The ancient rabbis grappled with these very questions, and their answers, preserved in texts like Vayikra Rabbah, are both surprising and deeply inspiring. Let’s dive into one fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah 36.

The passage opens with a powerful declaration: "I will remember My covenant with Jacob." This isn't just a sentimental promise. It's a cornerstone of creation itself. Rabbi Pinḥas, quoting Rabbi Reuven, takes this idea to a breathtaking level. God, in essence, tells the world, “Jacob created you and Jacob fashioned you.” It’s a mind-bending thought, isn't it? That the patriarch Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes, somehow played a direct role in the very formation of existence! The verse cited is Isaiah 43:1, "Your Creator, Jacob, and your Fashioner, Israel."

But it doesn't stop there. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, citing Rabbi Levi, adds another layer: the mighty behemoth—that legendary creature destined to be served at the feast of the righteous in the World to Come—was created solely through the merit of Jacob! It's all in Job 40:15: "Behold now the behemoth that I made with you.” With you – implying a specific, significant individual.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Rabbi Neḥemya, in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Rabbi Yitzḥak, goes even further. He says that the heavens and the earth themselves were created thanks to Jacob! Psalm 78:5 says, "He set a testimony in Jacob," and this "testimony," they argue, refers to none other than the cosmos itself, just as Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “I call today to the heavens and the earth to bear witness to you.”

These rabbis aren't alone in this line of thinking. Rabbi Berekhya suggests that the heavens and earth were created thanks to Israel, citing Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning [bereshit], the Lord created [the heavens and the earth]") and connecting reshit, "beginning," to Israel, as in Jeremiah 2:3: "Israel is sacred to the Lord, the first [reshit] of His crop.”

Rabbi Aḥa even proposes that the whole thing happened because of Moses, pointing to Deuteronomy 33:21: "He saw the first [reshit] for himself." And Rabbi Abbahu simply states that everything was created in Jacob's merit, referencing Jeremiah 10:16: "Not like these is the Portion of Jacob; for He is the fashioner of everything."

So, what’s going on here? Are they saying Jacob literally hammered the stars into place? Not exactly. It's about the merit, the inherent righteousness and potential embodied in these key figures. They represent the covenant, the promise of a relationship between God and humanity.

This idea extends even to Abraham. Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Levi, in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, say that Abraham was saved from Nimrod's fiery furnace because God foresaw Jacob's future greatness. It's like a ruler sparing someone because their future daughter will marry the king. Isaiah 29:22 says, "Therefore, so says the Lord to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham.”

The rabbis even suggest that Abraham himself was created for Jacob's sake! Genesis 18:19 states, "For I know him, so that he shall command his children and his household after him, and they will observe the way of the Lord, to perform righteousness and justice." And where do we find true righteousness and justice? In Jacob, as Psalm 99:4 declares: "You wrought justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

What does this all mean for us? It's a reminder that we're all part of something bigger, a cosmic narrative that stretches back to the very beginning. Our actions, our choices, ripple outwards, influencing not just our own lives but the world around us.

The rabbis of the Midrash invite us to see ourselves as active participants in creation, carrying forward the legacy of Jacob, Abraham, Moses, and all those who strive for righteousness and justice. We, too, have the potential to shape the world through our deeds, to contribute to the ongoing story of creation. It's a profound and humbling thought, isn't it?