Or Ein Sof, “Light of The Infinite One”: The Primordial Light of Creation
Is the natural phenomenon known as “aurora” a reminiscence of the infinite light of the Creation?
From the creation narrative in the first chapter of the Scripture, we learn that the main source of light on earth is the sun. But the sun and the moon (which reflects the sunlight) were not created until the fourth day. Yet there was light that came into existence on the first day of creation. Hence, we are coming to paradox: Light was created on the first day, but the sun was not created until the fourth day. The obvious question that is forced upon us is: How was that possible? This matter of the primordial light can best be understood in connection with what we commenced to explain in the article How God Created the Universe from Nothing, which we suggest the reader review before proceeding here.
“From nothing, nothing arises. But from the One, everything and everyone has risen”. Navah
It all began with the words Elohim uttered in the Beginning,
“Light shall exist”, and light existed. (Gen 1:3)
That was one of the ten utterances with which the Eternal created the universe. That directive included a reference to light which at that time was still invisible. The light that was called into existence on the first day of creation was the primeval or primordial light; it existed from the beginning; in the earliest stage of the creation. The Creator commanded to that light, Yehi Or, “Light shall exist!”, and it came to be. With these words light existed, and thus the command Yehi Or started representing the beginning of the universe. But if we rewind the time even further, what was before the Beginning?
There was a plan for the creation of everything visible and invisible in this world, before Genesis 1:1 even begins, for indeed who creates a whole universe without a plan. When the plan was conceptualized and all terms in it conceived, it became an instruction for implementation. In Hebrew, this is the word Torah, which simply means “instruction” or “direction”. Then the Creator uttered the first words of Creation ordering light to exist; that was the primordial light, and then the light existed. With the call of light to exist, He thus created time and space in one continuum, namely, spacetime. Therefore, the whole text with which the Scripture opens itself to the reader leads into the existence of light. If the primeval light was the first thing created, then it must have been fundamental in the creation of the universe.
In Hebrew, this light is known as Or Ein Sof, “Light of The Infinite One”. There is one infinite Creator, the beginning and the cause of all causes and the Maker of all. His existence is absolute existence, and without Him nothing really exists. Before the creation there was only Him and nothing else until He wanted to create. This primeval light, which He called into existence on the first day, is not the light the stars emit; this light was created on the fourth day. The reason why we find this important to emphasize will be made clear further on.
And the Creator saw the light that it was good. But did the Infinite One really need to see that the light was good? Rather, according to the plain meaning of this verse, the Hebrew word וַיַּרְא, va’yar, “He saw”, means that He approved of what He had done and decreed that it should be so. And so was it.
We find the following difference of opinion. According to the Rabbinic interpretation in Genesis Rabbah, the original primordial light served only during the first three days of Creation: until the sun and the moon were suspended in the sky. After that, Or Ein Sof, the primordial light, was hidden away, and since then the stars have been serving as sources of light. However, there is another interpretation which holds that the primordial light remained revealed until the seventh day and then was hidden. Thus, from the fourth until the seventh days both the primordial light and sunlight existed together. But what is light?
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration”. Nikola Tesla
Of all known phenomena none is more central nor wondrous than light. In physics, the term “light” refers to any electromagnetic radiation, whether visible or not. The light has a discrete, indivisible manifestation of its physical property, called quantum, which takes the form of elementary particles, called photons. A photon has frequency which cannot be zero; it is a massless stable particle that has no electric charge, and it travels at speed of about 300,000 km/s. This light comes from the sun as thermonuclear radiation, as the sun itself is nothing less than a gigantic nuclear reactor. This is the light we know today; it was created on the fourth day, as opposed to the light that came into existence on the first day.
But there is something else that was created together with the primeval light: time. It would have been impossible for the Creator to say Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc., before the definition of “day” (the measurement unit for time) had been created in the first place. Therefore, we see that time was created on the first day before the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day.
Today we measure time with a super-accurate device called “atomic clock” that uses an electron transition frequency in the microwave, optical, or ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum of atoms. The atomic clock has an accuracy of 1 second in up to 100 million years, because it uses the microwave signal that electrons in atoms emit. Simply put, the atomic clock measures time by the frequency of the atoms.
By now we should have noticed that both light and time have a common thing, and that is frequency. And if “the nuclear light” from the sun has frequency, then we may expect that the primeval light also has frequency to measure time from Day One on.
Now, some theologians have erroneously assumed, reading Genesis 1:14, that the sun and the moon were created to measure time, for signs and seasons. But we wonder about it! If the heavenly luminaries were created to determine the time and seasons, how would they be able to measure time when time was created before them? In our opinion, the confusion comes from the poor translation of the Hebrew word moedim. That the word moedim does not mean “seasons” is obvious from the context of Leviticus 23, wherein this word is used for designating the appointed times of the Creator, not for determining the seasons like spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
“This world is like a corridor before the World to Come.” (Avot 4:16)
So, what measured time between Day 1 and Day 3, when the heavenly luminaries were not yet suspended on the sky?
Light and time were created first and the heavenly bodies later. It is the present author’s opinion that the sun and the moon were created for the reason not to measure time but to synchronize the rhythm (the frequency) of the already created time. Time was created and measured on the first day and from that day on a heavenly “atomic clock” (the primeval light) started measuring time with its frequency (much like a quartz clock measures time today) until the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day. But what happened to the primeval light after Day 4?
As we mentioned previously, the Sages differ in their opinions when the primeval light ceased to exist. Some of the sages say that it existed until the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day; others: it existed until the seventh day of creation and then it was hidden. But, while they are correct to say that the primeval light exists, they are incorrect saying that it ceased to exist for the simple reason that there is no verse to direct to that conclusion. On the contrary, we have reason to believe that the primeval light continued to exist in a hidden form. And one day it will be revealed again, according to Revelation 22:5. We read thus,
And night shall be no more, and they shall have no need of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Eternal Elohim shall give them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Rev 22:5)
The Book of Revelation makes explicit what is implicit in Genesis. This verse indicates that the primeval light originates and radiates from the Creator and will be revealed again for illuminating the post-millennium epoch on.
A few things should be noted here. The source of the primeval light is the Creator Himself; it exists and will keep on existing even after the seventh millennium; it has an invisible component (time) and a visible one (illumination), together called in Hebrew or “light”; the primeval light and the light that comes from the sun exist in parallel from Day 4 on; the sunlight is temporary and will cease to exist after the seventh millennium.
With that being said, how our initial question can be reconciled, but to say that the primeval light served and still serves as a heavenly clock to measure the universal time for the Creator’s Reckoning of Time. And the sun and the moon were created for mankind to reckon the conceivable time and to observe The Appointed Times of YHVH.
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May we merit seeing the coming of our Mashiach speedily in our days!
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