THE SECOND DAY

On the second day God brought forth four creations, the
firmament, hell, fire, and the angels.[44] The firmament is not
the same as the heavens of the first day. It is the crystal
stretched forth over the heads of the Hayyot, from which the
heavens derive their light, as the earth derives its light from
the sun. This firmament saves the earth from being engulfed by
the waters of the heavens; it forms the partition between the
waters above and the waters below.[45] It was made to crystallize
into the solid it is by the heavenly fire, which broke its
bounds, and condensed the surface of the firmament. Thus fire
made a division between the celestial and the terrestrial at the
time of creation, as it did at the revelation on Mount Sinai.[46]
The firmament is not more than three fingers thick,[47]