By the Light of the Moon

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By the Light of the Moon

Before learning of the Hebrew feasts, I don’t think I ever looked up at the moon all that much. Although it really is a fascinating thing to watch. In Psalms 104:19, the scripture says YHVH gave us the moon for the appointed feasts. While the world goes by the sun for days and seasons, YHVH’S believers were told to use the moon. Klal Israel is compared to the moon. As the moon waxes and wanes every month, so does Israel as a people. However, as the moon each month comes back to its’ original state, as it appeared during creation, we will one day return to our original state, before the fall in the Garden. In the meantime, we can always rejuvenate ourselves during this awaited time studying Torah. While the Torah refers to the sun and the moon as great luminaries, the moon is actually tiny in comparison to the sun.

Ibn Ezra explains this doesn’t refer to the size of the luminary, but “what it accomplishes.” We know that the sod meaning of these two is the sun represents the father (YHVH) and the moon represents Yeshua, who is a reflection of the father in the flesh. The sun gives light and heat to the world, without it we could not exist. The moon lights up the night and plays a major role in illumination. Some stars are larger than the moon, but do not give off the same illumination. What is significant here is the fact that the moon is referred to as a great luminary, even though it doesn’t generate its own light. The fact that it is “reflected light” doesn’t concern us, only the fact that it does what it does and we benefit from it. Yeshua reflected YHVH’S will and we benefited from it.

We see here an important lesson for students of the Torah. Some people feel unfulfilled, or maybe less spiritual, if they don’t come up with original thoughts and ideas on the Torah. In some Yeshiva groups this is the sole quality the leaders look for to declare their students successful. They overlook dedication and sincerity in learning for its own sake. When we study Torah and begin to reflect the Torah light, then we are like the moon. Even though we weren’t the original creator of something good, we reflect it, thereby giving us merit. When one reflects the light of a good deed (mitzvah), it is like he performed the deed personally. In other words, if you helped someone to do something good, it is tantamount to performing it yourself. There are people who have lots of money to give to others. However, if this person is motivated to give to a worthy cause by the influence of someone else, it is as if the motivator gets the same reward as the giver does.

Charity means reaching out to help someone else, whether it be by money, time, or your expertise in some area. It’s all the same mitzvah. While it will probably not earn you a whole lot in this world, it will bear considerable interest in the world to come (Olam Habah). So even as the moon only reflects the warm glow of the sun, it still gives off light, and being a “light bearer” is the bottom line here in this life. So also to remember, the moon is still called one of the “big luminaries.” If you’re reflecting anything, let it be the SON!