Some traditions say it was all water. Just a vast, unending universe of water.

But how did we get from that to the world we know? Well, according to one beautiful myth, God took snow from beneath His Throne of Glory – imagine that, snow at the very heart of divinity! – and cast it upon the waters. And as the snow touched the waters, a miracle occurred. The waters froze, transforming into the very dust of the earth. And God, in His infinite wisdom, blessed this newly formed earth, so that it became fruitful and multiplied.

Think about that for a moment. The solid ground beneath our feet, born from a divine act of freezing and blessing. It’s a powerful image, isn't it?

This creation story doesn't just stop there, though. It goes on to paint a picture of the cosmic structure, a kind of scaffolding that supports everything we know. The earth, you see, stands upon the waters. But what supports the waters? Pillars of mountains. And the mountains? They rest upon the wind. And the wind? It stands upon the whirlwind.

And here’s where it gets really interesting. God, the story tells us, made the whirlwind like an amulet hung from His arm. It’s a striking image of divine power and protection, isn’t it?

But there are other versions of this story, too. As we find in Pesikta Rabbati 48:2, some say that the primeval waters covered everything. So what did God do? Some say He emptied them into that which was already full – a divine miracle where water poured into overflowing water doesn’t spill over! Others say He pressed down upon them, gathering them into one great sea.

And if you’re thinking, “Wait, so what holds that up?”, you’re not alone! The Midrash Konen really runs with this idea. It builds on that chain of images, creating this incredible cosmic architecture. The earth stretches out upon the waters, and the waters on pillars of hashmal – a mysterious substance often associated with divine visions. And those pillars of hashmal? They rest on the Mountain of Hailstones, which in turn rests on the Storehouses of Snow, and then the Storehouses of Water and Fire. It keeps going, down and down, through the sea, the deep (tehom), chaos (tohu), and the void (vohu), eventually looping back around to the waters and the mountains!

It’s a dizzying image, a reminder of the sheer complexity and mystery of creation.

And in Merkavah Rabbah, we find an even more mind-blowing idea. It’s not just the whirlwind that hangs like an amulet from God's arm, but the entire universe! Based on the verse in Deuteronomy 33:27, "And beneath His arm—the universe." The whole cosmos, dangling there, a testament to God's power and intimacy with creation.

The transformation of snow into earth connects, too, with a verse from Job 37:6: "For He says to the snow, 'Become earth.'" And the ending, the idea of God's arm being revealed, echoes the biblical phrase, "The arm of Yahweh has been revealed" (Isaiah 53:1).

So, what does it all mean? Perhaps it’s a reminder that the world we see is just the tip of the iceberg, resting on layers and layers of mystery, power, and divine intention. Maybe it's about recognizing the interconnectedness of everything, from the smallest snowflake to the vastness of the universe. Or maybe it's simply an invitation to marvel at the endless creativity and imagination of the stories our ancestors told to try and make sense of it all. Whatever it is, it leaves you with a sense of wonder, doesn't it?