Quotation for Pirkei Avot 5:1

בַּעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם. וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר, וַהֲלֹא בְמַאֲמָר אֶחָד יָכוֹל לְהִבָּרְאוֹת, אֶלָּא לְהִפָּרַע מִן הָרְשָׁעִים שֶׁמְּאַבְּדִין אֶת הָעוֹלָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא בַעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת, וְלִתֵּן שָׂכָר טוֹב לַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁמְּקַיְּמִין אֶת הָעוֹלָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא בַעֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת:

With ten pronouncements (ma'amaroth) the world was created, [nine "And He said," and "In the beginning" is also a pronouncement, viz. (Psalms 33:6): "By the word of the L rd the heavens were made."] What are we hereby being taught? Could it not have been created with one pronouncement? But, [this was stated] to exact punishment of the wicked who destroy the world, which was created with ten pronouncements [For if one destroys one Jewish soul it is as if he destroys an entire world, and the wicked, who in their sins destroy their souls, are reckoned as having destroyed the entire world. (Thus have I found.) And to me it seems that they destroy the world itself, for they incline all of the world to the scale of punishment, so that it is destroyed because of them. "With ten pronouncements": There is no comparison between destroying a work created in one day and (destroying) a work created in many days], and to give goodly reward to the tzaddikim, who sustain the world, which was created with ten pronouncements.

Pri HaAretz

However, the matter is as they stated, may their memory be for blessing: "With Ten Utterances was the world created and they are juxtaposed to the Ten Commandments, as out Sages of blessed memory stated, that He looked into the Torah and created the world. For the matter of the creation of the world is known to have begun from a state wherein He and His Name were in one simple unity without any perceptibility, comprehension or bounds whatsoever, for it is infinite. And when it arose in His simple will create, He constricted Himself, as is known. Now the matter of simple unity and infinity is the utterance "I am" and all the [corresponding] positive Commandments, the constriction (TzimTzum), which is limitation (Gevurah), and the [corresponding] utterance "You shall not have" along with all the details are the negative Commandments which [when taken together] is the entirety of the Torah through cause and effect to each and every detail. And all of the roots and branches in general and her details, which have their source above, manifest [into] fruits below in the form of the performance of the Commandments, which is our holy Torah with all of her Commandments, Decrees and Laws.

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