The sun rises, the seasons turn... it all seems so fixed, so unchangeable. But is it, really?
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Ecclesiastes, wrestles with this very idea, taking as its starting point the verse: "I know that everything that God does, it will be forever, one cannot add to it, nor can one subtract from it; God did so, so they would fear before Him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon suggests something profound: that Adam, the first human, was meant to live forever. "Everything God does, it will be forever,". So why did death enter the picture? The answer, he says, is "God did so, so they would fear before Him." It's a stark reminder of our mortality and, perhaps, a call to live with reverence.
Rabbi Elazar points to the creation itself. We read in (Genesis 1:9), "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered… and let the dry land appear.” So why, then, does (Amos 9:6) say, "He calls upon the waters of the sea and pours them on the face of the earth"? The midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explains that God did this – brought the flood and the dispersion – "so they would fear before Him." These cataclysmic events served as powerful (if terrifying) reminders of divine power.
But what about our actions? Can we alter God's plans? Reish Lakish brings up a seemingly contradictory idea. (Deuteronomy 13:1) says, "This entire matter that I command you, you shall take care to perform; do not add to it and do not subtract from it." Yet, the midrash argues, the righteous do add to it! How do we reconcile this?
Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina uses this idea to explain why building an altar outside of the designated Temple was only permissible through a prophet. He points to Elijah's famous sacrifice on Mount Carmel, recounted in 1 Kings chapter 18, a direct challenge to idolatry. Elijah, according to Rabbi Samlai of Broyera, justified his actions by saying to God, "It was by Your word that I performed all these matters" (1 (Kings 18:3)6). In other words, sometimes bending the rules is necessary to uphold a greater truth.
Fear of God, or yirat Hashem, becomes a central theme. Rabbi Yudan even states that the heavens and the earth were created because of fear! Rabbi Yirmeya adds that Solomon, in both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, concludes with the importance of fearing God. As (Proverbs 31:30) says, "Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” And (Ecclesiastes 12:13) sums it up: "The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is all of man.”
Now, here's where it gets really interesting. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish and Rabbi Yonatan delve into the idea of individuals who seemingly defied the natural order, altering the very fabric of creation. The midrash tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed that the heavenly should be heavenly and the earthly should be earthly. Yet, Moses ascended to God (Exodus 19:3), and God descended on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20), blurring those lines.
Similarly, God decreed that the earthly should eat and drink, while the heavenly should not. But Abraham, according to the midrash, made angels eat (Genesis 18:8)! Rabbi Natan suggests they only appeared to eat, their food vanishing as they consumed it. Moses, on the other hand, fasted for forty days and nights (Exodus 34:28), defying the earthly need for sustenance.
The examples keep coming. God separated sea and dry land, but Moses parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:16). Elisha turned dry land into a valley full of water (2 (Kings 3:16-1)7). God decreed that the heavens should praise Him, but Moses silenced them (Deuteronomy 32:1). Joshua stopped the sun and moon (Joshua 10:12). Samuel brought rain during the wheat harvest (1 (Samuel 12:1)7), and Elijah brought drought (1 Kings 17:1). Jacob even made the sun set early (Genesis 28:11). The Rabbis say that God made the sun set early so he could speak with Jacob in private.
Finally, Deborah and Barak transformed night into day (Judges 5:1). Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiyya, in the name of Rabbi Simon, highlight six miracles that occurred on that same day!
What does it all mean? Are these figures contradicting God's eternal decrees, or are they acting within them? Perhaps the answer lies in the intention. These weren’t acts of rebellion, but rather acts of service, of bringing people closer to God, of demonstrating His power and presence in the world. They remind us that while the natural order is powerful and enduring, there's also room for the miraculous, for the extraordinary, when it serves a higher purpose.
So, the next time you look up at the sky or feel the earth beneath your feet, remember the story of these figures. Remember the balance between the fixed and the fluid, between the natural and the supernatural. And perhaps, most importantly, remember the power of yirat Hashem, the fear and awe that inspires us to live with intention and reverence in a world filled with both wonder and mystery.
“I know that everything that God does, it will be forever, one cannot add to it, nor can one subtract from it; God did so, so they would fear before Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14). “I know that everything that God does, it will be forever…” Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: It would have been fitting for Adam, the first man, to have lived and endured forever.54As the verse states that “everything God does, it will be forever,” and God created Adam. Why was death imposed upon him? “God did so, so they would fear before Him.” Rabbi Elazar said: From the beginning of the creation of the world it is stated: “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered” (Genesis 1:9). To what purpose? “And let the dry land appear” (Genesis 1:9). Why, then, is it written: “He calls upon the waters of the sea and pours them on the face of the earth; the Lord is His name” (Amos 9:6)? [He did so] twice, once in the generation of the flood and once in the generation of the dispersion, because “God did so, so they would fear before Him.” Reish Lakish said: It is written: “This entire matter that I command you, you shall take care to perform, do not add to it and do not subtract from it” (Deuteronomy 13:1). But the righteous add to it and do not subtract from it. Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: From here [it may be derived] that an altar outside the Temple can be permitted only by a prophet, and Elijah stood and sacrificed at the peak of the Carmel.55Once the Temple was constructed it became prohibited to offer a sacrifice in any other place. However, Elijah the prophet did so on Mount Carmel in a confrontation with idolatrous priests, in order to demonstrate to the people the truth of God and the falsehood of idolatry. See I Kings chapter 18. Rabbi Samlai of Broyera said: [Elijah] said to Him: “It was by Your word that I performed all these matters” (I Kings 18:36). Rabbi Ḥanina said: It is written: “Your house and your kingdom will remain steadfast” (II Samuel 7:16). When? “If your descendants observe My covenant…” (Psalms 132:12). If not, “I will exact retribution for their transgression with a rod” (Psalms 89:33). Rabbi Yudan said: Great is fear [of God], as the heavens and the earth were created only due to fear; that is what is written: “God did so, so they would fear before Him.” Rabbi Yirmeya said: Great is fear, as Solomon concluded two books that he wrote with nothing other than fear. That is what is written in the book of Proverbs: “Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). In this book, it is written: “The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God [and keep His commandments, for this is all of man]” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish was ascending from Ḥamat Gader, and Rabbi Yonatan encountered him. [R’ Yonatan] said to him: ‘How does my master interpret these verses?’ [Reish Lakish] transmitted the matter to him and this is how these verses are read.56The reference is to the verses the midrash will now quote. The common theme is that the natural world is meant to maintain its basic structure, as indicated by the verse: “I know that everything that God does, it will be forever.” The Holy One blessed be He decreed that the heavenly shall be the heavenly and the earthly shall be the earthly. Moses rose and transformed the heavenly into the earthly and the earthly into the heavenly. That is what is written: “Moses ascended to God” (Exodus 19:3); “The Lord descended on Mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:20). Likewise, the Holy One blessed be He decreed that the earthly shall eat and drink and that the heavenly shall not eat and shall not drink. Abraham rose and made the heavenly eat and drink; that is what is written: “He stood over them under the tree and they ate” (Genesis 18:8).57The midrash assumes that Abraham’s guests, whom he had given to eat, were angels. Were they eating? Rabbi Natan said: They appeared to be eating; each bit would disappear in turn. Moses rose and made the earthly not eat and drink; that is what is written: “He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, he did not eat bread and he did not drink water” (Exodus 34:28). Likewise, the Holy One blessed be He decreed that sea shall be sea and that dry land shall be dry land. Moses rose and transformed sea into dry land. That is what is written: “The children of Israel came into the midst of the sea on dry land” (Exodus 14:16). Elisha, the disciple of his disciple, transformed dry land into sea. That is what is written: “Make this valley full of trenches…[that valley will be filled with water]” (II Kings 3:16–17). Likewise, the Holy One blessed be He decreed that the heavens shall laud him, as it is stated: “The heavens relate the glory of God” (Psalms 19:2). Moses rose and silenced them, as it is stated: “Listen heavens, and I will speak” (Deuteronomy 32:1). Likewise, the Holy One blessed be He decreed that the sun and the moon shall laud him, as it is stated: “From the rising of the sun until its setting, the name of God is praised [mehulal]” (Psalms 113:3); it is written mehalel [praises].58The word praised [mehulal] is written without a vav, such that it can be vocalized mehalel [praises]. Thus, instead of the verse stating “the name God is praised,” the verse can be read “the name of God it praises.” Joshua, [Moses’s] disciple, rose and silenced them, as it is stated: “Sun, stand still in Givon; and Moon, in the valley of Ayalon” (Joshua 10:12). Likewise, the Holy One blessed be He decreed that summer shall be summer and that winter shall be winter. Samuel rose and transformed summer into winter, as it is stated: “Is it not wheat harvest today? [I will call to the Lord and He will send thunder and rain]” (I Samuel 12:17).59In the land of Israel, it generally rains only during the winter. The wheat harvest occurs in late spring. Elijah rose and transformed winter into summer, as it is stated: “There shall not be dew or rain these years, except by my word” (I Kings 17:1). Likewise, the Holy One blessed be He decreed that day shall be day and night shall be night. Jacob, our patriarch, rose and transformed day into night, as it is stated: “He encountered the place, and stayed the night there, because the sun had set [ki va]” (Genesis 28:11); in fact, He extinguished [kava] the sun.60God made the sun set early so that Jacob would spend the night in that location. The Rabbis say: The Holy One blessed be He set the sun prematurely and spoke with him in private. This is analogous to a friend of the king who would visit him infrequently. The king would attend to all the residents of the province on his request, and he would say: ‘Extinguish the torches and lamps so I can speak with my friend in private.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He concealed the sun prematurely and spoke with Jacob in private. Deborah and Barak rose and transformed night into day. That is what is written: “Deborah and Barak ben Avinoam sang…on that day” (Judges 5:1). Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiyya [said] in the name of Rabbi Simon: Six miracles were performed on that day: On that day they came,61The people came to Deborah to ask for help in the war against the Canaanites. on that day they sent for him62She sent for Barak. and he sent.63Barak sent messengers to marshal the forces. On that day they waged war. On that day Sisera was killed. On that day they distributed the spoils. On that day they recited a song, as it is stated: “Deborah and Barak ben Avinoam sang…on that day.”64These events, some of which individually took longer than the average length of a day, all took place on the same miraculously lengthy day.
