28- The Earth Feared and Was Still
Rabbi Hizkiya said, “Why is it written, ‘You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still.’ If it feared, why was it still, and if it was still, why did it fear? Indeed, first it feared, and finally it was still.”
Why did it fear? In accordance with Rish Lakish, as Rish Lakish said, “Why is it written, ‘And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day,’ What is the purpose of the additional ‘the’? This teaches that the Creator stipulated with the works of creation and said to them: ‘If Israel accept the Torah, you shall exist; but if not, I will return you to Tohu ve Bohu [emptiness and formlessness]’” (Shabbat 88a).
We should understand the judgment that says, “From the heaven You sound judgment,” what is the meaning of “judgment”? It is known that the purpose of creation is because of His desire to do good to His creations. However, in order to have Dvekut [adhesion], which is equivalence of form, there was the Tzimtzum [restriction], which is a concealment. Thus, in the place of reception, a judgment was passed that the abundance will not be drawn in full unless one can aim in order to bestow.
This is the meaning of “From the heaven You sound judgment,” and because of it, the earth feared.
Eretz [earth/land] is called Malchut, which is a vessel of reception. Eretz comes from the word Ratzon [desire], as our sages said about the verse, “Let the Eretz [earth] put forth grass,” that she wanted to do her Maker’s will. And what is her fear? It is that she might not be able to aim in order to bestow, since Malchut is called “the assembly of Israel,” which means she includes the whole of Israel, for all the souls extend from Malchut.
By all creations being extended from reception and the judgment that was sounded from heaven—that it is forbidden to receive in order to receive, but only in order to bestow—how can the lower ones aim in order to bestow?
It follows that all the works of creation that were with the aim to do good to His creations, the creatures cannot receive from this Kelim [vessels]. This means that all the works of creation will be in the manner of Tohu ve Bohu.
We should understand the meaning of “If not, I will return you to Tohu ve Bohu [emptiness and formlessness].” To which Tohu ve Bohu will He return them? According to what the ARI wrote, the breaking that took place in the world of Nekudim, when the Kelim [vessels] broke, was because they received in order to receive. Afterward came the World of Correction, called ABYA, and corrected the Kelim so they work in order to bestow.
The creatures must make all those corrections, which are in order to bestow, so they can receive the delight and pleasure. However, how can the lower ones, who were created with a nature only to receive, how can they go against their nature? This is why the earth, which is Malchut, feared that she would not be able to bestow anything upon the lower ones, due to the separation and disparity of form of the lower ones.
Thus, in order for the lower ones to have a way by which to turn the vessels of reception to work in order to bestow, He created the Torah, as our sages said, “I have created the evil inclination; I have created the Torah as a spice” (Kidushin 30b). There is a way in the Torah to subdue the evil, as our sages said, “The light in it reforms him.”
This is the meaning that He stipulated with the works of creation that if Israel receive the Torah, they will exist, meaning that then the purpose of creation to do good to His creations will come true, and if not, He will return them to Tohu ve Bohu, as it was in the world of Nekudim.
Hence, when Israel received the Torah, she became still, since through the Torah they could correct the vessels of reception to work in order to bestow. She was still because now the delight and pleasure will come true, namely the purpose of creation to do good to His creations.