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ויאמר אלוקים יהי אור, by means of this directive G’d meant to correct the fact that up until then everything was in complete darkness,

AND G-D SAID, ‘LET THERE BE LIGHT.’ The word “saying” here indicates Will, as in the verse, What dost thy soul say, that I should do it for thee?⁶⁵I Samuel 20:4. which means, “What do you want and desire?” Similarly, And let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Eternal hath spoken⁶⁶Genesis 24:51. means, “…as He hath willed, for such is the Will before Him.” Or, it may be [that the word “saying” here means] “thinking,” as in the verses, Thou sayest in thy heart;⁶⁷Isaiah 47:8. And the chiefs of Judah shall say in their heart.⁶⁸Zechariah 12:5. The purport is to state that the creation was not done with toil. Our Rabbis have also called this “thought.” Thus they have said:⁶⁹Bereshith Rabbah 12:14. “The thought [concerning what was to be created on a particular day] was during the day; the deed itself was at sunset.” This teaches that creation was thought out, that there is a reason for everything created, that creation was not a simple manifestation of mere Will alone.
The word “being” [Let there ‘be’] indicates a deed for the present time,⁷⁰Thus unlike Rashi and R’dak (Rabbi David Kimchi), who hold that the reference here is to the creation of the luminaries, such as the sun, moon, etc., which were not suspended in the firmament until the fourth day (see Rashi, Verse 14), Ramban explains that the light of the first day was of a special substance; hence Scripture does not say, And it was so, since that light did not remain forever in its original state. just as: And thou wouldst be their king⁷¹Nehemiah 6:6. [meaning: their king from this moment on]. Therefore Scripture says that when He created the substance of the heavens, He said that from that substance there should come forth a shining matter called “light.”

"Let there be light" - this is the light of the seven days [i.e., Or HaGanuz], which was for the use of those created without seed, and it will be [again] in the future, as the words of the Sages (may their memories be a blessing) Shabbat 30b: it will then be for that which is the future will "bring forth baked treats and fine clothing" without [needing] the power of seed.

And the Lord said, "let there be light:" The word, ohr [light], is written five times in this section; and on the fourth day the word, meohr [luminaries] is written five times, with the addition of [the letter] mem [to the word ohr], and there is in this an amazing intention. And that is that since we have found that the Sages, of blessed memory, said (Chagigah 12a), "The light that was created on the first day was hidden" and there is [also] an opinion that says, "these are the very luminaries that were created on the first day and were not 'hung' until the fourth day;" and these two midrashic statements appear to contradict one another. But the truth is not thus, since everyone admits that the light of the first day was a great light and was [then] hidden and that those luminaries that were 'hung' on the fourth day are not the actual light [of the first day], but rather they received their light from a spark of the upper light that was created on the first day; therefore, the word, ohr, is mentioned [on the first day], since it was the actual light; but with luminaries on the fourth day, each one is mentioned as meohr, with the addition of [the letter] mem, to show that they received their light from another light - greater than them - which is what is shown by the [letter] mem [which, when in front of a word, is a prefix that means, 'from']. And according to this, the midrashic statements do not contradict one another; since the first light was hidden - according to everyone - for the righteous, and the luminaries of the fourth day received a spark of the first light; and if so, certainly, 'they are the very luminaries,' since a part [i.e., the luminaries] is included in the whole [i.e., the light created on the first day]. And with this is also resolved [why] they were created [only to be] hidden; and this is a precious explanation.

And God said: It portrays God as a king who commands and everything happens with His word, to [show] that the action of God is not like the action of a man that makes [things] with his hands but - metaphorically - like one who commands others to make [things]; even though here there was no one to command (and so is the opinion of Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra).

Let there be light: It is known that this light is not the light that shines for [future] generations, and like other things in this section. And for this reason, it is not written concerning this, “and it was so.” Since also from the beginning, this light was only formed, so that it should be hidden for the righteous ones afterwards. So that there should not be a new creation afterwards, which was not [created] during the seven days [of creation,] God [now] said, Let there be light.” And the word, so, is to be understood as an expression of a foundation and base; like in (Proverbs 11:19), “ so (established) is righteousness for life." And for this reason, it is not written here, “and it was so.”

ויאמר אלוקים יהי אור ויהי אור. The light was already in the heaven, seeing that the luminaries were created together with the planets. Daniel 12,3 refers to this when he compares the radiance of the knowledgeable people in the future to the radiance of the expanse of the sky, describing the latter as זהר הרקיע. In Exodus 24,10 the visions experienced by the elite of the Israelites is compared to וכעצם השמים לטוהר, “as pure as the radiant light of the heavens.” What had been lacking was only that this light had not illuminated the face of the deep as this had not been equipped to reflect such light as yet. Seeing that the directive concerned only the creatures in the “lower universe,” G’d did not introduce His creative activities with the words: יהי שמים, “let there be a heaven,” but the Torah wrote simply: “He created heaven, etc., ברא.” Once the various planets were placed in orbit to perform their orbits [I suppose that the sun only is meant, Ed.] every 12 hours the “lower” part of the universe would be in darkness. At the end of the first period of 12 hours, G’d issued the directive: “let there be light”, i.e that light should replace the darkness in that location. When the wind blows over the water it dries some of the surface of the waters enabling the waters to be illuminated faintly by the daylight above. The primordial light had not become distinct, strong, until the fourth day.
Possibly, the words זהר הרקיע describe the light by means of which the heaven itself shines, radiates light, as we have written. In that event, the light described here refers to a different period of 12 hours, a whole day comprising 24 hours. This light would have become missing on the first day from the “lower regions” of the universe. With the absence of this light darkness would have ensued in that region. During the first three days of the creative period, the only reason for such absence of light from part of the universe would be the fact that it was the will of the Creator that it be so. This can be so only if we adopt the view that the light prevailing during the first three days of that period was none other than the “natural” light radiated by the רקיע, the firmament. If, on the other hand, we assume that the light under discussion is the light of the sun, which up until then had shone weakly, seeing that the atmosphere had not been conditioned to let its rays traverse it without hindrance, and that as a result of this during these three “days” total darkness pervaded the universe, there can be no question that these regions had not been conditioned to receive the light from heaven at all, not even a weak diffused kind of light. Total darkness would have prevailed during these “days.” It follows that the reason for this total darkness during these three “days” must have been none other than G’d’s will, His pleasure that it be so. Clearly, although G’d saw that the light “was good,” He decreed in His wisdom that light not be present at all times in all locations. The reason is that the universe needs darkness also, why else would G’d have created it as we know from Psalms 104,20 תשת חשך ויהי לילה, “You bring on darkness and it is night.”
Maimonides writes (chapter 30, second part of Moreh) that the principal cause of the coming into existence and the destruction of celestial forces such as the planets is light and darkness respectively, both of which are forces to which these phenomena are drawn. The constant change from extremes of heat and cold subject these celestial bodies to wear and tear. Climates are affected through the change from light to darkness, as well as the properties of the planets themselves. These changes reflect the will of higher forces, i.e. G’d, Who wishes rain, change of climate to occur on earth at certain times. Darkness is the natural state of the “lower regions” of the universe, light acting as something reviving these regions. The scholar Ibn Ezra writes that the light of which our verse speaks originated in the regions above the רוח, the wind (spirit) operating within the atmosphere. When the Torah wrote ויאמר, commonly translated as “He said,” this is merely a figure of speech, just as when David wrote in Psalms 33,6 בדבר ה' שמים נעשו, “that the heavens were created by the word of G’d.” These formulations are used by the Torah to describe expressions of G’d’s will.

ויאמר אלוקים יהי אור, “G’d said: ‘let there be light!’ The word ויאמר, i.e. אמירה, is puzzling, seeing there was no one to say anything to. What is meant by the word here is that it was addressed to the existing raw material known as שמים, heaven. The Creator wished to produce something bright, shiny. This came into existence without any effort. When the Torah continues with the words ויהי אור, instead of saying ויהי כן, which is the usual formula, the reason is that the light created at this stage did not endure but was withdrawn after Adam had sinned. The expression ויהי כן is only used in conjunction with phenomena which endured.

ויאמר אלוקים “G’d said, etc.” The word אמירה in this instance is a description of “will.” We find it used in this sense in Samuel I 20,4 where Yonathan uses it to indicate that whatever David desires of him he would do. Alternately, the meaning of the word is “decreed,” as we find it in Job 22,28, ותגזר אומר ויקם לך “You will decree and it will be fulfilled.” [The reason for this unusual interpretation of the word ויאמר is that there was no one for G’d to say to what He is reported as having said. Ed.].

אור — verwandt mit עור wach werden, für äußere Eindrücke empfänglich werden oder sein, (daher auch: Haut, das allgemeine Organ der Empfindung), einigemal auch: wach machen, wecken, — ist das weckende Element, das alle Kräfte zur Entfaltung wachruft. (Mit רוא ist auch bielleicht חור, das in vollem Lichte erscheinende Weiße und Freie, verwandt, und auch חור, die Lichtung, das Lichte, die Öffnung in einem übrigens Geschlossenen). Dem רוא steht חשך gegenüber, das durch seine Verwandtschaft mit חזק, עשק, חשך das Entzogensein, somit den Zustand bezeichnet, in welchem die Wesen nicht dem weckenden Einflusse des Lichtes bloßgestellt sind.

"let there be light" and there was light: And that which [the Torah] did not write, "and it was so," as with the other [days] is because, when it did so with the others, it was written in order to shorten its words; since had it explained all the arrangements of creation, it would have had to have been more expansive, but here there is no more expansiveness in the word (and there was) light (vayehi ohr) than in the word, (and it was) so (vayehi khen).

ויאמר אלוקים, “G-d said:” seeing that there were no intelligent creatures as yet that G-d could have spoken to, the meaning of this statement must be that “G-d spoke to His heart, to the seat of His thoughts.” Even in our physical world nowadays when a human being expresses thoughts verbally, these are products of his thought processes which preceded his thoughts being formulated. If we needed proof for the correctness of this approach, the reader only needs to look at Genesis 6,67: וינחם ה' כי עשה את האדם בארץ ויתעצב אל לבו. ויאמר ה׳ אמחה את האדם אשר בראתי וגו', “The Lord became regretful that He had created man on the earth, and His heart was saddened; He said: “I will wipe out the human race on earth, etc.”

"Let there be light:" It appears to me that it is for [the following] reason that He [started] with the creation of the light: Since most nations worshiped the sun because of its great [effect] on [people], through [its] light and heat; hence, He started [with it] to make known that also before there were luminaries, there was light and there was day and night, as everything [only] existed through the word of God.

AND THERE WAS LIGHT. The verse does not say, “And it was so,” as it is said on other days, because the light did not remain in this state all the time, as did the other creations. Concerning this matter, our Rabbis have an interpretation with a profound secret.⁷²Ramban’s hint here is to the Sefer Habahir, 190. See my Hebrew commentary pp. 15—16.
Know that the term “day” as used in the story of the creation was, in the case of the creation of heaven and earth, a real day, composed of hours and seconds, and there were six days like the six days of the workweek, as is the plain meaning of the verse. In the profounder sense, the Emanations issuing from the Most High are called “days,” for every Divine Saying⁷³The tenfold expression, And G-d said, found in the chapter of Creation. which evoked an existence is called “day.” These were six, for Unto G-d there is the greatness, and the power, etc.⁷⁴I Chronicles 29:11. The Sayings,⁷³The tenfold expression, And G-d said, found in the chapter of Creation. however, are ten because regarding the first three Emanations, the term “day” does not apply at all. The explanation of the order of the verses in terms of this profound interpretation is sublime and recondite. Our knowledge of it is less than that of a drop from the vast ocean.

יהי אור, “let there be light!” Before the heavens had been stretched out over the firmament the light of G-d had permeated the entire universe in equal measure. Once He had stretched out the sky like a carpet, (Psalms 104,2) the heavens formed the barrier between the rest of the universe and the תהום, the deep abyss beyond. This is why the Torah had stated that the darkness had formed a cover over that abyss. (Verse 2) This is why its creation was preceded by a commandment, seeing that the light created now was something good for all the stages of creation that were to follow.

יהי אור; three phenomena were created on the first “day;” heaven, earth and light. Each of these phenomena contributed its accessories at the appropriate time. The heaven produced its offspring, i.e. the horizon, רקיע, on the second “day,” and the earth, on the third “day,” produced simple vegetation, i.e. grass and trees. The “light” produced the luminaries and the stars on the fourth “day.” Proof that these developments were not “something from nothing,” as the first phase of the creation is that the Torah describes G-d’s commandment in each instance not with the word: “let there be,” יהי, but with the word “produce,” תוצא. This is similar to G-d’s command to Noach at the end of the deluge, when He said: צא מן התבה, “exit from the ark!” (Genesis 8,16).

ויהי אור, and “light” had materalised. The reason why on subsequent occasions, the Torah merely writes: ויהי כן, “and so it came to be,” is for the sake of brevity. Our sages therefore have taught us in Pessachim 3, that one should always strive to express one’s thoughts as concisely as possible, [while avoiding being misunderstood. Ed.] In this instance, by spelling out the word אור, the Torah did not add a single syllable beyond what was required.