Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Genesis 1:10/אור החיים על בראשית א׳:י׳

אוַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ. וְהִיא הַמֻּזְכֶּרֶת בְּפָסוּק רִאשׁוֹן ״בְּרֵאשִׁית״ וְגוֹ׳. וְאָמְרוֹ תֵּיבַת וַיִּקְרָא תִּתְפָּרֵשׁ בִּב׳ אוֹפַנִּים: אוֹ לְשׁוֹן קְרִיאַת שֵׁם, אוֹ לְשׁוֹן צְעָקָה – צָעַק עָלֶיהָ לְבַל תִּתְפַּשֵּׁט עוֹד, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (חגיגה יב.) שֶׁאָמַר לְעוֹלָמוֹ ״דַּי״, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמְעָה וְלֹא נִתְפַּשְּׁטָה עוֹד קְרָאָהּ ״אֶרֶץ״, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (בראשית רבה ה:ח) שֶׁעַל שֵׁם שֶׁנִּתְרַצֵּית נִקְרֵאת ״אֶרֶץ״.
1And God called the dry land earth: And it is the one mentioned in the first verse, "In the beginning, etc." And its stating the word, "called" can be explained in two ways: either it is an expression of calling a name or it is an expression of yelling; He yelled at it that it should no longer spread out, as they, of blessed memory, said (Chagigah 12a), "He said to his world, 'enough!'" And when it listened and no longer spread out, He called it earth, as they, of blessed memory, stated (Bereishit Rabbah 5:8), as a result of being reconciled (nitratsit), it was called earth (erets).
בוְאָמְרוֹ קָרָא יַמִּים – לֹא זֶה הוּא הַתְּהוֹם הָאָמוּר בְּפָסוּק ב׳, כִּי הַתְּהוֹם יֵאָמֵר עַל כְּלָלוּת מֵימוֹת וַאֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ. גַּם מֵימוֹת הַנִּקְוִים הָיָה אָז בִּבְחִינַת תְּהוֹם קֹדֶם שֶׁנִּרְאֵית הָאָרֶץ, כִּי הָיוּ שָׁוִים בְּתַעֲרוֹבֶת עִם מֵימוֹת אֲשֶׁר הֵם הֵן הַיּוֹם תַּחַת לָאָרֶץ.
2And its stating, "He called seas," this is not the depths, which is spoken of in verse 2, since 'the depths' is said about the waters more generally; and the water under the earth as well as the gathered waters were all in the aspect of depths, [during the time] before the earth appeared, since they were all equally mixed with the waters that today are below the earth.
גוְאָמְרוֹ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי טוֹב חוֹזֵר גַּם עַל מִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם, כִּי בָּזֶה יֵשׁ חַיּוּת וְקִיּוּם הָעוֹלָם, כִּי מִמֶּנּוּ גְּשָׁמִים בָּעוֹלָם, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (תענית ט:).
3And its stating, "and God saw that it was good," refers also to the gathering of waters, since with it is there life and existence in the world; since the rains in the world are from it, as they, of blessed memory, say (Taanit 9b).