Repenting For God

Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi raised a contradiction: It is written, "And God made the two great lights" (Genesis 1:16), and it is written, "the greater light and the lesser light" (Genesis 1:16). The moon said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to make use of one crown? He said to her: Go and diminish yourself. She said before Him: Master of the Universe, because I said before You a proper thing, shall I diminish myself? He said to her: Go and rule by day and by night. She said to Him: What is the advantage in that? What use is a lamp at noon? He said to her: Go, let Israel count days and years by you. She said to Him: As for the day, it is impossible that the seasons not be counted by it too, as it is written, "And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Genesis 1:14). [He said:] Go, let the righteous be called by your name: "Jacob the small" (Amos 7:5), "Samuel the small," "David the small" (I Samuel 17:14). He saw that her mind was not set at ease. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Bring an atonement for Me, for I diminished the moon! And this is what Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Why is the goat of the New Moon different, that regarding it is said "for the LORD" (Numbers 28:15)? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let this goat be an atonement for My having diminished the moon. Rav Asi raised a contradiction: It is written, "And the earth brought forth grass" (Genesis 1:12) on the third day of the week, and it is written, "And every plant of the field was not yet in the earth" (Genesis 2:5) on the eve of the Sabbath. This teaches that the grasses came out and stood at the surface of the ground, until Adam, the first man, came and prayed for mercy on their behalf, and rains came down and they sprouted - to teach you that the Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayer of the righteous. Rav Nachman bar Pappa had a certain garden. He sowed seeds in it, but they did not sprout. He prayed for mercy, rain came, and they sprouted. He said: This is the very matter of Rav Asi.