ייִדישער מחשבֿה אויף תהילים 19:5

G-d’s instruction to Moses to return to the camp, (obliquely referred to by mentioning that his most trusted disciple Joshua had not departed from the tent) teaches us about the reciprocal relationship between Moses and (lehavdil) G-d. It was the former's task to assuage the latter when He was angry; on the other hand G-d would reciprocate when Moses was angry.

In Shlomoh’s time, the people feared God “as long as the sun and the moon endure, for all generations.” Beyond the simple translation, that verse can be interpreted as an allusion to the desired state of the world: The words עם שמש can be understood as meaning “in an ongoing manner”, for the sun’s light is unchanging, as it was in the past, so it is now. A similar interpretation can be given for the expression, דור דורים, translated as “for all generations”. דור, generation, shares a root with the word דירה, which means “dwelling”. Thus, this phrase means that the Jews’ fear of God will be established and permanent like a person’s dwelling is established and permanent. The notion of permanence relates to the moon, as reflected in our Sages’ discussion of the Greek conception of the movement of the heavenly spheres as compared with our Sages’ own conception:¹⁴Pesachim 94b. The Greeks maintained that the stars and constellations are fixed in their positions, and the heavenly sphere moves. Our Sages maintained that the heavenly sphere is fixed in its position, and the stars and constellations move. Ultimately, the Sages conceded to the Greek position. Hence, the Sages teach that the term דירה relates to the moon and the other stars, for they are fixed in the sky. This concept is also reflected by another verse:¹⁵Tehillim 19:5. “In the heavens He made a tent for the sun.” The implication is that all the heavens as a whole continually revolve, while the sun remains fixed in its tent, “which will not be moved… or uprooted”¹⁶Cf. Yeshayahu 33:20. Tosfos Yom Tov borrowed the wording of this verse, which describes Jerusalem as a “tent which will not be moved…or uprooted.” from it. To illustrate by analogy: The sun in its “tent” is like a person sitting in a ship; the ship proceeds and cruises on the water. Just as the ship moves while the person is stationary, so too, the heavenly sphere moves while the sun remains stationary.