On the second day God brought forth four creations, the firmament,
hell, fire, and the angels.[44] The firmament is not the same as the
heavens of the first day. It is the crystal stretched forth over the
heads of the Hayyot, from which the heavens derive their light, as the
earth derives its light from the sun. This firmament saves the earth
from being engulfed by the waters of the heavens; it forms the
partition between the waters above and the waters below.[45] It was
made to crystallize into the solid it is by the heavenly fire, which
broke its bounds, and condensed the surface of the firmament. Thus fire
made a division between the celestial and the terrestrial at the time
of creation, as it did at the revelation on Mount Sinai.[46] The
firmament is not more than three fingers thick,[47] nevertheless it
divides two such heavy bodies as the waters below, which are the
foundations for the nether world, and the waters above, which are the
foundations for the seven heavens, the Divine Throne, and the abode of
the angels.[48]
The separation of the waters into upper and lower waters was the only
act of the sort done by God in connection with the work of
creation.[49] All other acts were unifying. It therefore caused some
difficulties. When God commanded, "Let the waters be gathered together,
unto one place, and let the dry land appear," certain parts refused to
obey. They embraced each other all the more closely. In His wrath at
the waters, God determined to let the whole of creation resolve itself
into chaos again. He summoned the Angel of the Face, and ordered him to
destroy the world. The angel opened his eyes wide, and scorching fires
and thick clouds rolled forth from them, while he cried out, "He who
divides the Red Sea in sunder!"—and the rebellious waters stood. The
all, however, was still in danger of destruction. Then began the singer
of God's praises: "O Lord of the world, in days to come Thy creatures
will sing praises without end to Thee, they will bless Thee
boundlessly, and they will glorify Thee without measure. Thou wilt set
Abraham apart from all mankind as Thine own; one of his sons Thou wilt
call 'My first-born'; and his descendants will take the yoke of Thy
kingdom upon themselves. In holiness and purity Thou wilt bestow Thy
Torah upon them, with the words, 'I am the Lord your God,' whereunto
they will make answer, 'All that God hath spoken we will do.' And now I
beseech Thee, have pity upon Thy world, destroy it not, for if Thou
destroyest it, who will fulfil Thy will?" God was pacified; He withdrew
the command ordaining the destruction of the world, but the waters He
put under the mountains, to remain there forever.[50] The objection of
the lower waters to division and Separation[51] was not their only
reason for rebelling. The waters had been the first to give praise to
God, and when their separation into upper and lower was decreed, the
waters above rejoiced, saying, "Blessed are we who are privileged to
abide near our Creator and near His Holy Throne." Jubilating thus, they
flew upward, and uttered song and praise to the Creator of the world.
Sadness fell upon the waters below. They lamented: "Woe unto us, we
have not been found worthy to dwell in the presence of God, and praise
Him together with our companions." Therefore they attempted to rise
upward, until God repulsed them, and pressed them under the earth.[52]
Yet they were not left unrewarded for their loyalty. Whenever the
waters above desire to give praise to God, they must first seek
permission from the waters below.[53]
The second day of creation was an untoward day in more than the one
respect that it introduced a breach where before there had been nothing
but unity; for it was the day that saw also the creation of hell.
Therefore God could not say of this day as of the others, that He "saw
that it was good." A division may be necessary, but it cannot be called
good, and hell surely does not deserve the attribute of good.[54]
Hell[55] has seven divisions,[36] one beneath the other. They are
called Sheol, Abaddon, Beer Shahat, Tit ha-Yawen, Sha'are Mawet,
Sha'are Zalmawet: and Gehenna. It requires three hundred years to
traverse the height, or the width, or the depth of each division, and
it would take six thousand three hundred[37] years to go over a tract
of land equal in extent to the seven divisions.[38]
Each of the seven divisions in turn has seven subdivisions, and in each
compartment there are seven rivers of fire and seven of hail. The width
of each is one thousand ells, its depth one thousand, and its length
three hundred, and they flow one from the other, and are supervised by
ninety thousand Angels of Destruction. There are, besides, in every
compartment seven thousand caves, in every cave there are seven
thousand crevices, and in every crevice seven thousand scorpions. Every
scorpion has three hundred rings, and in every ring seven thousand
pouches of venom, from which flow seven rivers of deadly poison. If a
man handles it, he immediately bursts, every limb is torn from his
body, his bowels are cleft asunder, and he falls upon his face.[56]
There are also five different kinds of fire in hell. One devours and
absorbs, another devours and does not absorb, while the third absorbs
and does not devour, and there is still another fire, which neither
devours nor absorbs, and furthermore a fire which devours fire. There
are coals big as mountains, and coals big as hills, and coals as large
as the Dead Sea, and coals like huge stones, and there are rivers of
pitch and sulphur flowing and seething like live coals.[60]
The third creation of the second day was the angel hosts, both the
ministering angels and the angels of praise. The reason they had not
been called into being on the first day was, lest men believe that the
angels assisted God in the creation of the heavens and the earth.[61]
The angels that are fashioned from fire have forms of fire,[62] but
only so long as they remain in heaven. When they descend to earth, to
do the bidding of God here below, either they are changed into wind, or
they assume the guise of men.[63] There are ten ranks or degrees among
the angels.[64]
The most exalted in rank are those surrounding the Divine Throne on all
sides, to the right, to the left, in front, and behind, under the
leadership of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael.[65]
All the celestial beings praise God with the words, "Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of hosts," but men take precedence of the angels herein.
They may not begin their song of praise until the earthly beings have
brought their homage to God.[66] Especially Israel is preferred to the
angels. When they encircle the Divine Throne in the form of fiery
mountains and flaming hills, and attempt to raise their voices in
adoration of the Creator, God silences them with the words, "Keep quiet
until I have heard the songs, praises, prayers, and sweet melodies of
Israel." Accordingly, the ministering angels and all the other
celestial hosts wait until the last tones of Israel's doxologies rising
aloft from earth have died away, and then they proclaim in a loud
voice, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." When the hour for the
glorification of God by the angels draws nigh, the august Divine
herald, the angel Sham'iel, steps to the windows[67] of the lowest
heaven to hearken to the songs, prayers, and praises that ascend from
the synagogues and the houses of learning, and when they are finished,
he announces the end to the angels in all the heavens. The ministering
angels, those who come in contact with the sublunary world,[68] now
repair to their chambers to take their purification bath. They dive
into a stream of fire and flame seven times, and three hundred and
sixty-five times they examine themselves carefully, to make sure that
no taint clings to their bodies.[69] Only then they feel privileged to
mount the fiery ladder and join the angels of the seventh heaven, and
surround the throne of God with Hashmal and all the holy Hayyot.
Adorned with millions of fiery crowns, arrayed in fiery garments, all
the angels in unison, in the same words, and with the same melody,
intone songs of praise to God.[70]