It tells us that the Chajjôth – these powerful, celestial beings that stand beside God’s throne – are constantly declaring, "Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place" (Ezekiel 3:12). But here’s the thing: they don’t even know the full extent of God’s glory! They simply proclaim it wherever it is manifest. These mighty beings, close to the Divine, are still in awe, still searching, still praising.
And then, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer draws a parallel to us, to the people of Israel. Just as the Chajjôth declare God’s glory, so too does Israel, "a nation unique on the earth," proclaim the unity of God’s name daily, reciting the Shma: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). And in response, God answers, "I am the Lord your God who has delivered you from every trouble." It’s a beautiful cycle of praise and divine reassurance.
The text then shifts gears, taking us back to the very beginning, to the creation of the world. Specifically, the third day, when the waters were gathered together. Imagine the scene: initially, the earth was a flat, featureless plain, completely covered by water.
Then came the divine command: "Let the waters be gathered together" (Genesis 1:9). And what happened? Mountains and hills erupted from the earth, valleys plunged into its depths, and the waters rushed to fill them. "And the gathering together of the waters he called seas" (Genesis 1:10).
But the story doesn't end there. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, the waters, emboldened by their power, rose up again, threatening to engulf the earth once more.
So, what stopped them? The Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked them, subdued them, and placed them beneath His feet, measuring them with the hollow of His hand to ensure they would neither diminish nor overflow. He set the sand as the boundary of the sea, like a fence around a vineyard.
It's a vivid image, isn't it?
And it emphasizes the power of divine command and the inherent order of creation. As Jeremiah 5:22 asks, "Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea?" The waters, upon seeing the sand, remember their place and retreat.
What does this tell us? Maybe it's about boundaries, about limits, about the balance between chaos and order. Maybe it’s about recognizing the power that both creates and contains. Or maybe, just maybe, it's a reminder that even the most powerful forces in the universe are subject to a higher power. And that thought, in itself, is something worth pondering.