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The same distinction appears in Psalm 148. There David says: “Praise the Lord from the heavens...”1 There the name “heavens” designates the highest sphere, while the expression “Praise Him in the heights” refers to the eighth sphere, the sphere of the constellations, which occupies the loftiest position above the spheres of the wandering planets. He then says: “Praise Him, all His angels”2, referring to the separate intellects that move those spheres. Next comes: “Praise Him, all His hosts”, referring to the spheres of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, which constitute the heavenly host above the sun. He then continues: “Praise Him, sun and moon”3, naming the two great luminaries, and afterwards: “Praise Him, all stars of the night”, referring to Venus and Mercury, which receive their light from the sun.
Having enumerated these individually, the Psalmist gathers them together once more and gives the reason for their praise: “Praise Him, highest heavens”4 (Psalms 148:4). By “the heavens of heavens” he means the celestial spheres enclosed within the highest sphere, for they are, as it were, the highest heavens. He then adds: “and the waters that are above the heavens”, referring to the all-encompassing sphere that surrounds them all. Each of these praises the Lord for two reasons: first, because He commanded and they were created; and second, because He established them forever and ever. Since He is both their efficient cause and the One who continually sustains their existence, it is fitting that they should praise Him.
From this you may also understand that Scripture sometimes calls the highest sphere shamayim (“heavens”) and at other times mayim (“waters”). The reason is that the word “shamayim” may be understood as a compound of esh (“fire”) and mayim (“water”), signifying the separate intellects together with the highest sphere, the dwelling place of the spiritual beings. At times, however, Scripture omits the initial shin, leaving only mayim, which then refers specifically to the substance of the celestial sphere, without alluding to the fiery nature of the separate intellects. Likewise, the concentric celestial spheres enclosed within the highest sphere are sometimes called the firmament and sometimes the heavens, for the reasons already explained5.
The same usage appears in the final psalm: “Praise God in His holy place; praise Him in the firmament of His might” (Psalms 150:1). In my opinion, “His holy place” refers to the highest sphere that encompasses all the others, because, as the sphere directly moved by Him, it is uniquely associated with His holiness. “The firmament of His might,” however, refers to the remaining celestial spheres enclosed within it, while the following expression, “Praise Him for His mighty deeds...”6, concerns the lower world. Some commentators explain these expressions differently, taking “His holy place” to refer to the first sphere, “the firmament of His might” to the eighth sphere, and “His mighty deeds” to the spheres of the seven wandering planets, maintaining that the Psalmist intended in this passage to enumerate only the heavenly bodies.
As for the words of our Sages, when they are carefully examined, you will find nothing in them that contradicts what I have said, either concerning the firmament or concerning the waters above it.
The same understanding is found in the words of Daniel: “And the wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament”“the firmament of His might”7 (Daniel 12:3). There the “firmament” refers to the shining inner surface of the celestial sphere that faces toward us.
It is therefore evident that nowhere in Scripture does the term rakia (“firmament”) appear in a context where it cannot naturally be understood as referring to the celestial spheres enclosed within the highest sphere, each of which performs its own proper activity.
The Sages on the Nature of the Firmament
As for the words of our Sages, when they are carefully examined, you will find nothing in them that contradicts what I have said, either concerning the firmament or concerning the waters above it. Consider what they said in Bereshit Rabbah concerning the words, “Let there be a firmament” (Genesis 1:6):
All the Rabbis, in the name of Rabbi Chananiah; Rabbi Pinchas, Rabbi Yaakov, and Rabbi Bun, in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman, said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, declared, “Let there be a firmament”, the middle drop congealed, and from it were formed the lower heavens and the uppermost heavens. Rav said: They were fluid, and on the second day they solidified. “Let there be a firmament” means: Let the firmament become firm. Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Simon said: Let the firmament be fashioned into sheets, as it is said, “They hammered out sheets of gold”8 (Exodus 39:3). Rabbi Chanina said: Fire came forth from above and licked the surface of the firmament. Rabbi Yochanan, whenever he reached the verse, By His breath He made the heavens a tent”9 (Job 26:13), would say: Rabbi Chananiah taught me well.
Now the author of the Guide, Ramban, and Ralbag each cited this teaching and explained it according to his own approach. Yet not one of them took care to determine precisely what these distinguished Sages were disputing. I have seen explanations of their disagreement that are exceedingly remote from the truth.
It appears to me, rather, that these Sages entertained all three of the opinions concerning the firmament that I mentioned in the first question of this section. All of them agreed, however, that the firmament belongs to the class of celestial bodies and is neither air nor anything composed of the terrestrial elements.
(Parashat Bereshit — Genesis 1:8, Heavens, Waters, and the Firmament in the Commentary of Don Isaac Abarbanel)
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