָא כְּתִיב, (שמות כ״ו:ל״ג) וְהִבְדִּילָה הַפָּרוֹכֶת לָכֶם בֵּין הַקֹדֶשׁ וּבֵין קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים.
Said R. Isaac: ‘There is a membrane in the inside of the human body which separates the upper from the lower part of the trunk, and which imbibes from the upper part and distributes to the lower part; so is this firmament between the waters….’