[Avodah] sun and moon

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 10:22:20AM -0400, Eli Turkel wrote:
: What does it mean that moon and sun talked - they are inanimate

This medrash, as well as the one about "eitz peri" vs "eitz oseh peri",
I would take as distinguishing between the "ideal" world and the real
one. The original plan describes a universe without evil, and the medrash
explains how this universe diverges from it.

This particular medrash (Chullin 60b) was the
topic of a piece I wrote for MmD for parashas Pinechas
<http://www.aishdas.org/mesukim/5764/pinchas.pdf>, but here is a summary
I blogged:

    In Parshas Bereishis (1:16) the Torah reads: "And G-d made the two
    large luminaries -- the large luminary to rule the day and the small
    luminary to rule the night -- and the stars."

    The gemara (Chulin 60b) points out an inconsistency in the
    pasuq. R. Shimon ben Pazi asks why the Torah first describes the
    sun and moon as "the two large luminaries", but then it calls the
    sun "the large luminary" and the moon is called the small one. The
    gemara answers with a story. Originally the sun and moon were the same
    size. But the moon complained to Hashem, "Can there exist two kings
    sharing the same crown?" How can both the sun and the moon share the
    glory? G-d replies, "Go and make yourself smaller." This pains the
    moon, and Hashem subsequently offers three consolations. When that
    fails, Hashem says that we are to bring a qorban to atone for His
    sin. (Again, see the devar Torah in MmD.)

    The Maharsha explains that the story is about the Jewish people and
    our goals vs the world at large and theirs. The Jews are compared to
    the moon (see, for example Qidush Levanah). Edom, the dominant power,
    is the sun. Why do we live in a world that seems to be dominated
    by Edom's principle, that might makes right? Why isn't holiness the
    dominant idea, and right make might?

In case you're not learning daf and are wondering what this has to do
with parashas Pinechas... Reish Laqish (ad loc) explains that the sa'ir
brought on Rosh Chodesh as a "chatas Lashem" was a "kapparah" for Hashem
"wronging" the moon. (Again, I discuss this more at the above link,
and the above is just beqitzur.)

: the moon's light is only a reflection of the sun...

Since medrashic stories are metaphoric, and this one is clearly not
history utilized for a message, I don't think we should assume this bit
of science is relevent. Chazal probably didn't know that moonlight is
reflected sunlight, and even if they did, they aren't likely to have
assumed the listener would know that.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             You are where your thoughts are.
micha at aishdas.org                - Ramban, Igeres Hakodesh, Ch. 5
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