Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Genesis 1:16/אור החיים על בראשית א׳:ט״ז

אוַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים וְגוֹ׳. טַעַם שֶׁלֹּא הִסְפִּיק בְּמַה שֶׁאָמַר כְּבָר ״וַיְהִי כֵן״ עַל כָּל הָאָמוּר, כִּי מַעֲשֶׂה זֶה הוּא מַעֲשֶׂה חָדָשׁ, שֶׁאַחַר שֶׁנִּתְמַעֲטָה הַיָּרֵחַ כָּאָמוּר בְּדִבְרֵיהֶם, תִּקֵּן הַשֵּׁם וְקָבַע מַעֲשֶׂה חָדָשׁ, שֶׁקָּבַע מֶמְשָׁלָה לַיָּרֵחַ בַּלַּיְלָה, כִּי בַּיּוֹם אֵין לָהּ מֶמְשָׁלָה לִפְנֵי אוֹר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וְלִוָּה לָהּ הַכּוֹכָבִים. וְאֵין בָּזֶה הַפְכִּיּוּת לְמַה שֶׁאָמַר הַשֵּׁם בִּתְחִלַּת דְּבָרָיו, כִּי כְּבָר רָמַז אַחֲרִית דָּבָר מֵרֵאשִׁיתוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁדִּיַּקְתִּי בְּאָמְרוֹ ״יְהִי״. וַהֲגַם שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ אוֹתָהּ בְּאֹפֶן אַחֵר, סוֹבֶלֶת הִיא ב׳ הַפֵּרוּשִׁים.
1And God made, etc.: And the reason that it did not suffice with that which it said earlier, "and it was so" upon all that is stated, is because the [act] here is a new act. Since, after the moon was reduced - as it is stated in their words (Chullin 60b) - God refined and fixed a new act [of creation]; since He fixed the rule of the moon by night - as it does not have rulership during the day in front of the light of the sun - and had the stars accompany it. And this is not in contradiction to that which God stated in the beginning of his words, since he already hinted to the end of [His] word at its beginning, as I [showed] by being precise, in its stating, "let there be" (in the singular to show that only one luminary would be great). And even if we explained it in a different way, [the text] supports two explanations.