Yoma 54b (נד:) — the Talmud in English

like a man entwined with his beloved,

clinging to and embracing his wife between his arms [Rashi].

Reish Lakish said:

When the gentiles entered the Sanctuary

during the destruction of the Second Temple,

they saw cherubim

depicted on the wall,

entwined

with one another ;

the gentiles peeled the cherubim off the wall and

took them out to the marketplace, and said:

These Israelites

who are distinguished [Targum Yonatan],

for

indeed

their blessing

is

a blessing, and their curse

is

a curse,

would they engage in such matters?!

They immediately treated them with contempt

they behaved toward them disrespectfully [Targum],

as it is stated

in the Scroll of Lamentations:

All who honored her despised her, for they saw her nakedness.

We learned in the Mishna: There was a stone there from the days of the early prophets

and it was called the Foundation:

A tanna:

It is therefore called Foundation:

for from it the

was established,

world.

And since this is so, it follows that

we learned

in our Mishna

in accordance with the one who says: From Zion

that is, from Jerusalem, namely, from the Foundation Stone that was in Jerusalem,

the world was created,

Zion was created first, and clods of earth adhered around it in every direction until the ends of the world [Rashi].

As it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer says: The world was created from its center, as it is stated: “For He casts the dust into a mold, and clods adhere”,

He had a single mold—that is, a base—and from there clods adhered around it [Rashi].

Rabbi Yehoshua says: The world was created from its sides,

It had four molds, and it was stretched out from every side until it adhered at its center—

as it is stated: “For He says to snow

it

with a segol and a tzere,

become

[that is, “make earth”],

and to the rain and the shower, the rain and the showers of His might”,

that is: From where will earth be made? a. From rain, b. shower, c. rain, d. the showers of His might, corresponding to the four directions of the world, and this means that it was created from the sides [Rav Avraham Luria; see Rashi].

Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The Holy One, blessed be He, cast a stone into the sea; from it the world was founded—

as it is stated: “Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its dimensions, do you know? Or who stretched a measuring line over it?

“

On what were its foundations sunk, or who laid its cornerstone?”

The expression “were sunk” indicates that they are in the sea.

And the Sages say

to explain the words of Rabbi Eliezer, who says that the world was created from its center:

From

the Foundation Stone that is in

Zion,

which is the center of the world—from there it

was created—

As it is stated: “A psalm of Asaph. God, the Lord,”

spoke and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting;

and it says

[the verse immediately following]:

“From Zion, perfection of beauty”,

to teach you:

from it

from Zion

the beauty of the world was perfected,

[as explained according to Maharsha].

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says:

It is written:

“These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord

God made earth and heavens”—

to teach you:

The generations of the heavens

the sun, moon, and stars

from

the

heavens were created,

and

the generations of the earth from

the

earth

[Rashi]

were created.

And the Sages say: These

are the generations of the heavens,

and

also

these

are the generations of the earth

were created from Zion—

as it is stated: “A psalm of Asaph. God, the Lord,”

spoke and summoned the earth,

behold, this refers to the earth and its generations,

“from the rising of the sun to its setting”,

behold, this refers to the generations of the heavens,

and it says

immediately:

“From Zion, perfection of beauty, God appeared; from it the beauty of the world was perfected.”

We learned in the Mishna:

He took the blood from the one who was stirring it, etc.

And he did not intend to sprinkle either above or below, but rather like one who lashes:

And we explain:

What does “like a lashing" mean?

He demonstrated

[he showed with his hand]

Rav Yehuda: