Chapter I

מה רבו מעשיך הוי׳ כולם בחכמה
עשית מלאה הארץקניניך

"How manifold are Your creations, O L-rd! You have made all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your possessions."1

The Talmud relates that when Rabbi Akiva expounded on this verse he would say:2 "How manifold are Your creations, O L-rd! You, L-rd, have creatures who live in the sea and creatures who live on the land. Should the denizens of the sea come onto the land they would soon perish; should the land animals enter the depths of the ocean, they too would soon perish."

G-d sees to it that every creature dwells in the environment best suited to its nature.

"How manifold are Your creations, O L-rd," alludes not only to the vast multitude of creatures, but also to the qualities inherent in each of them. The G-dly wisdom with which the world was created is such that every creature bears testimony that it is G-d's possession; G-dliness can be perceived in all of G-d's creations, which was the intent of the Creator in making the world.

This is apprehended only by those whose lives are led in accordance with Torah and mitzvos, for in such people "form" "tzurah" (the spiritual) dominates "matter" "chomer " (the physical), so that all their physical actions such as eating, drinking, and the conduct of their home is in accord with Torah and mitzvos.

The opposite is true regarding those whose main purpose in life is the fulfillment of physical desires; in such people, the physical overwhelms the spiritual. The greater their devotion to the physical, the coarser they become; their thoughts, speech and actions become limited to the physical.

When a person ponders the ultimate purpose of creation in general, and the purpose of his personal creation, fear and trepidation will surely descend upon him. We are all aware that fear of a physical king stems from his awesome might, and his ability to do whatever he wants. Still and all, a human king is but flesh and blood. G-d, however, the King of kings, lives eternally. How much more should we be in fear and awe of Him!

G-d, through His utterance, created all the worlds and all their inhabitants, large and small, as the verse3 says: "How great are Your creations, O L-rd," and as it is also stated: "How manifold are Your creations, O L-rd," all being animated by Him.

Contemplating this matter leads a person to a state of fear and awe.

In summary: Rabbi Akiva explains the great significance of G-d's creatures; from every one we can perceive G-d's greatness. He who ponders the multitude of G-d's creation understands the purpose of the universe as a whole, as well as the purpose of his personal creation, and so becomes G-d-fearing.