Take the creation story in Bereshit (Genesis). We read that the waters were gathered "to one place" (Genesis 1:9), allowing dry land to appear. But... what does that mean, exactly?
The rabbis of the Midrash, those brilliant interpreters of scripture, wrestled with this very question. In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on Genesis, we find a fascinating discussion in section 5. Rabbi Yudan, quoting Rabbi Levi, and Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Yudan ben Rabbi Shimon, both point out the obvious: if the whole world was water, how could it be "gathered to one place?" It seems contradictory. So, how do we make sense of this?
The Midrash offers a truly vivid analogy. Imagine a hall filled with ten inflated wineskins. Think of them as representing the primordial waters, vast and unruly. Now, the king – representing God, of course – needs that space. What does he do? He doesn't just politely ask the wineskins to move. He unties them, lets the air out, and pushes them into a corner.
That, the Midrash suggests, is what God did with the primordial waters. He "trod upon" them, pressing them down and diverting them into the ocean. It's a powerful image, isn't it? God actively shaping and containing the formless chaos.
And the Midrash doesn't stop there. It brings in verses from the Book of Job to support this idea. "Behold, He halts [ya'atzor] the water and it dries..." (Job 12:15). The word ya'atzor is particularly interesting, because it can also mean "He presses." It reinforces the image of God not just passively gathering the waters, but actively exerting force upon them. Furthermore, "He treads on the crests of the sea" (Job 9:8).
What are we to take away from this? The creation of the world wasn't just a neat and tidy process. There was a struggle, a divine act of shaping and containing the raw, powerful forces of the primordial waters. It’s a reminder that even in the face of chaos, there is a divine hand guiding and ordering the universe. And perhaps, a metaphor for the challenges we face in our own lives, needing at times to press down upon chaos, and to create order from within ourselves.