Hassidout sur La Genèse 1:16

Take the example of the story of creation. One Midrash tells us how the Holy One, blessed be He, would build worlds and destroy them, then creating another world and suddenly it was not there, for God had again destroyed it in His displeasure. Another Midrash answers the question of why Bereshis 1:16 starts off by saying, “God created two great luminaries in the heavens,” and then continues by saying that there was a great luminary (the sun) and a small luminary (the moon). The Midrash tells us that at first the sun and the moon were equals. Then when the moon initiated a dispute and asking, “can two kings wear the same crown?”¹³⁰Apparently, this was the first dispute in the history of the world. God resolved it by telling the moon, “Go and make yourself smaller.” This is another case of God creating and destroying, or at least, creating and reducing. Another Midrash¹³¹See Sanhedrin, 38b. finds God repeatedly creating choirs of angels, asking them if they agree to the creation of man, and when they object (after hearing reports that this man creature will eventually act corruptly they say, “what is man that You are mindful of him?”), God “places His finger among them and burns them up.” Again, creating, and destroying. And finally, join all of these to the story of the expulsion of Adam. One moment he is dwelling in the Garden of Eden, and then the snake comes along …

This was not the case when Zeir Anpin and Nukvah were equal in their statures,⁴⁰See Or HaTorah, Bereishit p. 80 as they were before the lessening of the moon, when they were called,⁴¹Genesis 1:16; Sefer HaMaamarim 5565, Vol. 2, p. 593 “The two great luminaries,” and similarly about the coming future it states,⁴²Isaiah 30:26; Sefer HaMaamarim 5565, Vol. 2, p. 593 “And the light of the moon [shall be as the light of the sun] etc.”

(This is in accordance with what is written elsewhere about the statement⁴³Talmud Bavli, Chullin 60b; Biurei HaZohar, Acharei 77b; Maamarei Admor HaZaken, Maamarei RaZa”L pg. 221; 5565 Vol. 2 pg. 594. “Go and lessen yourself etc.,” that this refers to the aspect of Malchut, which becomes the,⁴⁴Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 71a; Etz Chayim, Shaar 3, Ch. 1; Shaar 4, Ch. 6; Mamarei Admor HaEmtzaee, Devarim Vol. 1 p. 179. “head of the foxes,” in Briyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. This is as stated,⁴⁵Genesis 1:16 “the lesser luminary to rule the night.”