Why is the word "Me'oros" written Chaser (i.e. without a 'Vav')?
Yerushalmi Ta'anis, 4:3: It hints at the curse of croup that strikes small children (cot-death) on Wednesdays - which is the reason that the men of the Mishmar would fast on the Wednesday of their watch. 1
See Torah Temimah, note 37 and 48.
Why does the Torah refer here to the luminaries, seeing as they were created already on the first day?
Rashi: They were indeed created already on the first day. But they were placed in the sky only on the fourth day. As a matter of fact, all the creations were created on the first day, and then placed in their respective locations on their respective days.
Ramban: It was light that Hashem created on the first day. When He then created the sky on the second day, the light became blocked out from the earth, and the darkness remained on the third day when the earth was completed. And it was only on the fourth 1 day of the creation that Hashem replaced the light with the two luminaries 2 and stationed them in the sky to illuminate the earth.
According to Rashi here, and the Seforno (to 1:3), the two luminaries made a division between day and night only after the seven days of the creation, when the original light was hidden. Some commentaries amend Rashi to read 'after three days' - so as not to clash with his previous statement (see Answer 1).
The luminaries do not possess their own light, only Hashem placed them in the sky in a location where they reflect the existing light from above - which explains why the Torah calls them "Me'oros" and not 'Oros.'
What is "ve'Shanim" referring to?
Yerushalmi Berachos, 9:2: It refers to the twenty-eight-year cycle of the sun, when the sun returns to the exactly the same location in the sky as when it was created, at which point we recite the Berachah "Oseh Ma'saseh Bereishis." 1
See Torah Temimah, note 50.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "[The luminaries] had already been created on day one; [now] on the fourth day, Hashem commanded that they be suspended [in place]." What forces Rashi to explain this way? He already wrote (Rashi to 1:4) that the light of day one was hidden away for the righteous; perhaps this was now a new creation of light from the luminaries?
Gur Aryeh #1: Day one was for the creation of light, this must include both the light of this world, and the light that would be hidden away for the world to come. Both aspects of that light emerged from the luminaries. The clarified part of it (Ohr ha'Bahir) was hidden away, and only a fraction of it remains for this world.
Gur Aryeh #2: The verse does not write, "Let there be luminaries... and there were luminaries, and He placed them in the firmament," but rather "Let there be luminaries in the firmament." This implies that the fourth day's Creation entailed only that they were put into place. 1
See Gur Aryeh regarding the two views of Chazal about the creation of the luminaries (Chagigah 12a), and which one Rashi accepts here.
Rashi writes: "But during the seven days of Creation, the original light and darkness served together." Why was the original light hidden away only then?
Gur Aryeh: The original light was fit for the world until Adam sinned. Afterwards, Hashem maintained it for another day, due to the honor of Shabbos.
Rashi writes: "'They shall serve as signs' - An eclipse of the luminaries is a bad sign for the world." But seemingly, an eclipse is a predictable, natural event due to the orbits of the earth and the moon, not caused by human misconduct?
Maharal (Be'er ha'Golah, Be'er 6, p. 106): While this is true from a natural perspective, Chazal give the inner reason as to why Hashem created the world in such a way. Were there no sin in the world, Hashem would not have arranged the orbits in a manner that would allow an eclipse to occur. 1
Maharal continues - Does this not contradict free choice, seeing as the world was created on track towards sin? Certainly the world taken as a whole would not be perfectly clean of sin, but each individual in the world is able to choose to be righteous.
Rashi writes: "'For festivals' - ... In the future, Bnei Yisrael would count [their months] from the new moon." But the verse refers to luminaries (pl.), including the sun?
Gur Aryeh: The Jewish festivals are determined by the sun as well, because Bnei Yisrael lengthen the year (with an extra month) due to the seasons of the sun.
Rashi writes: "'And years' - After 365 days, they complete their circuit of the 12 constellations." But this is true only of the sun, while the moon completes its circuit in only one month (29 to 30 days)?
