[Avodah] moon and sun

[Hankman]

I have a different problem with the gemara and medrashim about the reduction in size of the moon.  When the two were the same size, either the moon could have been like today but much larger thus giving much more reflected light, in which case the argument of the moon is very weak as it is reflecting the sun's light and dependent upon it, so it is hardly an equal moshel with the sun. If however, the moon was constituted of hydrogen as is our sun today and the source of its own light from nuclear energy, then the description of becoming smaller is problematic as the entire substance of the moon was changed to its present non-hydrogen (and smaller) composition which really amounts to the recreation of a new and different moon and not the mere diminution of the moon. Any thoughts? Are there meforshim who take these medrashim in a non literal sense - and not as something that actually happened in a physical sense?

Kol Tuv

Chaim Manaster
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