5 myths
Myths, legends, and mystical writings about Moon from across Jewish tradition.
5 myths on JewishMythology.com retell how Jewish tradition imagines moon, drawn from the Hebrew Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Kabbalah, and later Jewish literature. Each story below synthesizes primary sources into a single narrative; follow any myth to read it, and from there into the source passages behind it.
The sun and moon once shared equal glory, until the moon whispered a false report and the sky was divided into greater and lesser light.
Two great lights, one crown. When the moon is shrunk to the lesser lamp she storms the court for justice, and heaven ends up owing her a debt.
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah the new moon shone so boldly that herdsmen drove their cattle by its light, and one sage answered it with dust and stones.
At the beginning the sun and moon were equal in size and brightness. Then one was reduced. The Kabbalists preserved the full story of why and what it cost.
Tikkunei Zohar sees the moon removing widow's garments and renewing itself. Rabbi Nachman asks who can sew a coat for something that keeps changing size.
