We will now elaborate based on the statement of Chazal cited by Rashi at the beginning of parshas Bereishis (1, 1). They note that the opening passuk of the Torah employs the name Elokim rather than Havaya; this indicates that the Creator initially intended to create the world based on the midah of “din.” He foresaw, however, that the world could not survive based on this strict standard. Therefore, He preferentially partnered the midah of “rachamim” with the midah of “din.” This partnership and preference for “midas harachamim” are evident in the passuk (Bereishis 2, 4): ״ביום עשות ה' אלקים ארץ ושמים". Note that in this passuk both divine names are employed, but the name of rachamim precedes the name of “din.” Nevertheless, the commentaries are perplexed by this assertion. HKB”H does not exist in time; He foresees everything from its beginning to its end. As such, it is implausible that He initially intended to create the world with the midah of “din,” and only when He saw that the world could not endure based on this standard, He changed His mind, so to speak, and created the world with a combination of “rachamim” and “din.”
The Arvei Nachal (Bereishis) explains: We find that HKB”H created the world with ten utterances. This is attested to by the passuk (Tehillim 33, 6): "בדבר ה' שמים נעשו וברוח פיו כל צבאם"—with the word of Hashem the heavens were made and by the breath of His mouth all their legions. Just as the spoken word of HKB”H, which is more tangible, created the material and physical Olam HaZeh; so, too, as it were, the upper spiritual worlds were created with His divine thought. After all, His thought is much more spiritual than His speech, and those worlds are inhabited by spiritual creatures, such as malachim, seraphim and holy ophanim.
Now, the yetzer hara has no power in the upper, spiritual worlds that were created with the Blessed One’s thoughts. Since the spiritual kedushah is so great up there, it is impossible for evil to gain a foothold there. Therefore, those worlds are conducted based on the standard of “din” without any collaboration with “rachamim.” “Rachamim” is not necessary in those worlds; they are able to exist and endure totally based on “midas hadin”; after all, the malachim and seraphim that inhabit those worlds do not have yetzer haras. This is not true of our physical, material world, which was created with divine speech. Here, the yetzer hara and its evil forces are able to exist and wreak havoc. Consequently, this world cannot continue to exist based solely on the strict standard of “din”; the collaboration of “midas harachamim” is required.
This then is the message conveyed by Chazal’s statement: He initially thought to create it with “midas hadin.” Those spiritual worlds that HKB”H created initially with His thought, were, indeed, created with “midas hadin.” That was not problematic, since it is impossible for evil to prevail there; hence, the collaboration with “midas harachamim” is unnecessary. That was not the case, however, when HKB”H created this, material, physical world with His speech: He foresaw that the world could not endure, because this world cannot survive and continue to exist if it is based solely on “midas hadin.” Therefore, He prioritized “midas harachamim” and partnered it with “midas hadin.” Thus, we see that HKB”H did not reconsider or abandon His original plan. The spiritual worlds which were conceived initially with His thought were, indeed, created based on “midas hadin.” This material world, however, which cannot endure based exclusively on “midas hadin,” was created based on the collaboration of “midas harachamim” with “midas hadin.”
