“Behibare’am” – Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Behibare’am – with a heh [beheh] He created them [bera’am]. Just as with heh, though all the other letters employ the tongue this one does not employ the tongue,31In order to pronounce the heh one need not use the tongue or any of the other parts of the mouth, e.g., the lips, the throat, the roof of the mouth, etc. so, too, with no exertion or toil, the Holy One blessed be He created His world.
It was, rather, “By the word of the Lord” (Psalms 33:6), and immediately “the heavens were made” (Psalms 33:6). Rabbi Yuda Nesia asked Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: Because I have heard about you that you are a master of aggada, [I ask you]: What is it that is written: “Praise Him who rides in the highest heavens, by His name the Lord [beyah shemo]…”? (Psalms 68:5). He said to him: There is no place that does not have a person appointed to address its grievances (biya).32Later editions have בית instead of בֶּיָּה.
A commissioner in the province is appointed to address grievances brought to him, a governor of the province is appointed to address grievances brought to him. So, who is appointed to address the grievances of the world? It is the Holy One blessed be He beyah shemo – over the grievances [biya] of His world. He said to him: Woe to us for those [scholars] who have perished and are no longer to be found.
I once asked Rabbi Elazar [to interpret this verse], and he did not say as you said. Rather, [he said:] “For beyah Hashem is the Rock [tzur] of the world [olamim]” (Isaiah 26:4) – with [these] two letters,33Beyah is interpreted to mean “by yod and heh.” the Holy One blessed be He created34Tzur (“Rock”) is interpreted as if pronounced tzar, “He fashioned.” His world.35He created two worlds, as the word olamim is plural.
We do not know whether this world was created with heh and the World to Come with yod, or whether this world was created with yod and the World to Come was created with heh. But from what Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Behibare’am – with a heh [beheh] He created them [bera’am], we see that it is this world that was created with heh. Just as heh is closed on all its sides, but open at the bottom, that is an allusion to the fact that all the dead descend to the netherworld.
Its protrusion at the top is an allusion that they are destined to ascend from there. The window on its side is an allusion to the penitents.36Penitence provides an escape from man’s sentence to the netherworld. The World to Come was created with a yod. Just as the yod has a bent stature, so, too, the wicked have bent statures and their faces are blackened in the future.37Like a yod, which looks like a plain blotch of ink.
That is what is written: “The loftiness of humanity will be bowed and the haughtiness of men will be brought down and the Lord alone will be exalted on that day” (Isaiah 2:17). And it says: “And the false gods will entirely vanish” (Isaiah 2:18). “When they were created” – Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon: With no exertion or toil the Holy One blessed be He created His world.38“When they were created,” in the passive voice, suggests that the world came about without toil, spontaneously.
It was, rather, “By the word of the Lord,” and immediately “the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6). This is analogous to a king who rebuked his slave, and he stood there astounded.39Unable to move. So, “The pillars of heaven sag, astounded at His rebuke” (Job 26:11).40The final form of the heavens was achieved through God’s mere rebuke, without toil.