??And G-d made the two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule the day, and the small luminary to rule the night.? (Genesis 1:16)
?It says, ?And G-d made the two great luminaries,? but then it says, ?the great luminary and the small luminary.?
?Indeed, at first they were both great, but then the moon said to G-d: ?Master of the Universe! Can two kings wear the same crown??
?Said G-d to her: ?Go diminish yourself.?
?Said she to Him: ?Master of the Universe! Because I have said a proper thing, I must diminish myself??
?Said He to her: ?You may rule both during the day and at night.?
?Said she to Him: ?What advantage is there in that? What does a lamp accomplish at high noon??
?Said He to her: ?The people of Israel shall calculate their dates and years by you.?
?Said she to Him: ?But the sun, too, shall have a part in that, for they shall calculate the seasons by him.?
?Said G-d: ?The righteous shall be called by your name ? Yakov the Small, Shmuel the Small, David the Small.?
?Still G-d saw that the moon was not appeased. So G-d said: ?Offer an atonement for My sake, for My having diminished the moon.?? (Talmud, Chulin 60b)
At first glance it is not clear if the moon was justified in her claim against G-d. Rashi, who quotes this passage, writes clearly that the moon was made smaller because it brought charges. That seems to indicate that it was punished for being disrespectful. On the other hand, it seems from Hashem?s response that the moon was actually right, causing Hashem to ask for forgiveness for diminishing the moon?s light.
If the moon was justified in her complaint then we have to understand how Hashem made the ?mistake? of creating the sun and the moon equal.
We also need to understand the moon?s claim of, ?Can two kings wear the same crown?? It seems that the moon was jealous and simply wanted to wear a bigger crown than the sun. We see the extent of the moon?s jealousy later on in the dialogue. When she hears that the days and months will be calculated by her cycle, she is nevertheless not satisfied. She is still troubled that the seasons are based on the sun. There are 12 months and hundreds of days in a year; why couldn?t the moon give away the four small seasons?
The entire universe was created by the word of G-d. When He said the words, ?Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens,? the sun and the moon came into existence. Considering that all creatures were created with a specific purpose in mind, and they were all fulfilling their mission - as the Torah tells us a few verses later, ?G-d saw that it was good.? - how did the moon have the audacity to claim it should be bigger than the sun?
?And G-d made the two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule the day, and the small luminary to rule the night.?
It is obvious from this verse that it was Hashem?s will that there should not only be two great luminaries, but there should also be a difference between the two, as the words ?G-d made? apply to both the first and the second half of the verse. We learn from here that there were two different stages in creation. First, Hashem created the sun and the moon equal. After they both were created, and only then, it became necessary to make one smaller. That is also the reason why it had to be done as a consequence of a complaint from the moon, as we will now try to explain.
The Torah is the blueprint for to world. We explained recently that it is not as a result of children having parents that the Torah said to honor them, but given that it says in the Torah that one must honor his parents, the world was created with a system of parents and children.
We will now discuss the sun and the moon and their source in Torah.
When Moshe was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days he was totally enwrapped in the heavenly clouds. The Midrash tells us that he knew how to keep track of days and nights based on what Hashem was teaching him. By day when the great luminary - the sun - ruled, he would be studying the written law and at night when the small luminary ? the moon ? ruled, he would study the oral law.
The oral law is compared to a small luminary because it is all based on the written law. The rabbis in the Talmud always challenge each other to find basis for their statement in the written law. If a law is not directly based on a verse in the Torah, it cannot be accepted as law. The same applies to rabbinical decrees. They only come to protect the law. ?Muktzah? is not touching items that one is not permitted to use on Shabbat. The law (in the written Torah) is that they cannot be used. The rabbis built a ?fence? around that law and prohibited touching those items, as well. It is like the moon who receives all her light from the sun.
Hashem gave Moshe all the commandments (written law) together with their explanations (oral law). Even the applications of the law that only became relevant in our generation, such as all the laws connected to modern technology, were given by Hashem on Mt. Sinai. From Hashem?s point of view, there was therefore no difference between the written and the oral law. They were both great luminaries. To us, the receivers, however there is a big difference. We were given the rules (tools) how to apply the different laws to new situations, based on which we can create an infinite amount of new insights.
The reason why the written law is compared to the sun and the oral law to the moon is not only because the oral law ?receives? from (is based on) the written law, but it goes one step further. In the written law, the aspect of the Giver of the Torah comes to expression and in the oral law, the receivers. The written law was given with a specific amount of words and letters. Tampering with that would show one does not believe the Torah is Divine. The focus is on the Giver. The oral law, on the other hand, was given to us to work with and constantly build on. Moreover, if one does not understand the arguments in the Talmud with his own intellect, he cannot say he was studying Torah. The focus is on the receiver.
Maimonides, in his preface to his law book, enumerates all the different links in the unbroken chain between Moshe and the rabbis of his generation. Concerning the written law, he writes that Moshe, after having received the Torah directly from Hashem, wrote the Torah and gave a copy to every tribe. When it comes to the oral law, however, Maimonides does not mention who handed down the tradition, but rather which rabbi received from his predecessor. Here, too, we see the importance of stressing the giver of the Torah in connection with the written law and the receivers in connection with the oral law.
Now we understand why the moon had to complain to Hashem as soon as it was created. Just like all aspects of the Torah were given by Hashem equally, but from the receivers? point of view there is still a difference between the written and the oral law, so, too, was there no difference between the sun and the moon the way Hashem created them. ?And G-d made the two great luminaries.? However, as far as the world is concerned, there is a concrete difference between them (based on their spiritual source, the two aspects of the Torah). For this reason, once there was a world, the moon had to peep up and ?remind? Hashem to diminish one of the two luminaries.
Another place where we find this concept is in the case of charity. Hashem provides everyone with all their needs. Nevertheless, he will always make sure that there are rich people and poor people in this world. The truth is that the poor man receives his livelihood from Hashem the same way the rich man does. The only difference is that the poor man has to receive it in the form of charity; whereas, the rich man gets it from the interest of his bank account. From Hashem?s point of view, both the poor and the rich are equal receivers, and yet, from the world?s viewpoint, there is a ?sun? (rich/giver) and a ?moon? (poor/receiver).
The first thing that was created in this world was light. The questions is always asked: Why did Hashem create the light then, when there was no use for it until the trees were created on the third day. The creation of light could have waited until the second day, when the sun and the moon were created.
?And Hashem saw the light that it was good, and Hashem separated between the light and between the darkness.? Rashi quotes from the Midrash: ?He saw it that it was not proper for the wicked to use it; so He separated it for the righteous in the future.?
This makes the question even stronger. If there was no need for the original light until later, why was it created first?
The Midrash compares G-d's creation of the universe to the work of a human architect. When a person wishes to build something, first he fixes the purpose in his mind. Only then does he starts his labor. ?Let there be light,? was the first statement in Creation, because ?light? is the true purpose of existence. Through the study of Torah and fulfillment of the mitzvot, Divine radiance is revealed. Our purpose on earth is to work towards the ultimate light, which will only be revealed in the future.
The same applies to the moon. Ultimately, when Moshiach comes, the moon will be restored to its original size, the way Hashem first created it. That explains why the moon was upset about being diminished, despite the fact the she had herself asked for it. The moon knew that in the system of the world, at a stage of preparing for the coming of Moshiach, there had to be a big and a small luminary. The ultimate purpose, however, is to reach that final goal. The moon insisted on receiving as much power as possible during her small stage, in preparation and anticipation of the time when she would be restored to her original strength.
Let us learn from the moon and focus all our energy in bringing about the coming of Moshiach, now!
?It says, ?And G-d made the two great luminaries,? but then it says, ?the great luminary and the small luminary.?
?Indeed, at first they were both great, but then the moon said to G-d: ?Master of the Universe! Can two kings wear the same crown??
?Said G-d to her: ?Go diminish yourself.?
?Said she to Him: ?Master of the Universe! Because I have said a proper thing, I must diminish myself??
?Said He to her: ?You may rule both during the day and at night.?
?Said she to Him: ?What advantage is there in that? What does a lamp accomplish at high noon??
?Said He to her: ?The people of Israel shall calculate their dates and years by you.?
?Said she to Him: ?But the sun, too, shall have a part in that, for they shall calculate the seasons by him.?
?Said G-d: ?The righteous shall be called by your name ? Yakov the Small, Shmuel the Small, David the Small.?
?Still G-d saw that the moon was not appeased. So G-d said: ?Offer an atonement for My sake, for My having diminished the moon.?? (Talmud, Chulin 60b)
At first glance it is not clear if the moon was justified in her claim against G-d. Rashi, who quotes this passage, writes clearly that the moon was made smaller because it brought charges. That seems to indicate that it was punished for being disrespectful. On the other hand, it seems from Hashem?s response that the moon was actually right, causing Hashem to ask for forgiveness for diminishing the moon?s light.
If the moon was justified in her complaint then we have to understand how Hashem made the ?mistake? of creating the sun and the moon equal.
We also need to understand the moon?s claim of, ?Can two kings wear the same crown?? It seems that the moon was jealous and simply wanted to wear a bigger crown than the sun. We see the extent of the moon?s jealousy later on in the dialogue. When she hears that the days and months will be calculated by her cycle, she is nevertheless not satisfied. She is still troubled that the seasons are based on the sun. There are 12 months and hundreds of days in a year; why couldn?t the moon give away the four small seasons?
The entire universe was created by the word of G-d. When He said the words, ?Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens,? the sun and the moon came into existence. Considering that all creatures were created with a specific purpose in mind, and they were all fulfilling their mission - as the Torah tells us a few verses later, ?G-d saw that it was good.? - how did the moon have the audacity to claim it should be bigger than the sun?
?And G-d made the two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule the day, and the small luminary to rule the night.?
It is obvious from this verse that it was Hashem?s will that there should not only be two great luminaries, but there should also be a difference between the two, as the words ?G-d made? apply to both the first and the second half of the verse. We learn from here that there were two different stages in creation. First, Hashem created the sun and the moon equal. After they both were created, and only then, it became necessary to make one smaller. That is also the reason why it had to be done as a consequence of a complaint from the moon, as we will now try to explain.
The Torah is the blueprint for to world. We explained recently that it is not as a result of children having parents that the Torah said to honor them, but given that it says in the Torah that one must honor his parents, the world was created with a system of parents and children.
We will now discuss the sun and the moon and their source in Torah.
When Moshe was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days he was totally enwrapped in the heavenly clouds. The Midrash tells us that he knew how to keep track of days and nights based on what Hashem was teaching him. By day when the great luminary - the sun - ruled, he would be studying the written law and at night when the small luminary ? the moon ? ruled, he would study the oral law.
The oral law is compared to a small luminary because it is all based on the written law. The rabbis in the Talmud always challenge each other to find basis for their statement in the written law. If a law is not directly based on a verse in the Torah, it cannot be accepted as law. The same applies to rabbinical decrees. They only come to protect the law. ?Muktzah? is not touching items that one is not permitted to use on Shabbat. The law (in the written Torah) is that they cannot be used. The rabbis built a ?fence? around that law and prohibited touching those items, as well. It is like the moon who receives all her light from the sun.
Hashem gave Moshe all the commandments (written law) together with their explanations (oral law). Even the applications of the law that only became relevant in our generation, such as all the laws connected to modern technology, were given by Hashem on Mt. Sinai. From Hashem?s point of view, there was therefore no difference between the written and the oral law. They were both great luminaries. To us, the receivers, however there is a big difference. We were given the rules (tools) how to apply the different laws to new situations, based on which we can create an infinite amount of new insights.
The reason why the written law is compared to the sun and the oral law to the moon is not only because the oral law ?receives? from (is based on) the written law, but it goes one step further. In the written law, the aspect of the Giver of the Torah comes to expression and in the oral law, the receivers. The written law was given with a specific amount of words and letters. Tampering with that would show one does not believe the Torah is Divine. The focus is on the Giver. The oral law, on the other hand, was given to us to work with and constantly build on. Moreover, if one does not understand the arguments in the Talmud with his own intellect, he cannot say he was studying Torah. The focus is on the receiver.
Maimonides, in his preface to his law book, enumerates all the different links in the unbroken chain between Moshe and the rabbis of his generation. Concerning the written law, he writes that Moshe, after having received the Torah directly from Hashem, wrote the Torah and gave a copy to every tribe. When it comes to the oral law, however, Maimonides does not mention who handed down the tradition, but rather which rabbi received from his predecessor. Here, too, we see the importance of stressing the giver of the Torah in connection with the written law and the receivers in connection with the oral law.
Now we understand why the moon had to complain to Hashem as soon as it was created. Just like all aspects of the Torah were given by Hashem equally, but from the receivers? point of view there is still a difference between the written and the oral law, so, too, was there no difference between the sun and the moon the way Hashem created them. ?And G-d made the two great luminaries.? However, as far as the world is concerned, there is a concrete difference between them (based on their spiritual source, the two aspects of the Torah). For this reason, once there was a world, the moon had to peep up and ?remind? Hashem to diminish one of the two luminaries.
Another place where we find this concept is in the case of charity. Hashem provides everyone with all their needs. Nevertheless, he will always make sure that there are rich people and poor people in this world. The truth is that the poor man receives his livelihood from Hashem the same way the rich man does. The only difference is that the poor man has to receive it in the form of charity; whereas, the rich man gets it from the interest of his bank account. From Hashem?s point of view, both the poor and the rich are equal receivers, and yet, from the world?s viewpoint, there is a ?sun? (rich/giver) and a ?moon? (poor/receiver).
The first thing that was created in this world was light. The questions is always asked: Why did Hashem create the light then, when there was no use for it until the trees were created on the third day. The creation of light could have waited until the second day, when the sun and the moon were created.
?And Hashem saw the light that it was good, and Hashem separated between the light and between the darkness.? Rashi quotes from the Midrash: ?He saw it that it was not proper for the wicked to use it; so He separated it for the righteous in the future.?
This makes the question even stronger. If there was no need for the original light until later, why was it created first?
The Midrash compares G-d's creation of the universe to the work of a human architect. When a person wishes to build something, first he fixes the purpose in his mind. Only then does he starts his labor. ?Let there be light,? was the first statement in Creation, because ?light? is the true purpose of existence. Through the study of Torah and fulfillment of the mitzvot, Divine radiance is revealed. Our purpose on earth is to work towards the ultimate light, which will only be revealed in the future.
The same applies to the moon. Ultimately, when Moshiach comes, the moon will be restored to its original size, the way Hashem first created it. That explains why the moon was upset about being diminished, despite the fact the she had herself asked for it. The moon knew that in the system of the world, at a stage of preparing for the coming of Moshiach, there had to be a big and a small luminary. The ultimate purpose, however, is to reach that final goal. The moon insisted on receiving as much power as possible during her small stage, in preparation and anticipation of the time when she would be restored to her original strength.
Let us learn from the moon and focus all our energy in bringing about the coming of Moshiach, now!