<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=text/html;charset=iso-8859-1 http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 9.00.8112.16434"></HEAD>
<BODY style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-TOP: 15px"
id=MailContainerBody leftMargin=0 topMargin=0 CanvasTabStop="true"
name="Compose message area">
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>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?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Kol Tuv</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Calibri>Chaim Manaster</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>