ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף בראשית 1:14

An Elucidation of the Narrative of the Fourth Day of Creation
Before¹As reflected by the ellipses in the Hebrew text, in several places, the words in the original manuscript could not be read clearly. explaining the passage,²Bereishis 1:14-19. let us highlight several points:

a) As mentioned,³Page 93 above. in this passage, the word מארת, “luminaries,” is written in a short form, lacking the two vavim.⁴The word מארת would ordinarily be written מאורות. Our Sages⁵See Rashi’s commentary to Bereishis 1:14, which is based on Taanis 27b. took notice of that fact and commented, “It is a cursed (מארה) day when children become ill with croup.” Explanation is, however, necessary because the word מארת appears two other times in the passage: וְהָיוּ לִמְאוֹרֹת and שְׁנֵי הַמְּאֹרֹת. In the last instance, the word מארת is lacking both vavim, while in the first instance, it is lacking only the second vav.

d) In relating God’s utterance,⁶Bereishis 1:14. the narrative states that the luminaries were created “to make a distinction between the day and the night.” However, in the description of the fashioning of the luminaries it is written that they were created for two purposes:⁷Ibid. 1:18. “to rule during the day and during the night, and to make a distinction between the light and the darkness.” If the distinction between day and night is the same as the distinction between light and darkness, it is necessary to understand why God’s statement does not mention ruling during the day and night. Furthermore, if day and night, and light and darkness are identical, the narrative should have stated simply, “to make a distinction between them.” Conversely, if the distinction between light and darkness is not the same as the distinction between day and night, God’s statement and the description of the actual fashioning of the luminaries are not the same at all. The description of the actual fashioning of the luminaries is totally different from God’s description of their being brought into being.