The philosopher's challenge cuts right to the heart of things. He essentially says, "Your God is impressive, sure, but didn't He have a little help? All that…stuff…the emptiness, the chaos, the darkness – wasn’t that already there?"
Whoa. Talk about a loaded question!
Rabban Gamliel, a towering figure of Jewish wisdom, wasn’t having any of it. His response, though brief, is powerful. He basically dismisses the philosopher's premise, asserting that God didn't just stumble upon these raw materials. He created them.
But how do we know that? It’s not just a matter of faith. The Rabbis of the Midrash, in Bereshit Rabbah, back it up with scripture.
Think about it. Where did that initial void, that tohu vavohu – the emptiness and disorder – come from? The prophet Isaiah (45:7) gives us a clue: "Who makes peace and creates evil." The same God is behind both.
And what about darkness? Isaiah again (45:7): "who forms light [and creates darkness]." Light and darkness, two sides of the same divine coin.
Even the waters above the heavens, mentioned in Psalms (148:4), didn't exist independently. "For He commanded and they were created" (Psalms 148:5). The very act of divine command brought them into being.
The wind, that invisible force? Amos (4:13) tells us that God "forms mountains and creates wind." And those mysterious depths, the tehomot? Proverbs (8:24) states, "when there were no depths, I generated."
Ginzberg, in Legends of the Jews, beautifully expands on this, painting a picture of a God whose creative power extends to absolutely everything.
So, what’s the takeaway? It's not just about proving God's power. It’s about understanding the absolute scope of creation. God isn't just a skilled craftsman working with pre-existing materials. He is the ultimate source. He is the origin of everything, even the things that seem like nothingness. Even the void. Even the darkness. Maybe especially those things.
And that, perhaps, is the most profound mystery of all.