Does Size Matter? — Chullin 60b — #68

R. Shimon b. Pazzi pointed out a contradiction: One verse says, And God made the two great luminaries, and immediately the verse continues, The greater luminary… and the lesser luminary (Genesis 1:16). The moon said to the Holy Blessed One, “Sovereign of the Universe! Is it possible for two sovereigns to wear one crown?” God answered, “Go, then, and make yourself smaller.” “Sovereign of the Universe,” cried the moon, “must I make myself smaller because I have suggested that which is proper?” God replied, “Go and rule by day and by night.” “But what is the value of this?” cried the moon. “Of what use is a lamp in broad daylight?” God replied, “Go. Israel shall reckon the days and the years by you.” “But it is impossible to do without the sun for the reckoning of the seasons,” said the moon, “as it is written, And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years (Genesis 1:14).” “Go. The righteous shall be named after you, as we find: Jacob the Small [Amos 7:5], Samuel the Small [1 Samuel 2:19], David the Small [1 Samuel 16:11, 17:14].” On seeing that [the moon] would not be consoled, the Holy Blessed One said, “Bring an atonement offering for Me for making the moon smaller.” This is what was meant by R. Shimon b. Lakish when he declared, “Why is it that the he-goat offered on the new moon is distinguished in that it is described as a sin-offering for God (Numbers 28:15)? Because the Holy Blessed One said, “Let this he-goat be an atonement for Me for making the moon smaller.”

INTRODUCTION

Who says size doesn’t matter? A longitudinal study by Timothy A. Judge and Daniel M. Cable, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology (Vol. 89, No. 3) claimed that height correlates to higher earnings to the tune of $789 per inch per year. Judge and Cable suggested that it may be that taller people have greater self-esteem and confidence, or it may be that others ascribe greater authority and leadership capacity to taller people. Judge explained in an interview: "Perhaps when humans were in the early stages of organization, they used height as an index for power in making 'fight or flight' decisions. They ascribed leader-like qualities to tall people… Evolutionary psychologists would argue that some of those old patterns still operate in our perceptions today.” Princeton economists Anne Case and Christina Paxson, however, offer a different explanation: Taller people are smarter. We know from life experience that size, significance, power, and self-perception are often inseparably intertwined in the human mind, profoundly influencing the societies we inhabit. Given the human proclivity to compare ourselves with others, the Rabbis offer this midrashic allegory of the sun and moon. Originally they were the same size… that is, until the moon objected to God. (A parallel version of this midrash is found in Bereishit Rabbah 6:3.)

COMMENTARY

The midrash about the sun and the moon is launched by a seeming internal contradiction in Genesis 1:16: God made “two great luminaries,” suggesting they are the same size, followed by, “the greater luminary to dominate the day and the lesser luminary to dominate the night…” 

The moon objects to God that two rulers cannot share one crown, and so God punishes the moon by compelling her to shrink herself. Again the moon objects that her punishment is unjust because her objection was reasonable. God, seeming to respond, ordains that the moon will reign  (i.e., be visible) both day and night, unlike the sun which is visible only during the day. Again the moon objects, saying that the light she casts during the day is insignificant. God responds by ordaining that the Jewish calendar will count days and years by the moon, but the moon rejects this, saying that in reality days and years are calculate according to the sun. (In the Jewish calendar, the sun determines days, weeks, and years, but the moon determines the months and the festivals.) Attempting to assuage the moon, God offers that the sobriquet “Small” will, in the future, apply to those who are great: the Jewish People (Jacob), a first century tanna (Samuel) renowned for his humility, and King David, who was the youngest of his brothers. Being “small” places the moon in good company.

Unable to console the moon, God seeks to make atonement for having forced her to diminish herself unjustifiably. The Rabbis peg this on Numbers 28:15, which instructs Israel to bring “a sin-offering for God,” reading the verse to mean that Israel brings the sin-offering on God’s behalf to effect atonement for God’s sin against the moon.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AND DISCUSS

1. Are you able to forgive yourself? Are you able to forgive others? There is a story about a man who could not entirely forgive himself for something he had done wrong. His rabbi asked, “Have you ever forgiven another person utterly and completely?” The man replied that he had tried, but there was always a tiny bit of resentment that remained. The rabbi pointed out that this was the problem: Until he could forgive another entirely, he would not be able to forgive himself entirely. The Rabbis present God as a model one who is unable to fully achieve self-forgiveness and therefore perpetually in need of an atonement offering.
2. The Talmudic commentator Rabbi Shmuel Eidels (Poland, 1555–1631, known as the Maharsha) views the moon as a metaphor for the Jewish people, who have been politically and socially “diminished” and subjugated throughout much of history. If the Maharsha is correct about the Rabbis’ intent in telling this story, what is the message to us?
3. Does God bring an atonement offering every month as an acknowledgement that God was wrong, or as a reconciliation offering? How does this apply to our relationships?