It might sound strange, but let's explore a fascinating idea from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms.
The Midrash draws a parallel between the sun and a groom. Just as a groom enters his wedding canopy full of strength and joy, but leaves exhausted, so too does the sun. It enters its season with powerful heat, and exits appearing weakened. It's a beautiful, poetic way to think about the cycles of nature, isn't it?
The Midrash continues: As a groom enters the ceremony pure, and leaves perhaps less so (ahem!), the sun enters pure and exits impure. What does that even mean? Perhaps the sun, in its intense heat, causes distress. But then, a student offers a counterpoint: "An old person can run like a hero along the path." This, the Midrash tells us, means that the sun makes its own path. It determines its own course, its own strength.
Consider Psalm 19: "From the edge of the sky he emerges." The Midrash uses this to illustrate the sun's immense power. On the first of Tammuz (a month in the Jewish calendar, usually falling in June/July), the text says, there is no shade for anyone! "His cycle is on their edges," meaning the sun’s influence reaches to the very limits.
And here's where it gets even more interesting. The sages, in their wisdom, pondered the nature of Gehenna, often translated as hell. Some say there is a hell in the future, referencing Isaiah 31:9: "The word of the Lord, who has a fire in Zion." Others, like Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, offer a different perspective. They believe there is no separate hell. Instead, they say, the sun itself will scorch the wicked, as it says in Malachi 3:19, "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace."
So, where does the sun get its fiery power? The Midrash describes its outlet as being in a niche, connected to a wheel, and even to a pool of water above the firmament. This image of water is meant to diminish the sun's anger, to cool it down. Yet, even with this cosmic cooling system, "his anger is not hidden."
What then will God do in the future? According to Rabbi Yehoshua, God already performed an act of righteousness by not placing the sun in the first firmament, the closest to the earth. If He had, there would be no shade, no escape from its intense heat.
But what about the future? Who will be hidden from the sun's anger then? The Midrash answers: The one who engages in Torah! That’s right, studying and living by the teachings of the Torah offer protection. The text connects this to the subsequent verse in Psalm 19: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul."
And why does it restore the soul? Because "the testimony of the Lord is faithful." And why does it make the simple wise? Because it is faithful.
So, perhaps the next time you feel the sun on your face, you'll remember this Midrash. Think of the sun as a powerful force, yes, but also as a reminder of the importance of seeking shade in the wisdom and guidance of the Torah. What kind of "shade" are you seeking today?