Yoma 54b — the Talmud in English

Like a man entwined with his companion,

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

Reish Lakish said:

When 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 from the wall and

brought them out to the marketplace, and said:

These Israelites

who are important [Targum Jonathan]]

that

behold

their blessing

is

a blessing, and their curse

is

a curse,

should they engage in these matters?!

Immediately they treated them contemptuously,

they behaved toward them with contempt [Targum]],

as it is stated

in the Scroll of Lamentations:

All who honored her treated her contemptuously, for they saw her nakedness.

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

and it was called the Foundation Stone:

A tanna:

For this reason it is called Foundation:

for from it was founded [

was established, Ra'al]

the 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, Ra'al]

the world was created,

Zion was created first, and around it clods of earth adhered until the end of the world on every side [Rashi]].

For it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer says: The world was created from its middle, as it is stated: “When He poured out earth into a mold and clods were joined.”

It had one mold [that is, a base], and from there clods adhered around it [Rashi]].

Rabbi Joshua says: The world was created from the sides,

it had four molds, and it stretched progressively from every side until it adhered at its middle —

as it is stated: “For He says to the snow

—

with a segol and a tzere

‘Be earth’

make earth],

“and to the shower of rain and the showers of His mighty rains,”

that is: And from where will earth be made? A. From rain, B. rain, C. rain, D. showers of His might, corresponding to the four directions of the world, and this is from the sides [Ra'al; and see Rashi]].

Rabbi Isaac 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, if you know understanding. Who determined its measures, if you know, or who stretched a line over it?

Upon what were its foundations sunk, or who cast its cornerstone?”,

and 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 middle:

From

the Foundation Stone that is in

Zion,

which is the middle of the world—from there

it was created —

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

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

; and it says [

the verse after the preceding one]:

“Zion, the perfection of beauty,”

to teach you:

from it

from Zion

the beauty of the world was perfected, [

explained according to the 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, the moon, and the stars

from

the

heavens were created,

and

the generations of the earth from

the

earth [

Rashi]

were created.

And the Sages say: These

generations of the heavens

and

also

these

generations of the earth

were created from Zion —

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

spoke and summoned the earth

this is the earth and its generations,

“from the rising of the sun to its setting”

this is the generations of the heavens,

and it says

immediately:

“From Zion, the 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 like one who lashes:

And we explain:

What is “like one who lashes"?

Rav Judah demonstrated [

he shows with his hand]

: