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I'm trying to categorize different actions God takes in the process of creation as appears in Genesis.1:

   Part of creation     | Said? | Then       | Then      | Then
1. Heaven and Earth:    | No    | Bara       |  -        | -
2. Light:               | Yes   | it was so  | named     | -
3. Firmament:           | Yes   | Asah       | it was so | named
4. Gathering of waters: | Yes   | it was so  | named     | - 
5. Fauna:               | Yes   | it was so  | Earth did | -
6. Luminaries:          | Yes   | it was so  | Asah      | set in place
7. Fish and birds:      | Yes   | Barah      | blessed   | -
8. Land animals:        | Yes   | Asah       | -         | -
9. Man:                 | Yes   | Barah      | blessed   | -

(in Genesis.2 we can see some additional Chidushim regarding Man (he's now Yatzar-ed), and animals (same).

As I can see, each part of the creation was made in a different way/pattern (#2 and #4 are actually the same), some parts are said into creation and the first isn't, some are done first and then "it was so" and some "it was so" and then done, some are Barah-ed and some Asah-ed, some are named and some aren't, etc.

Do our sources address those differences?

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  • related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/17407/…
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Apr 8, 2021 at 13:02
  • I don't know why you assume there has to be one general answer. Rashi and others address these questions one by one.
    – N.T.
    Commented Apr 13, 2021 at 6:47
  • @N.T. I don't, I assume there should be a pattern, a logic. Discrete interpretation, as you mentioned, seems a huge problem to me as a failure to see a big picture, to see unified divine thought.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Apr 13, 2021 at 11:06
  • I think discrete interpretation and big picture are two sides of the same coin. You have to use both, but discrete interpretation comes first.
    – N.T.
    Commented Apr 13, 2021 at 18:54
  • 1
    @AlBerko It's not flying too high. It indicates that you have restricted your Torah study to exclude the inner aspects of Torah. If you want a good, representative sampling of the subject, my suggestion would be to purchase a Hebrew-English Tanya and look in the Subject Index under "Letters". That will give you 13 citations in Tanya for details. Those citations will also provide numerous references to earlier sources for extensive discussion. If you still have questions after that, reach out. May you be written (and sealed) for a good and sweet year.
    – Yaacov Deane
    Commented Sep 16 at 12:57

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