Why the Sun and Moon Snatch Sparks of Celestial Light

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Beha'alotcha 10:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

Another interpretation of (Numbers 8:2): "When you set up the lamps." Israel said (in Psalms 43:3): "Send out Your light and Your truth; they will lead me." Great is the light of the Holy One, blessed be He. The sun and the moon give light to the world, but from where do they shine? They snatch from the sparks of the light of above, as it is said (in Habakkuk 3:11): "At the light of Your arrows they go, at the brightness of Your flashing spear." Great is the light of above, for only one part in a hundred has been given to all the creatures, as it is said (in Daniel 2:22): "He knows what is in the darkness, etc." Therefore I made sun and moon to give light before you, as it is said (in Genesis 1:17): "And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth."

Themes

Sun And MoonCreation

Biblical References

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Book of JubileesThe Sun as a Great Sign Upon the EarthBook of Jubilees turns to The Sun as a Great Sign Upon the Earth. Specifically, the text emphasizes their role “to rule over the day and the night, and divide tLegends of the JewsThe Two-Faced Sun That Keeps the World AliveBefore science, before telescopes and thermometers, they wove incredible stories to make sense of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the changing seasons. to oneIntroduction to Sulam CommentaryLight and Vessels of NukbaIt seems like a simple astronomical fact, but in the world of Jewish mysticism, the Kabbalah, it’s a story brimming with cosmic drama, ego, and ultimately, diviMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelRabbi Yitzchak Raised a Sharp Astronomical Objection to a ProposedRabbi Yitzchak raised a sharp astronomical objection to a proposed method of calculating the calendar. If you followed a certain interpretation, he argued, the Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelIf Labor Is Forbidden on the First and Last DaysR. Yonathan says: This (derivation) is not necessary. If labor is forbidden on the first and last days, which are neither preceded nor followed by holiness, theExempla of the Rabbis (Gaster, 1924)God a Mighty LightThe sages taught that God is not like any light that human beings have ever seen. The sun can be blocked by a cloud. A lamp can be extinguished by the wind. Eve