Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon starts us off with a powerful verse from Daniel (2:22): "He reveals the deep and the hidden [umsatrata]." Now, what exactly is being revealed? Rabbi Yehuda connects "the deep" to Gehenna, often translated as Hell, citing Proverbs (9:18): "Her guests are in the depths of the netherworld," and Isaiah (30:33): "He deepened and widened." It paints a vivid image, doesn't it? A place of profound, hidden depths.
But what about "the hidden"? That, he says, is the Garden of Eden! Isaiah (4:6) speaks of "protection and refuge [ulmistor]," and Psalms (31:21) says, "Conceal them [tastirem] in the hideaway of Your presence." So, right from the start, we have this fascinating duality: the revealed deep of Gehenna and the hidden sanctuary of Eden.
And it gets even more interesting. Rabbi Yehuda offers another interpretation: "He reveals the deep and the hidden" refers to the actions of the wicked! Isaiah (29:15) says, "Those who go deep from the Lord… To conceal [listor] counsel." The wicked think they're hiding, but God sees all. Similarly, "He knows what is in the darkness" (Daniel 2:22) – these are the actions of the wicked, just as Isaiah (29:15) tells us: "Their actions are in the darkness."
Conversely, "the light rests with Him" (Daniel 2:22) alludes to the actions of the righteous. Proverbs (4:18) states: "But the path of the righteous is like a dawning light," and Psalms (97:11) declares: "Light is sown for the righteous…" Rabbi Abba Sarongaya takes it even further: "And the light rests with Him" – this, he says, is the messianic king! He points us to Isaiah (60:1): "Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has shone upon you." You can find more on this in Pesikta Rabati, in the Kumi ori section. (Some scholars even think that reference to Pesikta might have been added later.)
So, Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon brings us back to the very beginning. From the moment of creation, God is revealing the hidden, exposing the deep. The verse in Genesis (1:1), "In the beginning God created [the heavens]," doesn't tell us how. Where do we find that? Isaiah (40:22): "Who spread the heavens like a curtain."
And "the earth" (Genesis 1:1)? Again, no details! Job (37:6) fills in the picture: "For He says to the snow: Become the earth," and Job (38:38) adds, "when the dust consolidated into a mass…"
Even the creation of light! Genesis (1:3) simply says, "God said: Let there be light." But Psalms (104:2) gives us a more poetic image: "Enveloping with light as if with a cloak."
What does it all mean? Perhaps that the Torah gives us the headlines, the essential truth, while the rest of scripture, and indeed the entire rabbinic tradition, fills in the details, revealing the deep and the hidden layers of meaning embedded within those first few words. It’s an invitation, really, to delve deeper, to explore, and to find the light that is sown for us.