Rabbi Yishmael asked: why did Job risk everything by demanding an answer from God (Job 31:35)? Because Job understood something terrible. Without death, life has no name. Without darkness, light cannot be recognized. God created the entire world in pairs, each thing paired with its opposite, each opposite giving the other meaning.
Consider the body. Four elements rule it like four officers over an army: blood, white phlegm, red bile, and black bile. When all four hold their posts, a person lives. When one weakens, the body staggers. When one vanishes entirely, the spirit departs and the flesh expires. "You hide Your face, they vanish" (Psalms 104:29). The body is like an inflated waterskin. Puncture it, and the air escapes. So the spirit flees when any single element fails.
These four elements mirror the four directions of the world. White corresponds to the east, where light is born. Blood corresponds to the north, because the body is open to blood everywhere you cut it, and northerners are ruddy. Red bile matches the west, where the sun reddens as it sets. Black bile belongs to the south, born of coolness and shadow. And the four elements of nature parallel them: earth for black bile, cold and dry. Fire for red bile, hot and dry. Water for white phlegm. Air for blood.
God made light and darkness (Isaiah 45:7). Life and death. Paradise and Gehinnom (the place of spiritual purification after death). Every person is judged by both. And when an unbeliever challenged Rabbi Akiva, demanding proof that God created the world, Rabbi Akiva asked him: "Who made the garment you are wearing?" "The weaver," the man said. "Show me proof," Rabbi Akiva replied. The man sputtered: "Everyone knows a weaver makes garments!" Rabbi Akiva smiled. "And everyone should know that God created the world. Just as a house reveals its builder and a door reveals its carpenter, so the world reveals the One who made it."
Chapter 1. Rabbi Yishmael says: How great is the strength of Job, who said this verse: "Oh that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature! Let the Almighty answer me!" (Job 31:35) But what can I do, for "Behold my desire is the decree of the Almighty should answer me" (Job ibid.). Job said: What does it matter to me if I die and my spirit is taken away? The Holy One Blessed Be He said: Behold, it is written in the Book of the Dead. "Behold my desire is the decree of the Almighty should answer me" - and this is what it says "and you shall place a mark on the foreheads of the people" (Ezekiel 9:4). "And a book was written: 'Each man's grievance'" (Job ibid) - this is the Book of the Generations of Adam, sealed with all the generations of man. "One fate comes to the righteous and the wicked" (Ecclesiastes 9:2). All the generations of man go just as words go from the mouth, and just as Adam went - what are the generations of Adam the Second, missing the vav, and the First is full - so the generations do not go to die whole until their body loses the kings (four elements) that are in their body. With His great power, the Omnipresent created the entire world in pairs, pairs. This corresponding to this, and this opposite that, in order to contemplate His wisdom, and to make known to them that everything has a partner and everything has a substitute. Without this, that would not be; why are life called "life" and death called "death"? Without death, life would not be called "life" and it would not be known that it is life. And so too death - without life, death would not exist and death would not be known, and how is this death? Rabbi Yishmael said: In this body there are kings - blood, white phlegm, red bile and black bile. And when a person grows up, his strength weakens, and his blood changes, and his face turns pale, and one of the kings overpowers or weakens. "You hide Your face, they vanish" (Psalms 104:29) - to what is this comparable? To an inflated waterskin. When the waterskin is whole, the air remains inside it. When it is punctured or torn, the air departs. So too the body - when the kings remain empowered, the spirit remains inside it like the air in the waterskin. And why is the body compared to a king who has armies and four officers over them, and in his kingdom four states, and the lords of the states are evil. If an officer averts his eyes from them, from his territory or his place, they revolt against him and his entire kingdom becomes confused. So too the body is the king, and the sinews are the armies, and the bones are the states, and the four officers are the four elements of the body, and they are: blood, white phlegm, red bile and black bile. And when one of the officers averts his eyes a little, immediately the body becomes confused and the person becomes ill, and if one of the officers is lacking, the spirit departs and the body expires. Rabbi Akiva said to him: How is it that some people die young, some die old, and some die elderly? He said to him: That's how it is - when one of the elements is lacking, the body dies. And so it corresponds to the four elements in the body - the four kingdoms corresponding to the four directions of the world. White corresponds to the east, where light comes from, and easterners are white. Blood corresponds to the north, and just as the north is open, so too the body is open to the blood, as wherever you make an incision in the body, blood comes out, unlike the other three which don't come out wherever you make an incision. And northerners are all red. Red bile corresponds to the west, as the sun reddens at the western edge, and the faces of the west redden at its setting. Black bile corresponds to the south, which is born from coolness, like shadows. And corresponding to them, the four elements of the world: Black bile corresponds to earth, which is born from coolness and dryness, like the earth. Red bile corresponds to fire, its nature being hot and dry. White corresponds to water, its nature being cold and wet like water. Blood corresponds to air. Chapter 2. Rabbi Akiva opened and said: "Man is like grass, his days are like a flower of the field" (Psalms 103:15). It happened with Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva who were walking in the streets of Jerusalem, and there was another man with them. A sick man met them and said to them: "My teachers, tell me how I can be healed." They said to him: "Do this and this until you are healed." He said to them: "Who struck me?" They said: "God." He said: "And you involve yourselves in something that is not yours! He struck me and you heal me - don't you transgress His will?!" They said: "What is your occupation?" He said: "I am a farmer, here is my sickle in my hand." They said: "Who created the vineyard?" He said: "God." They said: "And you involve yourself in something that is not yours! He created it and you cut its fruits from it." He said: "Don't you see the sickle is in my hand? If I did not go out and plow it, fertilize it, weed it - nothing would grow!" They said: "You foolish man, from your work you have not heard what is written: 'Man is like grass, his days are like a flower' (Psalms 103:15). Just as a tree will not grow if it is not weeded, fertilized, and plowed, and even if it grew but did not drink water and was not fertilized, it would not live but die - so too the body: the fertilizer is the medicine and the varieties of healing, and the man of the earth is the doctor." He said to them: "Please do not punish me. This body's generations are dependent on each other. Without this, that would not be. And when they separate from each other, the body tends towards death. Just as a house has four sides - if one detaches, the house falls. And everything He created, He created as pairs. Without death there would be no life, and without life there would be no death. Without peace there would be no evil, and without evil there would be no peace. If a person entered a city which was half peace and half evil, he would go in the evil part and recognize the peace. And if there was another city which was all peaceful, if there was no evil there, the peace would not be recognizable. If all people were fools, they would not be recognizable as fools. And if all people were wise, they would not be recognizable as wise. Rather, "He made one opposite the other" (Ecclesiastes 7:14). And if all people were rich, they would not be recognizable as rich. And if all were poor, they would not be recognizable as poor. Rather, He created poor and rich so they would be distinguishable from each other. And he created wise and foolish to distinguish one from the other. And He created dead and living to distinguish between fertile and desolate. He created beauty and ugliness, males and females, fire and water, iron and wood, light and darkness, heat and cold, eating and hunger, drinking and thirst, walking and limping, seeing and blindness, hearing and deafness, sea and land, speech and muteness, action and idleness, worry and calm, laughter and crying, healing and illness - with all the opposites that Solomon mentioned in Ecclesiastes: "A time to give birth and a time to die", etc. And all this is to make known the might of God, that everything He created He created in pairs, as partners. Could the Omnipresent not have brought forth children without incest and revealing nakedness? Rather, everything is with a partner and opposite. Without male and female joining there is no offspring. A male cannot give birth without a female, nor can a female give birth without a male. And a house is not built by itself, nor does a house build another house, rather it needs a builder to build it. There is no woodchopper without an axe, and without a woodchopper, what is an axe for? Without an axe there is no woodchopper. Without purity there is no impurity, and without impurity there is no purity." The pigs and all kinds of impure animals said to the pure animals: "You want to be grateful to us - if not for us impure ones, you would not be known to be pure!" The wicked person says to the righteous person: "You want to be grateful to me - if not for me being wicked, how would you be recognized? If all people were righteous, you would have no advantage." So we have said that everything has an opposite except for one thing - to make known to all who come into the world, subtly, that He (God) is One and has no second. And so too the wind, which has no opposite or partner. You cannot grasp it, strike it, burn it or throw it. And if you say you can grasp the wind in a waterskin - no, because if the waterskin is opened and a person comes and says "What is in it?" and you say "Wind" - he will say "What is it, black or red, white or green? How is it sold in the marketplace?" You cannot answer him. And if you open the waterskin's mouth, the wind departs and you cannot see if it is black or red, white or green. Not only that, but it carries people and carries the heavens and earth. How do you know? From what your eyes see: A person enters a house, deeper into the house, or a cave, deeper into the cave, and waves his garment, and the wind comes out, and you do not know from where it came and where it goes. From this you learn that wind fills the world. And so it was that the Queen asked Rabbi Akiva, "On what does the world stand?" He said, "On the wind." She said, "Show me!" He said, "Bring me camels laden with salt." They walked them around the house. He said, "What do you see?" They said, "Camels laden with salt." He said, "Bring me a rope." They brought him a rope and wrapped it around their necks. He gave the rope to two men and said, "This one should pull from here and this one should pull from here" until they strangled them. After they strangled them, he said, "Stand them up." She said, "You are the wise Jew - after you strangled them you say stand them up?!" He said, "What is missing from them except the wind? From this you learn that the world stands on nothing but the wind, which is supreme and exalted." "And it was from the beginning, as it says 'and the wind of God hovered over the surface of the waters' (Genesis 1:2). There are two things that we do not find created - the wind and the water - and they preexisted, as it says 'and the wind of God hovered over the surface of the waters.' The entire world and all within it we find created in the six days of creation, except for the water, the wind and the darkness, as it says 'and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the wind of God hovered over the surface of the waters' (Genesis 1:2), until Isaiah came and said 'He forms light and creates darkness' (Isaiah 45:7)."... GERMAN: Einst gingen Rabbi Akiva und Rabbi Ischmael auf den Straßen von Jerusalem. Ein Kranker begegnete ihnen und fragte sie: „Meine Herren, wie kann ich geheilt werden?“. Sie antworteten ihm: „Tue dies und das bis du gesund wirst“. Er fragte: „Wer machte mich krank?“. Sie sagten: „Gott“. Er sagte: „Und ihr mischt euch ein, in eine Sache, die nicht euch gehört? Er machte mich krank und ihr wollt heilen? Handelt ihr nicht gegen seinen Willen?“. Sie fragen: „Was ist dein Beruf?“. Er sagte: „Ich bin ein Landarbeiter“. Sie fragten: „Wer hat den Weinberg erschaffen?“. Er sagte: „Gott“. Sie fragten: „Du mischst dich in eine Sache ein, die nicht dir gehört? Gott erschuf ihn und du schneidest seine Früchte ab?“. Er sagte: „Würde ich den Weinberg nicht pflügen, nicht, jäten, nicht düngen, käme doch keine Frucht von ihm.“ Sie sagten: „Du Dummkopf, hast du nicht den Vers gehört `Des Menschen Tage sind wie Gras, er blüht wie eine Blume des Feldes´(Ps. 103:15). Genau wie das Gewächs, wenn es nicht gejätet und gedüngt wird, wächst nichts und wenn es wächst und nichts trinkt, dann stirbt es. Genauso ist der Körper des Menschen, sein Dünger ist das Medikament und die Arten der Heilung und der Landarbeiter, der sich darum kümmert, ist der Arzt.“ Rabbi Yishmael says, the One has no opposite or second corresponding to Him. This is the way of counting, one after one, so too the Holy One Blessed Be He has no second, one that has no second. But the Holy One Blessed Be He is One that has no second, and man does not know where His place is. The living creatures do not know where His place is, nor do the angels who praise His Name know where His place is, as it says "Blessed be the glory of God from His place", and neither the heavens nor the earth praise from the place where He is there. For the men of the Chamber of Hewn Stone call Him "the place of the world" and not the world His place. But we do not find that the wind is dependent except on the Holy One Blessed Be He, as it says "and the wind of God hovered", "The spirit of God has made me" (Job 33:4), "By the breath of God they perish" (Job 37:10), "And now the Lord God has sent me and His spirit" (Isaiah 48:16), "The spirit of God spoke in me" (2 Samuel 23:2), "You send forth Your spirit, they are created" (Psalms 104:30). "Give to the wise, and he will become wiser" (Proverbs 9:9). Every mention of "gathering" in the Torah is an expression of gathering, except for two: "You hide Your face, they vanish" (Psalms 104:29) - if it was an expression of gathering, why does it say "they vanish"? Rather, it is an expression of dispersal - He dispersed them and afterwards "they vanish and return to dust." "I will surely gather all of you" (Zephaniah 1:3) - and how do we know this is an expression of destruction? From what Solomon said, "A time to give birth and a time to die." Solomon enumerated 28 opposites corresponding to the 28 verses of the Great Hallel, with 2 opposites remaining corresponding to the 2 Tablets of the Covenant. ...Chapter 3) Opposition 1) A time to give birth - corresponding to Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for when a person is born, his father and mother give great thanks to the Holy One Blessed Be He, that he emerged from the sinews and bones and all the limbs, and enters and goes through the vertebrae until arriving at the spine, and from the spine to the male organ and from the male organ to his mother's womb, and he is formed there for forty days and stays there for nine months, and afterwards emerges with trembling and sweat and the distress and pangs of childbirth, and comes out in peace. Therefore it is fitting to give thanks to God as it says "Give thanks to the Lord etc." He brought him into His kindness and created him in His kindness; in His kindness He brought him out, in His kindness He sustained him, and were it not for His kindness the world would not have been built, as it says "For I said, the world is built with kindness" (Psalms 89:3). Opposition 2) And a time to die - corresponding to Give thanks to the God of gods, for He puts to death and gives life, and He is the God of gods, and not like the nations who say there are two authorities in the world - one who puts to death and one who gives life - rather He is the God of gods, who puts to death and gives life, as it says "I put to death and I bring life" (Deut. 32:39). And with His kindness He returns the soul to the body, for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 3) A time to plant - corresponding to Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for if a person plants a sapling or orchard, he should not say "my orchard" or "my sapling", for if the Holy One Blessed Be He does not rain down to water the sapling and orchard, where is his sapling? Rather the Holy One Blessed Be He is Master of all, as it says "The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over" (Joshua 3:11), here the Omnipresent is called "Lord" of the ark. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for with His kindness He raises and waters the sapling, and with His kindness He produces its fruits, for His kindness endures forever. [Opposition 4 is missing here] Opposition 5) A time to kill - corresponding to To Him who made the heavens with understanding, for just as the heavens do not move but rather stand still, so too the judgment of one who is killed does not move forever until he demands justice and casts down his mazal from above him, for we find when the Holy One Blessed Be He exacts punishment from a nation, He first punishes its minister, as it says "And it shall come to pass on that day, that the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high" (Isaiah 24:21), and with His kindness He will resurrect them with justice and judge them. Opposition 6) And a time to heal - corresponding to To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, for His kindness endures forever, just as the earth is spread out above the water, one opposite the other, the two corresponding, so too illness and cure are opposites, and with His kindness He heals all who come into the world, Who spread out the earth above the waters, for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 7) A time to break down - corresponding to To Him who made the great luminaries, etc. Just as these luminaries burst forth and travel in the firmament but do not go from west to east, so too anyone who breaks through the boundary of the world or the fence of the Sages or the fence of the Torah has no forgiveness or pardon, and his light is extinguished like the luminaries which are extinguished in the west at the boundary of the sphere and are not seen, and with His kindness He illuminates them with His light, and He guides the world, for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 8) And a time to build - The sun to rule by day, just as the sun goes forth with strength, as it says "It rejoices like a mighty man to run it's course" (Psalms 19:6), and so too a building is only seen by day when the sun comes out. And just as the sun - even though it knows it will rise and set and be extinguished from the world, nonetheless it goes forth and illuminates the world - so too man knows he is going to die and be covered from the world, nonetheless he does not refrain from building, and the sun likewise does not refrain from illuminating the world, for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 9) A time to weep - corresponding to The moon and stars to rule at night, for weeping comes only from distress and anguish, so too the moon and stars rule at night, for night brings distress to creatures from its darkness and gloom, but light brings joy to the world, as it says "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart" (Psalms 97:11). Opposition 10) And a time to laugh - corresponding to Who struck the firstborns of Egypt, for Israel laughed and rejoiced and plundered their money, while they [the Egyptians] died. Opposition 11) A time to mourn - corresponding to And He took Israel from their midst, where they [Egyptians] were silent while these [Israel] mourned, these plundered while those were silent, and with His kindness He will redeem them again in the future, as it says "And it shall come to pass on that day, the Lord will apply His hand yet a second time [to recover the remnant of His people]" (Isaiah 11:11) - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 12) And a time to dance - corresponding to With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, teaching that Israel were happy and dancing, as it says "And He led out His people with joy" (Psalms 105:43), and so too in the future they will only be redeemed with joy and gladness, as it says "And the redeemed of the Lord shall return" etc. (Isaiah 51:11), for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 13) A time to cast stones - corresponding to Who split the Sea of Reeds into parts, He made the sea like a building of stones and made 12 paths and the water stood like walls, and when Israel passed through it, He led them over them like stones and drowned the Egyptians, and they acknowledged the kindnesses of the Omnipresent - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 14) And a time to gather stones - corresponding to And He led Israel through its midst, and He brought them to Mount Sinai and gathered them and stationed them around Mount Sinai, as it says "And you shall set bounds for the people round about" (Exodus 19:12), and Israel are called "stones" as it says "From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel" (Genesis 49:24), "The stone despised by the builders" (Psalms 118:22), and they received the Torah which is life forever - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 15) A time to embrace - corresponding to And shook off Pharaoh and his host in the Sea of Reeds, like a person running to embrace his fellow, so the Egyptians ran after Israel to seize them in battle, and Israel distanced themselves from them and the Egyptians drowned in the sea, while Israel escaped - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 16) And a time to refrain from embracing - corresponding to Who leads His people through the wilderness, for He separated Israel from the servitude of Egypt and the "embrace" of Egypt and their troubles - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 17) A time to seek - corresponding to Who struck great kings, for Israel sought the inheritance that the Omnipresent gave them, and the kings of those lands were killed. And do not say they were minor kings, they were not minor kings but great kings - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 18) And a time to lose - corresponding to And He killed mighty kings, that He destroyed them before Israel and empowered Israel over them. And who killed them? The Holy One Blessed Be He, as it says "And He killed mighty kings" (Joshua 12:24), and it doesn't say "and they killed", for if not for the help of the Holy One Blessed Be He they could not have defeated them - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 19) A time to guard - corresponding to Sihon king of the Amorites, that He guarded Israel and they did not fall into Sihon's hands or his people's, rather He delivered them into Moses' hand with His kindness - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 20) And a time to cast away - corresponding to And Og king of Bashan, that the Holy One Blessed Be He cast a mountain on top of him, that [Og] had intended to cast [the mountain] on Israel and cast it on his own neck and it split him, and with His great kindness He delivered him into Moses' hands, as it says "For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants" - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 21) A time to tear - corresponding to And He gave their land as an inheritance, like a person wearing a garment, and afterwards tears it from himself and removes it from himself and takes it by force, so Israel took their land from them by force - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 22) And a time to sew - corresponding to An inheritance for Israel His servant, for the land was sewn up and established in Israel's hand. Just as this sewer first tears and then sews, so the land of Israel was torn into pieces in the hands of 31 kings and Israel took it from their hands and it adhered and He bequeathed it to them in His kindness - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 23) A time to be silent - corresponding to When we were laid low, He remembered us, that we are now in a lowly state, and when we praise the name of the Holy One Blessed Be He, the nations of the world silence us and tell us "Hush, do not mention the name of the Lord" (Amos 6:10). And there was an incident that the kingdom decreed in the days of Rabbi Akiva that you shall not be involved with Torah. What did Rabbi Akiva do? He took a Torah scroll and sat in the marketplace. They said to him: Our teacher, you are the greatest of Israel - do not obligate us to kill you! Have you not heard that the kingdom decreed not to be involved with Torah? He said: You fools! Regarding the Torah in which it is written "For it is your life and the length of your days" (Deut. 30:20), if we are involved with it, and even so they seek to kill us, if we abandoned it all the more so we would deserve destruction! And Rabbi Akiva did not listen to them and was killed. Even though they humiliate us, He sees our troubles and remembers the covenant for us, this is the meaning of "When we were laid low, He remembered us" - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 24) And a time to speak - corresponding to And He redeemed us from our adversaries, and at the time when He broke the arm of the nations we seek to recite song, as it says "Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has performed wonders" (Psalms 98:1), and it is written after this "The Lord has made known His salvation, He has revealed His righteousness before the eyes of the nations. He has remembered His kindness and faithfulness to the House of Israel" - for His kindness endures forever. Opposition 25) A time to love - corresponding to Who gives food to all flesh, when Israel loves the Holy One Blessed Be He, as it says "And the land will give its produce and the tree of the field will give its fruit" (Leviticus 26:4). Opposition 26) And a time to hate - corresponding to Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for Israel seeks to give great thanks to the Holy One Blessed Be He, for He placed hatred and competition between them and the nations of the world, for if not, they would intermix and learn from their deeds, as it says "And they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds" (Psalms 106:35), therefore Give thanks to the God of Heaven, for His kindness endures forever. Two opposites remain: A time for war and a time for peace, corresponding to the two Tablets of the Covenant. War - as it says "Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord" (Numbers 21:14). If one merits and is involved with Torah he will make peace like the angels of peace, as it says "Behold, their valiant ones cry outside, the angels of peace weep bitterly" (Isaiah 33:7), and it is written "He makes peace in His heights" (Job 25:2). You have learned that everything in the world has a corresponding concept in the higher and lower realms, first and last, east and west, north and south, and all the other opposites we have mentioned to you. And He is One and there is none besides Him, He is first and last, Almighty King, Ruler of all, Eternal Dweller, Holy is His Name, for nothing was created in His world uniquely without a second thing as its opposite, as we mentioned at the beginning of the book, to make known to all who come into the world subtly that He is One and He created His world. And there was an incident where a heretic came and said to Rabbi Akiva, "Who created this world?" He said, "The Holy One Blessed Be He." He said, "Show me clear proof." He said, "Come back tomorrow." The next day he came back. He said "What are you wearing?" He said, "A garment." He said, "Who made it?" He said, "The weaver." He said, "I don't believe you, show me clear proof." He said, "What can I show you? Don't you know the weaver made it?" He said, "And don't you know the Holy One Blessed Be He created His world?" The heretic left. His students said, "What was the clear proof?" He said, "My children, just as the house testifies about the builder, the garment about the weaver, the door about the carpenter, so the world testifies about the Holy One Blessed Be He that He created it. May His name be praised and exalted forever and for all eternity, amen and amen eternally selah." Once an unbeliever came to Rabbi Akiva and asked him: "This world, who created it?" Rabbi Akiva said: "The Holy Blessed One." The other said: "Show me a clear indication." Rabbi Akiva said: "Come to me again tomorrow." The unbeliever came again the next day. Rabbi Akiva said to him: "What are you wearing?" The other replied: "A garment." Rabbi Akiva asked: "Who made it?" The other answered: "The weaver." Rabbi Akiva said: "I don't believe you. Show me a clear indication." The other said: "What can I show you? Don't you know that a weaver makes clothes?" Rabbi Akiva said: "And don't you know that The Holy Blessed One created the world?" The unbeliever departed, and Rabbi Akiva's students asked him: "Is the indication so clear?" He said to them: "My children, just as the house makes known its builder, and the garment makes known its weaver, and the door makes known its carpenter, so to the world makes known God as the one who created it."
