בראשית א:ג-ד
גוַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹקים יְהִי־א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר:
דוַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹקים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹקים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֽשֶׁךְ:
3And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
4And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness.
In the beginning of creation there is a description of the creation of light. The Torah tells us that Hashem saw the light and it was "good". What does it mean for the light to be "good"? What is "good" about this light? What does the word "טוב" mean in the Torah?
Rashi notes that "good" here has to do with Tzadikim and that this light is not light like we think of that illuminates dark, but a deeper special "light" that has to do with Olam Haba.
What are other approaches?
The “good” in this according to Sforno means that Hashem didn't create light because he wasn't aware of it previously but rather because he believed it was good and that the world needed it. I think that Sforno is right in this approach because Hashem is aware of everything so there had to be some sort of reading to this and Hashem probably did think we can gain from light.
ReplyDelete-ayala kramer
The רמב"ן said
ReplyDeleteוַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי טוֹב, שרצה בקיומו לעד.
He is saying that when hashem says it is good it means he want it to last forever
miriam blech
DeleteYedida Baer
ReplyDeleteThe shadal says that when he made light he knew that light would be a good and useful thing to everyone. He says that here the Torah spoke like a person would speak. People only know what we experience, we don't know more than that. People make things thinking it will be something for the good, but then it ends up being bad. Since the Torah is talking like a person, Hashem is saying that the light was a good thing and it was helpful. I think it is interesting that the Torah is talking like a person. I think that Hashem would already know that the light would be a good thing otherwise why would he make light, so why is he saying that light is a good thing if he already knows that.
The radak says it means that light was good because it added positivity to the universe which it had little of. Light is bright and sweet and good while darkness is tied to evil. He also says that it was good for creatures in the world as well. It enable us to see beautiful things that hashem created in the world. Without light we wouldn’t be able to see anything at all and wouldn’t be able to appreciate hashems world the same.
ReplyDelete-Aliza