A Midrashic saying: Man who is mortal and limited cannot grasp the secrets of creation; they exist and he knows it. That must suffice. This is why it is written in the Book of Books that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, without saying how.

A story: A pagan paid a visit to Rabbi Akiba in order to taunt him.

— Who created the world? he asked.

— God, blessed-be-His-name, replied the sage.

— Really? Then prove it.

— Very well, said Rabbi Akiba. Come back tomorrow.

The pagan returned the following day.

— What are you wearing? asked the sage.

— That’s a strange question, said the pagan. I am wearing a suit.

— Really? And who made it?

— The tailor.

— Prove it, said Rabbi Akiba.

Whereupon the pagan became angry.

— What, don’t you know that it is the tailor who made the clothes we wear?

To which the sage replied:

— And you don’t know that it is God who made this world we live in?

The pagan went away.

Having witnessed the two exchanges, Rabbi Akiba’s disciples expressed surprise: they could see no connection. And so the sage explained:

— Know this, children, that just as the house attests to the builder and the garment to the tailor and the door to the carpenter, the world is and will be God’s testimonial; one has only to look at it to understand that what it affirms is God.

Said Rabbi Shimon: On this earth everything is arranged in accordance with a divine plan. The blade of grass grows only because, up above, an angel incites it to do so, saying: Grow, for such is the will of God.

A parable: On the third day, having given sap and seed to the plants and the trees, God encountered unexpected problems. The tall cedars of Lebanon seemed too tall, almost arrogant. And so God decided to create iron. The trees understood the threat and began to weep: Woe unto us, for we shall all be felled by the ax. But God reassured them: Without handle, the ax is but a hunk of iron. Since the handle is made of wood, try to live in peace without betraying one another, stay united and the iron will be powerless against you.

A saying: The following preceded the creation of the world—the Torah, the celestial throne, the patriarchs, Israel, the Temple and the name of the Messiah.

Commented Rabbi Akiba on the verse And God saw all that He had made and found it very good: King David was right to admire the miraculous variety of the Almighty’s works: there exist creatures who live only in the water and others who subsist only on land; let the former venture outside the water and they will perish; let the latter enter the water and they will drown. Then there are creatures who live in the fire and others who thrive in the air; let the former breathe air and they will die; let the latter come near the fire and they will burn. Oh yes, in God’s scheme, every species has its own domain, its very own world.