This word may also be pronounced as ‘ra•kia,’ without separating the last syllable. It is first mentioned in the book of Genesis:
“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so”
According to the text in Genesis, the ‘ra•kia’ has another purpose: to contain the lights.
“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night”
As we learn from verse 6, the ‘ra•kia’ has boundaries, and there is a defined space above and below it. In verse 6 it is the water above and below.
The prophet Ezekiel elaborates about the boundaries of the firmament, ‘ra•kia,’ in his famous vision:
“And there was a voice from above the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood still, and had let down their wings. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like lapis lazuli; and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man upon it”
Today, besides being a poetic word, ‘ra•kia’ is a part of the name of the second Israeli airline: ‘Ar-kia.’ This is actually a verb in future tense which means, “I will take off high [to the firmament].” The other Airline’s name, ‘El-Al,’ means “Towards Upwards.”
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