Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
There are often gaps in the Torah’s telling of the story and there are also phrases that are curious and draw our attention. Midrash tries to fill in gaps in the story while also answering questions or resolving difficulties. You can think of midrash as where the text and an idea meet.
If you read through the opening chapter of Bereishit, you will notice a phrase that appears again and again. The words “כִּי טֽוֹב / that it was good” come up at the end of each day of creation for a total of 7 times. For example, after God creates light on the first day of creation, it says:
(ד) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב...
God saw that the light was good
But there is one day—the second day of creation—where the כִּי טֽוֹב is missing.
What is it about the second day of creation that God doesn’t say that “it was good”?
On the second day of creation, God creates the sky to divide between the waters above and the waters below. Rabbi Hanina says the reason why the phrase כִּי טֽוֹב is left out is that, on this day, מַחְלֹקֶת (division) was brought into the world for the first time.
רַבִּי חֲנִינָא אוֹמֵר: שֶׁבּוֹ נִבְרֵאת מַחְלֹקֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם
Rabbi Hanina says because on that day מַחֲלֹקֶת was created when “God separated between waters.”
- What is it about מַחְלֹקֶת (division) that prevents God from saying “it was good”?
- Can you think of divisions that are not good?
The midrash continues:
אָמַר רַבִּי טַבְיוֹמֵי אִם מַחְלֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְתִקּוּנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם וּלְיִשּׁוּבוֹ, אֵין בָּהּ כִּי טוֹב. מַחְלֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְעִרְבּוּבוֹ עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה
Rabbi Tavyomi says: if a מַחֲלֹקֶת (division) for the purpose of establishing and settling the world isn’t “good,” then certainly a מַחֲלֹקֶת (division) for the purpose of causing confusion isn’t good.
מַחֲלֹקֶת (division) is often used to describe a disagreement about how to understand or apply parts of the Torah. Even though this type of disagreement may be for a good purpose, the midrash teaches that even such an argument is not completely good. For this reason, the midrash explains that the כִּי טֽוֹב was purposely left out of the second day of creation.
- When is it necessary to get into an argument?
- How do you decide whether it is worth getting into an argument about something?
- What are some alternatives to arguing?
