(02-20-2023, 05:59 PM)robrecht Wrote: It sounds like it may come from his reading of two passages in the Zohar. One passages comments upon Genesis 2,4.
Quote:אֵ֣לֶּה תוֹלְד֧וֹת הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם וְהָאָ֖רֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם בְּי֗וֹם עֲשׂ֛וֹת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃
Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created. When the LORD God made earth and heaven—
Robbi Yosi heard a word-play from Rabbi Shimon bar-Yochai based on the phrase בְּהִבָּֽרְאָ֑ם "when they were created." By switching the order of the letters, the phrase can be read as b'avraham instead of as bhibar'am. ... another passage in the Zohar speaks of Abraham appearing when God changed his name from 'avram (אַבְרָ֑ם) to 'abraham (אַבְרָהָ֔ם) (Gen 17,5), also added to Sarai's name when it was changed to Sarah, thus in a sense the world was created by the letter h (ה) for the sake of Abraham. ...
This can already be found in the Bereishit Rabbah 12,9-10, a midrashic commentary dating to the fourth century of the common era. See here (English translation here).
Quote:... אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קָרְחָה, בְּהִבָּרְאָם בְּאַבְרָהָם, בִּזְכוּתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם
Rabbi Joshua ben Qarhah said: Behibbaram beabraham, for the merit/benefit of Abraham. Rabbi 'Azariah quoted these words of Rabbi Joshua ben Qarhah (Neh 9,6): Thou art the Lord, even Thou alone; [Thou hast made heaven (continuing the whole passage) ... ] and everything in them (Neh. IX, 6); and what was all this toil for? Because, Thou art the Lord God, who didst choose Ahram, etc. (ib. 7). Rabbi Judan said: It is not written 'On the high mountains are the wild goats/ but, The high mountains are for the wild goats (Ps. civ, 18): thus for whose sake were the high mountains created ? For the sake of the wild goats. Now the hind is weak and afraid of wild beasts; when therefore she wishes to drink, the Holy One, blessed be He, throws her into a state of panic and she beats with her horns [on the rocks]; the wild beast hears it and flees. The rocks are a refuge for the conies (ib.): the coney takes shelter under the crag from the flying bird, lest it devour it. Then if the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world thus for the sake of unclean things, how much the more for the sake of Abraham!
When he created them: Rabbi Abbahu said in Rabbi Johanan's name: With the letter heh he created them.