[Avodah] Pillars

[Lampel]

On another thread (28:224,message 6) reference has been made to 
/Chazal/'s adoption (in one period) of the idea that the world "floated 
atop the tehom or rested above it on pillars."

As a related point of interest, I would just like to mention an 
indication that despite biblical references /to "amudei shamayim,/" 
/Chazal /did not take this to mean that there are pillars that hold up 
the sky.

*/B'midbar Rabbah/ 12:4*on a /posuk /in /Shir HaShirim/:

Said R' Yossi Bar Halafta: "His pillars He made /kessef///(usually 
translated, "silver") (/Shir HaShirim/ 3:10). This [reference to 
"/pillars/"] is [really a reference to] the /rakia/ [the sky, itself], 
as you see it says in /Iyov /(26:11), "the pillars of the heavens will 
weaken."

At this point, one already sees this /Tanna /did not take the "pillars" 
to be things that /support /the heavens. He took it for granted that the 
phrase "/amudei shamayim" /of /Iyov is /a reference to the heavens 
themselves. Accordingly, "/amudei shamayim/" should be translated not 
as, "the pillars of the heavens," but rather: "the pillar[-like] 
heavens." The /rishonim /on the /posuk /in /Iyov /likewise take the 
"/amudei shamayim/" to be the heavens, themselves.

And incidentally, lest one suspects that this Tanna thought the sky 
itself is literally made of silver, the continuation of this passage 
shows otherwise:

And why are they called "/kessef/"? ---because they /cover/ (mekasef) 
over all of /maaseh breishis./

When it came to applying the word "/kessef/" to the sky, this /Tanna 
/deviated from the typical translation of /kessef///as "silver," taking 
it quite far from the meaning of anything metallic or solid.

Zvi Lampel

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