Statement: On the fourth day of creation, the pasuk states, “And G-d made the two great luminaries:... the lesser luminary (the moon) to rule the night, and the stars.”
Question: Based on this, it seems the moon’s job is to rule both the night and the stars. We can possibly understand how the moon rules the night, but how does the moon rule over the stars?
Answer: The Midrash teaches that the Jewish people are compared to the moon since they have also waxed and waned throughout history. There were high points where they showed their brightness and reflected the light of HaShem’s Torah during dark times. There were also times when their light seemed to have almost faded entirely, only to experience a rebirth, just like the moon.
Regarding the stars, referred to as “mazalos,” there is much debate among the Jewish sages regarding their influence on mankind. They debate whether this influence is direct or indirect. The Talmud says:
Rabbi Chanina says, "The influence of one's mazal makes one wise, mazal makes one wealthy, and there is a mazal for the Jewish people." (However) Rabbi Yochanan said, "There is no mazal for the Jewish people (that influences them)."
One example that shows how Jews can rise above the influence of their mazal is: "He (HaShem) took him (Avram) outside and said, ‘Gaze toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to count them,’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’"
Although it might have been written in the stars that Avram and Sarai could not have children, HaShem told him to disregard this. When we look at the verb "gaze," the Malbim and others explain that this always suggests a looking downward from above. Indeed, the Midrash says that HaShem lifted Avram above the stars to gaze down on them. The Zohar explains this as if HaShem told Avraham, “Dissociate yourself from your astrological predictions.” You’re higher than your mazal.
Since we know that, "the deeds of our forefathers are signs for their descendants," this teaches that we can also rise above the influences of our personal mazal. As Jewish people are compared to the moon, we can rule over our stars, i.e., meaning our mazal. How is this done?
Our Sages say that the Jewish people can rise above their mazal—their celestial influence, by moving and changing themselves concerning their connection with HaShem. As this change creates a “new you,” this also influences a new mazal, a new flow of Divine Energy. Some even speculate that the word mazal originates from the word "to flow," similar to the English word “nozzle”—a device designed to control the direction or characteristics of a fluid flow. We can alter the direction of our Divine energy flow through Teshuva, Tefillah, and Tzedakah (the Sages add: changing or adding to one’s name or one’s place.)
Interestingly, the earliest expression of “mazal Tov” seems to have first appeared in our liturgy of Kiddush Levana—the sanctification of the moon’s renewal, which is said once a month upon the appearance of the new moon. In this prayer, we say three times, “A good sign and good fortune let there be for us and for all Israel. Amein.” (Note that in the earlier versions, the words “mazal Tov” do not appear but were added later.) This further deepens the link between the concept of the moon and our mazal.
On the one hand, it seems quite odd that on special occasions, when we wish to express our thanks to Hashem for our blessings, we seemingly give credit to “signs” and “stars,” especially as the Torah explicitly forbids this. As Maimonides says: Who is a fortune teller (which is prohibited)? A person who tries to predict auspicious times, using astrology and saying, "This day will be a good day," "This day will be a bad day," etc...
Kabbalistic and Chassidic sources explain that the soul has sublime levels that remain in the upper realms, connected to its source, and lower levels, which are clothed within the body. The higher levels of the soul, which transcend any limitation, are referred to as “mazal” in Kabbalah. Therefore, by wishing someone mazal Tov, they essentially say that the energy of Divine flow from above should be positive. As such, it has been a long-standing Jewish custom to bless each other with the expression of mazal Tov.
Perhaps we could understand the above Talmudic statement of “There is no mazal for the Jewish people” to really refer to HaShem, who, in the language of Kabbalist, is called, Without End. Meaning that HaShem is our mazal and influence, especially when we’re connected. This connection between the mazal of the moon and HaShem can also be seen from our Sages, who say, "Whoever pronounces the benediction of the new moon in its due time welcomes, as it were, the presence of the Shechinah-Divine Presence.”
Lesson: People can often feel that their mazal and fate are chained to influences beyond their control. But from the above statement, we can learn that just like the moon has the power to rule the stars, the Jewish people (who are compared to the moon) have the power to renew themselves every day—even every moment in the day. As we say in our morning tefilos, "In His goodness, He renews the work of creation every day.”
How easy is this accomplished? Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk said, “We say of HaShem, that thanks to teshuvah, ‘as far as east from west, has He distanced our transgressions from us.’ So the Kotzker Rebbe asked his students, “Perhaps one of you can tell me how far east is from west?” The students grappled with this problem. Each one came up with a different astronomical figure. Suddenly, he interrupted them and declared, “You are all in error! The distance from east to west is merely a turn. When one stands facing east and turns around, instantly, he faces west. This is the immediacy of teshuvah.” All it requires is a turn, a rotation like we see with the moon.
Just as the light of the moon will be renewed to become like the light of the sun, so will Israel return to cleave to Hashem, as we say in the prayers of Kiddush Levana, “And G-d said to the moon, ‘Renew yourself!’ a crown of beauty to the womb-laden who are destined to renew themselves like her...” And through our personal renewal, we see the moon, a symbol for the Jewish people, does indeed rule the stars. So the next time you feel that your mazal may be dimming, don’t worry–just like the moon, it’s just going through a phase.
May we merit a complete and total renewal speedily in our days so all can see that HaShem is indeed the mazal for the Jewish people.
*Caleb Rader of Boca Raton, Florida, asked this question.
