(Gen. 2:4:) THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH WHEN THEY WERE CREATED. Let our master instruct us: When someone sees shooting stars and lightnings, what blessing does he say over them? Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 9:2): OVER SHOOTING STARS, EARTHQUAKES, LIGHTNINGS, AND THUNDERS ONE SAYS: BLESSED BE THE ONE WHOSE POWER FILLS THE WORLD. Elijah, of blessed memory, asked Rav Mari: Why do earthquakes come upon the world?
He said to him: When the Holy One sees Israel not separating their tithes as they should, earthquakes come upon the world. Elijah said to him: Upon your life, that is the apparent reason for the phenomenon, but the root of the phenomenon is this: When the Holy One looks at his world and sees temples of star worship sitting upon their tells in safety, security, and serenity, while his Holy Temple is destroyed, at that time he wants to overthrow the world and shakes it.
The Holy One said: All this quaking is for the sanctification of my name, as stated (in Is. 43:7): EVERY ONE THAT IS CALLED BY MY NAME. Also, through that for which I deserve to be praised, the nations provoke me to anger. Therefore, I bring earthquake into the world. Although the heavenly bodies did not sin, because people provoke me to anger through them, they are also stricken along with them. So it is stated (in Joel 3:4): THE SUN WILL BE CHANGED TO DARKNESS, AND THE MOON, TO BLOOD.