On the second day of creation the passuk (Bereishis 1,6) says יהי רקיע בתוך המים ויהי מבדיל בין מים למים ויעש אלקים את הרקיע ויבדל בין המים מתחת לרקיע ובין המים מעל לרקיע ויהי כן.
Let there be a firmament in the water which will then divide the upper waters and the lower waters and Hashem did so and the firmament divided the waters under it and above it ויהי כן and it was so. The meforshim ask why was it necessary to say ויהי כן when already before the passuk already states Hashem made the firmament which separated the waters to above and below the firmament?
The definition of רקיע is explained as firmament. Rav Hirsch translates it as the lower surface of the heavens which appears to us as a dome over the earth. The Ramban learns that Hashem fashioned the "rakiah" out of the waters themselves. Hashem caused a layer in the middle of the global ocean to thicken and transform into a crystal-like solid material, creating the structural sky.
Being so, the Chidushei Harim questions the expression of Chazal יראת שמים fear of heaven. Can it be that the fear of heaven which is merely a physical creation be the object from which we must be fearful of or rather more appropriately said יראת ה' and יראת חטא towards which our fear should be directed. He answers that the expression of יראת שמים is to possess the fear of the waters which they demonstrated when Hashem told them to make a רקיע between themselves. For when Hashem told the waters to do so, the awesomeness of Hashem's command caused the waters to jell and solidify forming a separation between themselves. So too, says the Chidushei Harim, one must apply the same fear to his personal fulfillment of Torah and Mitzvos. Our attitude and reaction to fulfilling them must be parallel to the degree of fear that the waters possessed when they were told to make a separation. That is the true definition of יראת שמים. Note that in the word water there is the word awe.
The letters of רקיע spell the word עיקר which means primary and essential. As we read Koheles on Succos, we come to the ending of the Megillah which summarizes its total contentsסוף דבר הכל נשמע את האלקים ירא ואת מצוותיו שמור כי זה כל האדם the primary goal of life's journey is to possess יראת שמים which is symbolized by the רקיע . In the first word of the Torah בראשית we also find an allusion to this. It contains the letters ירא בשת to fear and to blush. The involuntary reaction of being embarrassed is also called the fear of heaven as the passuk says למען תהיה יראתו על פניכם and the fear of Hashem manifested on one's face is בושה blushing (Nedarim 20). Hashem's positioning the theme of fear in the first word of the Torah demonstrates the same mission statement of the רקיע which is עיקר the concept of Yiras Shamayim. והאלקים עשה שיראו מלפניו (Koheles 3,14).
When one possesses this middah of יראת שמים he realizes that the world is not הפקר (ownerless) but rather everything is exact and preplanned with divine intention and intervention and therefore must be used and consumed accordingly. This lesson we also learn from the הרקיע which is gematriah שכינה the presence of Hashem. Hashem desired to dwell specifically in this lower world amongst Man who was gifted with the power struggle to prioritize his choices in Hashem instead of himself. Hashem demands from Man to possess the consciousness that the world is the grandest opportunity for connection to and fostering a relationship with the Infinite even though Man is himself finite. By recognizing how the רקיע was formed, one can come to realize that the universe is meticulously designed by its maker for a sacred purpose and therefore it is not ,הפקר ownerless, "free for all". That is why the word הפקר is also gematria הרקיע andשכינה which depict a supernatural divine plan and purpose for every single molecule and atom the exact opposite of הפקר. Unfortunately, most of humanity embraces a reckless perverted selfish outlook and ambition to serve as their GPS during their journey throughout their lives on planet earth.
The word רקיע contains the letters ofקרקע earth. Even though the רקיעis in the heavens it sends it message and purpose to the earth. The Tikunei Zohar tells us that since the separation of the upper and lower waters, the lower waters cry every day beckoning Hashem to return them to their former closeness with Him without a separation. אנן בעינן למהוי קדם מלכא. Hashem gave us a window to visualize their daily supplication to Hashem to get closer to Him. This is revealed in the nature of the rising waters in the oceans and seas in the form of waves conveying their yearning of returning higher to Hashem's proximity. It is because of the רקיע that brings to us on earthen קרקע the ability to see and experience the yearning waters and their daily message to us if we would only open our eyes and think. Water also has the word aware in it. Seeing the waves and what the waters symbolize makes one aware of a consciousness of Hashem that is necessary in order to fulfill his mission in the world.
We can understand now why water like a mikveh purifies from tumah. It was the Yiras Shamayim of the water that created this phenomenon of waves which relentlessly beckon to Hashem to allow them to get closer to Him. Aveiros and tumah come about because Yiras Shamayim is lacking. In the word wave we also see the word awe. Submerging in a mikveh of water arouses within us a yearning to do teshuvah, change our nature, and get closer to Hashem. Going to Tashlich which is part of our teshuva process is to become inspired by the lower waters which plead to Hashem to get closer to Him. Adam Harishon was created from the lower waters as the passuk states (Bereishis 2,6) ואד יעלה מן הארץ a mist arose from the earth which was used by Hashem mixing it together with the earth in order to create the body of Adam. The first two letters of the word אדם possesses the word אד. The lower waters became an integral part of Adam in order to aid him desire to become closer with Hashem which is the nature of the lower waters. Hence every human body is composed of 73% water. Does that mean that the majority of our bodies yearns to return to Hashem but we just don't allow it to happen? Note that the acronym of אד יעלה מן הארץ spells אימה which means fear and יראת שמים the nature of the water.
We can now understand the purpose of the added phrase ויהי כןfirst to be mentioned by the רקיע and not previously by the creation of the Light. How does one attain the madraiga of the רקיע and possess ?יראת שמים The answer is in the words ויהי כן which is gematriah 101. Similarly we find the same hint in the words ויהי מבדיל which is also 101. We can understand this with the gemarah in Chagiga 9b
(כלי יקר דברים ד ט) ושבתם וראיתם בין צדיק לרשע בין עובד אלהים לאשר לא עבדו (מלאכי ג יח) שאינו דומה שונה פרקו מאה פעמים לשונה פרקו מאה פעמים ואחד ושמעתי רמז לדבר לא עבדו ר"ת שלו עולה מאה לומר שהלומד מאה פעמים עדיין נקרא לא עבדו עובד אלהים לאשר ר"ת עולה ק"א כי השונה פרקו ק"א פעמים נקרא עובד אלהים:
The difference between one who earns the title of being a servant to Hashem and one not being called so, is defined as follows. If he learns his lesson only one hundred times then he doesn't merit to be called an .עובד ה' However if he reviews his lesson 101 times only then he merits to such an illustrious title. How are we to understand that by learning one more time 101 he jumps out of the category of a non ovaid Hashem into an oveid Hashem? Do you know how many hours are invested in learning a sugya in gemarah 100 times? Such a masmid is far from being an underachiever but rather closer to being a hero and the making of a future gadol. Yet Chazal call him undeserving of the title an oveid Hashem?
The Baal Hatanya chapter 16 explains these holy words in a way that it is the lesson of life for everybody no matter where one is holding in Torah and Yiddshkeit. The minhag in the times of the gemarah was to learn the same subject 100 times. This was part of the nature of learning Torah. If one decides to break his nature and go beyond that point, which obviously will put him in a place of being uncomfortable and challenging, then he is holding in a different level than everyone else. Flowing with the stream and habit doesn't make waves. Going up on a down escalator against the current, places one in a superior status altogether for he brings himself closer to Hashem. Chazal state that the reward for tzaddikim in the next world is שי עולמות 310 worlds. We can suggest that this number is very specific for the acronym of שי is יראת שמים. One's closeness to Hashem in this world and the next depends upon the degree of one's Yiras Shamayim.
In short, an oveid Hashem always pushes the bar higher. No matter if you were born at the bottom of the spiritual mountain or on top, the goal is identical for every Yid. One must embrace challenge in all areas middos, learning mitzvos tefillah chesed and ascend to your 101th level in that area whatever it might be.
Returning to Chagigah we can interpret that water symbolizes Torah. The rekiah separates the two statuses of Torah Learning as hinted in the gematriah ויהי מבדיל as we mentioned above. The lower waters symbolize those who learn but they do not break themselves to stretch beyond the usual quality and quantity of learning. The upper waters represent the 101 type learners who earn the title of ovdei Hashem.
Remaining in a rote automatic pilot relationship with Hashem or your spouse, can make one's bond weak and fragile by starving it from vitality and life force. The nature of nature is deceiving because many times it is untruthful. Examine the word closely and you will see in this word nature untrue. One can live in delusion concerning his relationships thinking that he has one and that it is solid and tight. If it lacks the frequent pressing of the refresh button then it is doomed to slowly become withered.
This lesson can also be learned from the רקיע. Its nature changed when it was asked to fulfill Hashem's command and it went from liquid to solid. The nature of the water changed when it was distanced from Hashem and became water which now has waves. This is something we can relate and learn from every day in contrast to the Light of the first day which remains hidden from us. When we break our natures and rise to upgrade to the next level compared to our previous status, no matter how small the change is it nevertheless is deemed in shamayim as our 101th move and we are called an ovaid Hashem.