Chullin 60 – God and His Creations

When the grasses heard God tell the trees to grow separately, each according to its species, they reasoned logically and said, “If the trees, who are naturally separated, are nevertheless commanded about not mixing, then we who have a tendency to become mixed, should certainly observe separation!” This prompted the Minister of the World (the angel into whose hands the entire world has been given) to say the following phrase from the psalms, “May the glory of God endure forever, may God rejoice in his works!”

Ravina asked a related question, “If someone planted two types of grasses together, is that a forbidden mixture?” Perhaps not, since they were not commanded to grow separately, or maybe yes, since they guessed it on their own?

Rav Assi asked a question: “The earth brought forth vegetation on Tuesday, but the plants were not there on Friday. That's a contradiction!” He answered, “All vegetation remained underground until Adam prayed for it.” Rav Nachman bar Pappa had a garden. He planted seeds there, but they did not grow. He prayed, the rain came, and they grew. He said, “That is the teaching of Rav Assi!”

Art: Edward Stott - The High Grasses