But even the great rabbis of old disagreed about the answer!

In fact, Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish – two towering figures of Jewish tradition – had a fascinating debate about it, recorded in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis.

Rabbi Yoḥanan believed that clouds come exclusively from above. He pointed to the Book of Daniel (7:13), which says, "And behold, among the clouds of the heavens." For him, the clouds are a gift from on high, a divine blessing bestowed upon us.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, however, argued that clouds originate solely from below. He cited Psalm 135:7: "He makes clouds ascend from the ends of the earth." According to Rabbi Shimon, the earth itself is responsible for producing the clouds.

So, how did they reconcile these seemingly contradictory verses? Well, they used analogies, parables to explain their reasoning.

Rabbi Yoḥanan likened it to someone gifting a cask of wine along with its pitcher. The wine, the blessing of rain, comes from above, complete and ready.

But Rabbi Shimon offered a different image. He compared it to someone asking to borrow a se’ah of wheat, a dry measure. The lender says, "Bring your basket and come measure [the wheat] into it.” In other words, the earth has to provide something, to participate in the process. So, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the earth: “Bring your clouds and receive rain.”

Isn’t that beautiful? Two different perspectives, both rooted in scripture, both using everyday examples to explain something profound.

What does it all mean? Perhaps it’s not about choosing one answer over the other. Maybe it’s about recognizing that both are true. The rain, the blessing, ultimately comes from above. But the earth, our world, has a role to play. It provides the foundation, the raw materials, the very substance from which the clouds are formed.

It’s a partnership, a cosmic collaboration between the divine and the earthly. And it reminds us that even in the simplest things, like the formation of a cloud, there’s a deeper mystery, a profound connection between heaven and earth. Something to think about the next time you look up at the sky.