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The ninth question is that you will observe that the Torah mentions six benefits that the luminaries confer upon the lower world. The first is the division of time: “to separate between the day and the night” (Genesis 1:14). The second is “and they shall be for signs”; the third, “and for appointed times”; the fourth, “and for days”; the fifth, “and years”; and the sixth, “to give light upon the earth” (Genesis 1:15).
Yet in the account of their actual formation, only two of these benefits are mentioned: “to give light upon the earth” (Genesis 1:17) and “to separate between the light and the darkness” (Genesis 1:18). Why, then, does Scripture omit the other benefits concerning signs, appointed times, days, and years? Furthermore, why is the function of ruling, which is mentioned in the account of their formation, entirely absent from the divine command?
Another difficulty concerns the order in which these benefits are mentioned, both in the command and in the account of their formation. In the command, Scripture mentions “days” after “appointed times,” which refer to the seasonal cycles, and only afterward mentions “years.” Yet it would have been more appropriate to list them in the order of days, appointed times, and years.
Likewise, in the account of their formation, Scripture mentions illumination first, although it appears last in the divine command, while the separation of light from darkness is mentioned last, although the corresponding distinction between day and night appears first in the command. All this seems strange and contrary to a proper and logical order.
The tenth question concerns a difficulty that troubled all the earlier philosophers: How can it be that the purpose for which the luminaries were created was to serve the beings of this lower world, “to give light upon the earth,” and so forth? For this would imply that the noble celestial bodies exist for the sake of the lowly and insignificant beings below, which is false.
Indeed, the prophets have already made clear the lowly status of man, saying, “O Lord, what is man that You should know him, the son of man, that You should consider him? Man is like a breath; his days are as a fleeting shadow.” (Psalms 144:3–4), and, “How much less, man, who is a worm, and the son of man, who is a maggot” (Job 25:6), together with other similar statements.
For the present, however, let us set aside the philosophical refutation of this opinion and turn instead to the verses of the Torah. In truth, the case under discussion is not comparable to the proof brought by the Master of the Guide.
The Master of the Guide, in chapters 12 and 13 of the third part of the Guide of the Perplexed, strongly rejected the notion that the heavens exist for the sake of the things created beneath them. He emphasized the immense heights of the heavens and the wonders of their extraordinary magnitude to demonstrate that man bears no proportion or comparison to those noble celestial bodies, much less do the other beings of the lower world.
He therefore interpreted the Torah’s expressions “to separate” and “to give light” as not meaning that the luminaries were created for these purposes as their primary intention. Rather, Scripture is describing their nature and the effects that follow from it as secondary consequences. This is comparable to what Scripture says concerning man, “And they shall rule over the fish of the sea”1 (Genesis 1:26). For dominion over the fish is not the ultimate purpose for which man was created, but something that follows from his nature.
This was also the opinion of Abu Hamid in his work on metaphysics2. Gersonides likewise inclined toward this view, as did the other commentators and authors generally.
For the present, however, let us set aside the philosophical refutation of this opinion and turn instead to the verses of the Torah. In truth, the case under discussion is not comparable to the proof brought by the Master of the Guide. For in the creation of man, Scripture does not say, “Let us make man in order to rule over the fish of the sea,” which would indicate a final cause or purpose. Rather, it says, “And they shall rule.” The expression can therefore bear the interpretation given by the Master of the Guide: that Scripture is describing something that follows from man’s nature, rather than the purpose for which he was created. There is no difficulty in that interpretation.
In the case of the luminaries, however, Scripture does not say, “And let them separate” or “And let them give light.” Instead, it says, “to separate” and “to give light.” This language indicates that these were the very purposes for which the luminaries were created. Consequently, the Master of the Guide has not resolved the difficulty presented by the biblical verses.
Parashat Bereshit — Genesis 1:14-19, The Purpose of the Heavens in the Commentary of Don Isaac Abarbanel)
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