Creation and Climate Change
When I was looking for images with which to illustrate this blog, I came across this: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/modeling-the-earth-moon-system/, which actually could work nicely for a curriculum that integrates science with understanding TaNaCh, something I have yet to find in kids' schools (even those that claim to aspire to it). It can directly relate to the Midrash on Bereishis. that I wrote about here: http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-sun-moon-and-stars.html
The first chapter (verse 16) of Bereishis recounts the creation of the sun, the moon, and the stars:
אֶת־שְׁנֵ֥י הַמְּאֹרֹ֖ת הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים אֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת הַכּֽוֹכָבִֽים:
And G-d made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars.
Based on Midrash Rabbah and Chulin 60b, Rashi explains: that first it refers to "two great luminaries" because originally the sun and the moon were equal. But the moon was made smaller because it brought charges and said, “It is impossible for two kings to use the same crown.” The stars are then also mentioned after the moon is described as the smaller luminary because they came to accompany it at night after it was diminished.
I suggested an insight based on Echad Mi Yodea or "Who Knows One?" The answer to the question of "Who knows 11?" Sure there are 11 stars in Yosef's dream, but 11 also happens to be the difference in days between a solar and lunar year: 365 and 354 day. It's not only the moon's size that is smaller than the sun's but the moon's year. The compensation for that shortfall is to be found in the stars, and so we have the son's association of the number 11 with the stars -- in general -- as that is the number of days that need to be "made up" to the moon after its losing equal standing to the sun.
In thinking about it this year, I considered that could be the very first change in climate on the earth. After all, we do know that the moon's present size and position has a significant impact on tidal activity. Should the moon have been larger, its placement would have had to have been different to keep things in balance and not have its much larger gravitational pull cause massive flooding.
Another form of climate change in the earth itself is one of the consequences of the sin and expulsion from Eden. (Bereishis 2:17-19)
זלְאָדָ֣ם אָמַ֗ר כִּ֣י שָׁמַ֘עְתָּ֘ לְק֣וֹל אִשְׁתֶּ֒ךָ֒ וַתֹּ֨אכַל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוִּיתִ֨יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֲרוּרָ֤ה הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲבוּרֶ֔ךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙ תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֔נָּה כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיך
| וְק֥וֹץ וְדַרְדַּ֖ר תַּצְמִ֣יחַ לָ֑ךְ וְאָֽכַלְתָּ֖ אֶת־עֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶֽה: | ||
| יטבְּזֵעַ֤ת אַפֶּ֨יךָ֙ תֹּ֣אכַל לֶ֔חֶם |
What's implied is that the earth's original state was one of such fertility that produce would grow nearly effortlessly. That switched, and this curse on the earth was only lightened generations later when Noach was born (5:29) His father gave him that name to express that his arrival signal rest from our work and from the toil of our hands from the ground that was cursed by Hashem.,
וַיִּקְרָ֧א אֶת־שְׁמ֛וֹ נֹ֖חַ לֵאמֹ֑ר זֶ֞ה יְנַֽחֲמֵ֤נוּ מִמַּֽעֲשֵׂ֨נוּ֙ וּמֵֽעִצְּב֣וֹן יָדֵ֔ינוּ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵֽרֲרָ֖הּ
Noach would then see yet another stage of climate change after the Mabul. During the flooding the regular order of climate seemed to have been suspended, but the order with which we are familiar today seemed to have only been established afterwards, likely due to the shift in the earth's tilt that determines what different sides of the globe experiences in their weather and daylight.
(Noach 8:22)
כבעֹ֖ד כָּל־יְמֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ זֶ֡רַע וְ֠קָצִ֠יר וְקֹ֨ר וָחֹ֜ם וְקַ֧יִץ וָחֹ֛רֶף וְי֥וֹם וָלַ֖יְלָה לֹ֥א יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ:
This illustrates the earth's elliptical orbit around the sun with its tilt (obviously not drawn to scale) from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_tilt_animation.gif
So in just the the first two parshiyos of Bereishis we find multiple shifts that directly impact earth's climate.
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