A Positive Separation

Today's summary is from Jenny Ungar. Thanks, Jenny!

~The ten things created on day one are: shamayim, aretz, tohu, bohu, ohr, choshech, ruach, mayim, midat yom, midat layla

~Hashem made the rakiya, a separation between earth and heavens

~Malbim says that Hashem created the rakiya by separating water into states of gas and liquid. The gas rises and condenses and becomes clouds. The liquid stays on the surface of earth. The space in between, the rakia, is the atmosphere.

~Ibn Ezra says rakiya gets its name from stretching. In Shemot it talks about the gold for the menorah being thinly hammered and it says Vayirku, from the same word as rakiya, a lashon of being stretched. This connects to the Malbim because the gas molecules are spread out more than the liquid molecules.

~We discussed a medrash where Alexander the Great made a glass submarine. When the waters did not enter the submarine because of the air pressure, the people realized how air pressure also keeps up the clouds, and they praised Hashem.