Mara examines Day Three, where the waters are gathered and vegetation is called forth, particularly focusing on trees as a recurring motif throughout ancient literature. She traces this tree imagery from Genesis through later texts.

"We are the soil. But we're also the seed. We are what he's raising from the ground."

KEY THEMES:

• The recurring image of parting waters to create life and freedom

• Trees as a profound symbol from earliest stories to later literature

• The pattern of the first three days creating environments for what follows

• The parallel between humans and trees in ancient narratives

REFERENCES:

• Georgia O’Keefe’s ⁠⁠Sky Above Clouds⁠⁠

• The Bible Project’s ⁠Heaven and Earth classroom series⁠, ⁠Tree of Life podcast series⁠, and ⁠Genesis One Visual Commentary⁠

• Marilynne Robinson ⁠in conversation⁠ with Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand