25. Bereshit — Abarbanel on the Torah, Section 25

The Unity of the Earth

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Explanation of the word “earth”

With regard to the word eretz (“earth”) in this first verse as well, the commentators have offered different interpretations.

Ibn Ezra, who tends to interpret the account of creation in a more literal and physical manner, explains that the earth mentioned in this verse refers specifically to the element of earth – the heavy and lowest of the elements. According to his view, eretz and tevel essentially refer to the same thing, except that tevel designates the inhabited part of the earth, as it is said: “The world (tevel) and its fullness You established” (Psalms 89:12)¹. By contrast, eretz refers to all the dry land revealed from the waters, whether inhabited or not².

The grammarians also wrote that the element of earth is called eretz because the celestial sphere runs and revolves around it³.

However, in my opinion it is not correct to interpret eretz in this verse as referring only to the element of earth. For this would imply that the Torah never mentions the creation of the other elements, as I noted in the fourth question. Moreover, why should the earth alone have found favor in the eyes of Scripture so that its creation is mentioned alongside the heavens, while the other elements are not?

Nor is it convincing to say that the earth is called eretz because the sphere runs and revolves around it. For the sphere revolves around the other elements as well. All the more so, the earth is a fixed center; why should it be named with a term that implies motion, when it is the sphere that runs and revolves, not the earth itself? If the name were derived from motion, it would be more fitting for the sphere to be called eretz, not the unmoving center around which it turns.

Ramban and the other Kabbalists⁴, however – who soar to lofty heights in their interpretation⁵ – explained that the earth mentioned in this verse refers also to spiritual realities. Some of them say that it refers to the sefirah which they call Eretz HaChayim (“the Land of Life”) or Eretz Cheftz (“the Desired Land”)⁶. For this reason Ramban wrote that the “heavens and the earth” in this verse allude to the Holy One, blessed be He, and to the Shekhinah of His glory.

But as I already indicated above, such an interpretation cannot be accepted according to the plain meaning of the text, for in that case the Torah would contain no testimony to the creation of the heavens and the earth and their coming into being. Therefore the verse must be understood according to its plain sense.

The Master (Maimonides) took a middle path between these two extremes. According to him, the word eretz here refers to the four elements – fire, air, water, and earth – which exist within the celestial sphere. The primary application of the term is to this collective whole, although afterward God called the element of earth specifically eretz, as it is written: “And God called the dry land earth” (Genesis 1:10). This, in truth, is the correct view.

It is not that the elements were already separated at the moment of the first creation; rather, they were later distinguished during the subsequent days of creation, as will be explained. At the beginning they were all created together and existed in a mixed and confused state, and the Torah called their totality eretz.

Since the Master did not provide proofs that the word eretz can be used in Scripture to denote the totality of the elements, I will bring several passages to support his view.

First, in the account of creation itself it is said: “Let the earth bring forth vegetation,” and “Let the earth bring forth living creatures” (Genesis 1:11, 24). It is evident that the element of earth alone is not sufficient to produce such composite beings without the mixture of all the elements, which are here collectively called eretz.

Likewise in the words of our teacher Moses: “Who is like You among the mighty in heaven and on earth, who can perform such works as Yours?” (Deuteronomy 3:24), and “God of heaven and God of earth,” and similar expressions. These cannot be understood otherwise than that heaven refers to the higher beings and earth to all the lower ones, not merely to the element of earth alone.

Similarly our lord David, peace be upon him, said: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He gave to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16). Surely he did not mean the element of earth alone, for birds that dwell in the air and fish that live in the waters have also been given into human dominion, as it is said: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens” (Genesis 1:28). Rather, earth here refers to the totality of the lower realm.

For this reason Scripture sometimes specifies “the lowest parts of the earth,” as in “I was formed in the lowest parts of the earth” (Psalms 139:15). This shows that there is an earth which is “lowest”– namely the element of earth – and another earth which is not the lowest, meaning the totality of the other elements. Hence Scripture must specify “the lowest parts of the earth.”

I also found a clear explanation in the writings of Ibn Kaspi⁷. He suggests that the word eretz derives from the root ratzatz, meaning “to crush” or “press,” as in: “prostrate yourself with pieces of silver,” (Psalm 68:31) “whom have I oppressed or crushed?” (1 Samuel 12:3) and “oppressed and crushed” (Deuteronomy 28:33). According to this explanation, all the elements are called eretz because they are compressed and confined within the celestial sphere, pressing and colliding with one another through their motions.

The initial letter aleph in the word eretz⁸, he says, is an added letter. From this same root come words such as “Run now and find the arrows,” (1 Samuel 20:36) and “the race is not to the swift,” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) because one who moves rapidly crushes and breaks the air as he passes through it. According to this view, therefore, the name eretz is used generally for all the elements, while in the work of the third day it refers specifically to the element of earth.

Thus within the elements collectively called eretz three characteristics may be observed: first, their lowliness, since they are situated beneath the celestial spheres; second, that they form the center around which the spheres revolve; and third, that they are compressed within the sphere and collide with one another in their motions.

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