Midras Kejadian 1:16: Midrash Tanchuma, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Midrash Tanchuma Buber & Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

Unto the land that I will show you (Gen. 12:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, did not mention any specific place. This indicates that this was a trial within a trial, as in the case of a man who embarks upon a journey without being aware of his destination. What did Abraham do? He took his possessions and his wife and departed: And Abraham went, as the Lord had spoken to him (ibid., v. 4). And I will make of thee a great nation (ibid., v. 2). It is not written “I will establish you up as a great nation,” but I will make you a great nation; that is, I will create anew, as indicated by the verse And God made the firmament (ibid. 1:7); And God made the two great lights (ibid., v. 16). R. Phinehas the priest, the son of Hama said: When did the Holy One, blessed be He, make Abraham into a great nation? He did so when Israel accepted the Torah. Thus Moses proclaimed concerning them: For what great nation is there (Deut. 4:8).

(Ib. b) R. Simon b. Pazi raised the following contradiction: "The passage says (Gen. 1, 16), And God made the two great lights; and further it says, the greater light and the lesser light. The moon said before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to use the same crown (to occupy an equal rank)?' Whereupon the Lord replied: Go and make thyself smaller (be reduced). 'Sovereign of the Universe,' pleaded the moon before the Lord, 'Is it because I said to you a worthy thing that I should make myself smaller?' 'Go and rule the day and the night,' said the Lord to her. The moon pleaded further: 'Of what avail will my light be; for a lamp at noon what good could it do?' The Lord said to her: 'Go [and be satisfied] for Israel will count their days [of the month] and years after thee (the lunar system).' 'The days are impossible to be counted unless it is after the solstice,' complained the moon; 'for the passage says (Gen. 1, 14) And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.' 'You can go [and be satisfied],' the Lord said to her, 'for the righteous will be called in your name: Jacob the little (Amos, 7); Samuel the little (I Sam. 17); David the little.' The Lord observed that the moon was not satisfied; He therefore said: 'Bring an atonement for Me because I caused the inferiority of the moon.' " This is meant by Resh Lakish; for Resh Lakish said: "What does the [strange] expression of the Torah in connection with the goat-offering of the new moon mean? For it says (Num. 28, 15) Unto God. The Holy One, praised be He! said: This goat-offering shall be an atonement for Me, because I caused the inferiority of the moon.' "

Another interpretation (of Ps. 32:8): LET ME INSTRUCT YOU AND TEACH YOU. What is the meaning of AND TEACH YOU? < AND TEACH YOU THE WAY TO GO >, (according to Gen. 12:1) UNTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU. He said to Abraham: You are not losing out. FOR (according to vs. 2) I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A GREAT NATION.¹⁷Gen. R. 39:11; Numb. R. 11:2. "For I will establish you" is not written here but FOR I WILL MAKE YOU, because I creating you as a new creature. In the same sense it is stated (in Gen. 1:7): AND GOD MADE THE FIRMAMENT. < Similarly > (in vs. 16): AND GOD MADE THE TWO < GREAT > LIGHTS. R. {Minhas} [Pinhas] bar Hama [the Priest] said: When did the Holy One make Abraham a great nation? When Israel had left Egypt, come to Sinai, and received the Torah, Moses looked at them and said: Behold, they have been made just as the Holy One had promised to the patriarch. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 4:8): AND WHAT GREAT NATION….