"In the beginning God created" (Genesis 1:1). This is what Scripture says: "The LORD by wisdom founded the earth" (Proverbs 3:19). And when the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, He took counsel with the Torah and created the world, as it is said: "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, strength is mine" (Proverbs 8:14). And in what was the Torah written? Upon white fire in black fire, as it is said: "His locks are wavy, black as a raven" (Song of Songs 5:11). What is the meaning of "His locks are wavy" (kevutzotav taltalim)? Upon every single stroke (kotz) there are heaps upon heaps (tilei tilim) of laws. How so? It is written in it: "And you shall not profane My holy name" (Leviticus 22:32). If you make the letter Het into a He [reading "praise" as "profane"], you destroy the world. "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD" (Psalms 150:6). If you make the He into a Het [reading "praise" as "profane"], you destroy the world. And likewise, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). If you make the letter Dalet into a Resh [reading "one" (ehad) as "another" (aher)], you destroy the world, as it is said: "For you shall not bow down to another god" (Exodus 34:14). "There is none holy as the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:2). If you make the letter Kaf into a Bet [reading "as the LORD" (ka-Adonai) as "there is no LORD" (b'Adonai)], you destroy the world. And if a single letter is so, all the more so the whole word. Therefore it is said: "His locks are wavy." And the Torah was the craftsman for all the work of creation, as it is said: "Then I was beside Him, as a nursling" (Proverbs 8:30). Do not read "nursling" (amon), but rather "craftsman" (oman). And by it He stretched out the heavens and founded the earth; and by it He sealed the Ocean Sea that it should not go forth and flood the world; and by it He subdued the deep that it should not inundate the world; and by it He created the sun and the moon. You have thus learned that the world was founded upon nothing but the Torah.
The Letters Of The Alphabet
Tanchuma, Bereshit 1
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים, זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: ה׳ בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד אָרֶץ. וּכְשֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ נִתְיָעֵץ בַּתּוֹרָה וּבָרָא אֶת הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לִי עֵצָה וְתוּשִׁיָּה אֲנִי בִינָה לִי גְבוּרָה. וְהַתּוֹרָה בַּמֶּה הָיְתָה כְתוּבָה? עַל גַּבֵּי אֵשׁ לְבָנָה בְּאֵשׁ שְׁחוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: קְוֻצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחוֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב. מַהוּ קְוֻצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים? עַל כָּל קוֹץ וָקוֹץ תִּלֵּי תִלִּים שֶׁל הֲלָכוֹת. כֵּיצַד? כָּתוּב בָּהּ, וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי, אִם אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה חֵי״ת הֵ״א, אַתָּה מַחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם. כֹּל הַנְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ, אִם אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה הֵ״א חֵי״ת, אַתָּה מַחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם. וְכֵן שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד, אִם אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה דָּלֶ״ת רֵי״שׁ, אַתָּה מַחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְאֵל אַחֵר. אֵין קָדוֹשׁ כַּה׳, אִם אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה כָּ״ף בֵּי״ת, תַּחֲרִיב אֶת הָעוֹלָם. וְאִם אוֹת אַחַת כָּךְ, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן הַתֵּבָה כֻלָּהּ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: קְוֻצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים. וְהִיא הָיְתָה אוֹמֶנֶת לְכָל מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן. אַל תִּקְרֵי אָמוֹן, אֶלָּא אוֹמֵן. וּבָהּ נָטָה שָׁמַיִם וְיָסַד אָרֶץ, וּבָהּ חָתַם יָם אוֹקְיָנוֹס שֶׁלֹּא יֵצֵא וְיִשְׁטֹף אֶת הָעוֹלָם, וּבָהּ כָּבַשׁ אֶת הַתְּהוֹם שֶׁלֹּא יַצִּיף אֶת הָעוֹלָם, וּבָהּ בָּרָא חַמָּה וּלְבָנָה. הָא לָמַדְתָּ, שֶׁהָעוֹלָם לֹא נִתְיַסֵּד אֶלָּא עַל הַתּוֹרָה.