Before Heaven and Earth were created

Before Heaven and Earth were created,
And before the creation of the angels made of fire and water,
Before God separated water from water,
And before God’s spirit hovered over the water,
The Torah, which has been likened to water, lived by the Lord of all.
The Torah had amused herself with God for two thousand years

When God planned with his wisdom to create the world
In order to inform it of His power through the merits of our three forefathers,
And in order to give their offspring a gift—the Torah—in the desert,
The Torah, whose commandments bestow life,
And bring healing to those who fulfill them?
Commandments that were pleasantly bestowed upon us.
Six hundred and thirteen commandments are explained in the Torah, divided into
Positive and negative ones,
For our offspring to recite and repeat together.
In order to teach them today the Ten Commandments,

God rejoiced and took council of the Torah
As if to ask her permission to create the world;
He revealed to her all the secrets of the future,
And he said to her: “If you agree, I will create the world.
All creatures will walk in your light.
What use is your beauty without a world?
And what use is your honor if it is to be concealed?”
God enticed the Torah saying the time had come to marry.

The Torah replied to the One who says and acts:
“Your power and glory be magnified;
All that you wish, my Lord, shall be performed and done;
I cannot prevent you from doing what you will,
And if I prevent you from doing that
How can I please you otherwise, my Protector?” [ . . . ]

The Torah said to the Creator of the world,
“You, my Lord, are Omnipotent and Omniscient,
And you know that Adam won’t heed my words;
From the tree you commanded him not to eat
[but] he ate from it on the very same day he was created, and so transgressed your command.
And he was punished with death;
Death he would bring unto himself and all living beings.”

“I know that Adam will not heed my command,” replied God to the Torah,
“But he will despise it,
And so he will be chastised with ten different kinds of punishment.
Adam will choose shame instead of honor;
However, happy is the man who keeps my commands
For he will merit to see the reward I have kept in store for him.”
God also told the Torah to be strong. “You are comely,” He said, “but no one can see your beauty;
You are also graceful, but no one can notice;
You are full of commandments and laws, but there is no one to fulfill them;
You are full of loving kindness like a beautiful bride;
You are virtuous, a mature young woman, sealed as a letter;
Your beauty is perfect, but you still lack a groom and have not stood under the Wedding
canopy.”

Replied the Torah to God while they were both still alone in the world:
“Why don’t you create angels and I will marry them,
For they will guard me with all their strength;

It will be good to be attired and be enfolded in their inscrutable mysteries.”
God answered her: “It is written in the Torah that you belong to mankind.
Adam was created from dust [‘adamah’], and thus his name is Adam;
Before I created the mountains, I had already created repentance;
This I did before I created atonement for him, and told him to repent.” [ . . . ]

Twenty generations later, Abraham was born;
At the age of three, he acknowledged God;
He detested the idols and broke them,
And understood who set the stars in the heavens;
He kept my precepts regularly.”
Said God to the Torah, “And his sons are suitable for you,
For that is their splendor and majesty.
Abraham was raised to me as a holy offering?
I will make a covenant with him, for he will understand your secrets.”

“I, too, know that Abraham is good and perfect in his ways,”
Answered the Torah, “But he did not beg for mercy for his only son;
He wished to spill his blood like a cruel man
In order to fulfill your will wholeheartedly
As he was certain that God is good and merciful.
He should have, however, begged to spare his only son
And save him from the burning coals.
No mercy would have been shown his son if the Lord of mercy had not taken pity.” [ . . . ]

Two thousand four hundred and forty-eight years passed till Moses, a meek man, was born;
Then the Torah said to God, who dwells in Heaven, “I want this man to learn what is written in me,
For he is the meekest of all humans;
And soothes your anger against Israel, your believers;
He prays to You with supplications of forgiveness;
Saying that if You do not forgive them,
You should erase his name from Your book.”
His plea found favor in God’s eyes, and He elevated him up to his heavenly abode;
He spread out His clouds over him,
Set commandments and laws before him,
And taught him all His matters of law.

God, who instills fear in men, rejoiced greatly;
He inclined [opened] Heaven and descended on that day.
“What is different today from all other days?” asked the angels.
“My children,” God replied, “were granted a daily delight;
Come to the rejoicing of the Law [Shavuot], for the day has come;
Today we shall rejoice and sing.”