Kaisipang Hudyo sa Mga Awit 147:4: Derush Chiddushei HaLevanah

Similarly, Ramban in his commentary on the passage under discussion, comments on the verse mentioning the sovereignty of the sun and the moon,⁴²See Ramban’s commentary to Bereishis 1:18. and explains that naming the celestial beings distinguishes and defines the nature of their power. Thus, it is written:⁴³Tehillim 147:4. “He counts the sum of the stars, naming them all,” and “He calls them all by name.”⁴⁴Yeshayahu 40:26. Similarly, in the present context, calling the righteous by the moon’s name reflects their nature. In particular, these two – Yaakov and David – are described as small because of their humility and the difficulties that they underwent. Thus, Yaakov declared,⁴⁵Bereishis 47:9. “The days of the years of my sojourning… were few and aggravating.” Indeed, the narratives concerning Yaakov related in the Torah confirm this statement. In the same vein, David was continually beset by many wearisome troubles, as reflected in the stories concerning him. This theme is also expressed in his psalms. Similarly, both Yaakov and David experienced continuous ascents and descents, and were beset by hardships. This reflects the pattern of the moon, which sometimes shines and sometimes is hidden. By identifying the moon with the righteous, God granted it a significant honor, for according to the tradition we have received, the level of the righteous exceeds that of the angels,⁴⁶See Sanhedrin 93a. and certainly that of the celestial beings and their hosts.⁴⁷For the level of the celestial beings is lower than that of the angels. See Rambam, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah 3:9. Therefore, by identifying the righteous with the moon – causing them to share the moon’s nature, with the moon resembling them and them it – God granted the moon a significant honor, praiseworthy quality, and exaltation.