וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנִּה נִשְׁחָתָה. אַמַּאי נִשְׁחָתָה. בְּגִין כִּי הִשְׁחִית כָּל בָּשָׂר אֶת דַּרְכּוֹ, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר. רַבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח קְרָא וְאָמַר (יונה ג׳:י׳) וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כִּי שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה. תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא זָכָאן וְנָטְרֵי פִּקּוּדֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּדֵין אַרְעָא אִתְתַּקְפַת, וְכָל חֵידוּ אִשְׁתַּכְּחַת בָּהּ. מַאי טַעְמָא בְּגִין דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא שָׁרְיָא עַל אַרְעָא. וּכְדֵין כֹּלָּא עִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי בְּחֶדְוָה. וְכַד בְּנֵי נָשָׁא מְחַבְּלָן אָרְחַיְיהוּ וְלָא נָטְרֵי פְּקוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא וְחָטָאן קַמֵּי מָארִיהוֹן, וּכְדֵין כִּבְיָכוֹל דַּחְיָין לָהּ לִשְׁכִינְתָּא מֵעָלְמָא וְאִשְׁתְּאָרַת אַרְעָא מְחַבְּלָא. דְּהָא שְׁכִינְתָּא אִתְדַּחְיָיא וְלָא שָׁרְיָא עֲלָהּ וּכְדֵין אִתְחַבְּלַת. מַאי טַעֲמָא אִתְחַבְּלַת. בְּגִין דְּשַׁרְיָא רוּחָא אָחֳרָא עֲלָהּ דִּמְחַבְּלָא עָלְמָא. וְעַל דָּא אַמְרִינָן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל יָהֲבֵי עוֹז לֵאלהִים דִּמְקַיְימִין עָלְמָא. אֱלהִים דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא. AND GOD SAW THE EARTH AND BEHOLD IT WAS CORRUPT. It was corrupt because “all flesh had corrupted its way”, in the sense we have explained. R. Hiya adduced the following text: And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way (Jonah 3, 10). ‘See now,’ he said, ‘when the sons of men are righteous and observe the commands of the Torah, the earth becomes invigorated, and a fullness of joy pervades it, because then the Shekinah rests upon the earth, and there is thus gladness above as well as below. But when mankind corrupt their way and do not observe the commands of the Torah, and sin before their Master, they, as it were, thrust the Shekinah out of the world, and the earth is thus left in a corrupt state. For the Shekinah being thrust out, another spirit comes and hovers over the world, bringing with it corruption. It is in this sense that we say that Israel “gives strength unto Elohim”, that is, to the Shekinah, and thereby makes the world more secure.

וְאִם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם אִי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ חַיָּיבִין מַה כְּתִיב, (תהלים ו) רוּמָה עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם אֱלֹהִים וְגו' מִשּׁוּם דְּרֶשֶׁת הֵכִינוּ לִפְעָמַי. כָּפַף נַפְשִׁי בְּסִבַת חָמָס וְשִׂנְאַת חִנָּם. כָּרוּ לְפָנַי שׁוּחָה וְגו' כְּגַוְונָא דְדוֹר הַמַּבּוּל דִּבְגִין חָמָס דְּהֲוַת בֵּינֵיהוֹן הֲוָה בֵּינֵיהוֹן שִׂנְאָה וּדְבָבוּ. Should, however, Israel-God forbid-prove sinful, then, in the words of the Scripture, “God withdraws himself above the heavens” (Ps. 57, 6). Why? Because “they have prepared a net for my footsteps, my soul is bent down”, through their violence and causeless hatreds, “they have digged a pit before me” (Ibid. 7). The same thing happened with the generation of the Flood, whose violent acts led to mutual hatred and contention among them.

יָכוֹל אַף בְאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל כֵּן. וְהָא תָּנִינָן אַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל לָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלָהּ רוּחָא אָחֳרָא וְלָא מְמַנָּא אָחֳרָא בַּר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי. תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל הָכִי הוּא דְּלָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלָהּ (פד ע"ב) מְמַנָּא וְלָא שְׁלִיחָא אָחֳרָא בַּר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי. אֲבָל שַׁעֲתָא חָדָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלָהּ לְחַבְּלָא בְּנִי נָשָׁא. מְנָלָן מִדָּוִד דִּכְתִיב, (דברי הימים א כ״א:ט״ז) וַיַּרְא דָוִד אֶת מַלְאַךְ יְיָ וְחַרְבּוֹ שְׁלוּפָה בְּיָדוֹ נְטוּיָה עַל יְרוּשָׁלַ ם וּכְדֵין אִתְחַבָּלַת אַרְעָא. We might think that the same applies to the Land of Israel. Our teachers, however, have laid down that no other spirit rests upon the Land of Israel, nor has it any guardian angel save God alone. There was, however, one occasion when another spirit did rest upon it in order to destroy the people. That was in the time of David, when, as it is written, “David saw the angel of the Lord… having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem” (I Chron. 21, 16), and thus destruction came upon the land.’

אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אֲפִלּוּ בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוָה. כְּתִיב הָכָא מַלְאַךְ יְיָ. וּכְתִיב הָתָם (בראשית מ״ח:ט״ז) הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגּוֹאֵל אוֹתִי. וּכְתִיב (שמות י״ד:י״ט) וַיִּסַּע מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלהִים. הֵן לְטַב וְהֵן לְבִישׁ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שַׁלִּיט עֲלָהּ. לְטַב בְּגִין דְּלָא אִתְמַסְּרָא תְּחוֹת שְׁאָר מְמַנָּן, וְכָל דָּיְירֵי עָלְמָא יִכְסְפוּן מִן עוֹבָדַיְיהוּ. לְבִישׁ בְּגִין דְּלָא יֶחדוּן אִנּוּן לְשַׁלְטָאָה עֲלָהּ. R. Eleazar said: ‘Even then it was the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, the term “angel” here having the same meaning, as in the passages “the angel who redeemed me” (Gen. 48, 16), and the angel of God removed (Ex. 14, 19). Be it for good or for ill, the Holy One, blessed be He, always has sway over it personally. For good, so that it should not be delivered into the hands of the “higher chieftains”, and so that all the inhabitants of the world should be ashamed of their wicked deeds; for ill, so that the nations should not have the gratification of ruling over it.

וְאִי תֵימָא (ד"א ל"ג לא) וְהָא כְּתִיב, (איכה א׳:י׳) כִּי רָאֲתָה גוֹיִם בָּאוּ מִקְדָשָׁהּ וְחֲרִיבוּ בֵּיתָא וְאִי לָאו שָׁלְטִין אִנּוּן מְמַנָּן לָא אִתְחָרַב מַקְדְּשָׁא. תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב כִּי אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ וּכְתִיב עָשָׂה יְיָ אֶת אֲשֶׁר זָמַם. It is true, the Scripture says in one place, “For she hath seen that the heathen are entered into her sanctuary” (Lam. 1, 10), and have destroyed the House, from which it may be inferred that if those alien chiefs had not had sway, the Temple would not have been destroyed. This, however, must not be stressed; for the Scripture also says, “For thou hast done it” (Ibid. 1, 21), and “The Lord hath done what he hath devised” (Ibid. 2, 17).’

תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחָתָה. נִשְׁחָתָה וַדַּאי כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר. הָכִי נָמֵי (יונה ג׳:י׳) וַיַּרְא אֱלהִים אֶת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כִּי שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה. דְּהָא כְּדֵין אַרְעָא קָרָאת לְעֵילָא וְסָלְקָא בִּסְלִיקוּ עִלָּאָה וּמְקַשְׁטָא אַנְפָּהָא. כְּנוּקְבָא דִּמְקַשְׁטָא לְגַבֵּי דְכוּרָא. הָכִי נָמֵי אַרְעָא. דְּהָא גְּדִילַת בְּנִין זַכָּאִין לְמַלְכָּא. R. Hiya continued: ‘It is written here, in connection with Noah, “And God saw the earth and behold it was corrupt.” Contrast with this the verse “And God saw their deeds, and they had repented of their evil ways” (Jonah 3, 10). There the earth called to God, reaching out towards heaven, and beautifying her face, as it were, like a woman trying to please her husband; so the earth tried to please God by raising up for Him righteous children.