The sun is the closest star to Earth, placed there by G‑d to give us light and warmth. It also holds a prominent place in Jewish literature, showing up again and again in Biblical stories and carrying layer upon layer of symbolism and meaning. Read on for 16 facts about this celestial body in Judaism.
1. It Started Shining in the Sky on the Fourth Day
On the fourth day of Creation, G‑d hung the sun in the heavens.1 The commentators explain that the sun, along with all of creation, was actually brought into being on the very first day. It simply wasn’t set into its place in the sky until day four.2
2. It Goes by Several Names
In Biblical Hebrew, the sun is called shemesh. In the Mishnah and Talmud, the preferred term is chamah, related to chom, “heat.” A rarer name that appears a few times in the Bible is cheres.3 Remarkably, the last letters of these three names, שס”ה, equal 365—the length of the solar year.4
Interestingly, in the story of Creation, a different name is given: hamaor hagadol, “the great luminary.”
Read: Lessons of the Sun
3. It Keeps the Jewish Calendar on Track
The Jewish calendar relies on both the sun and the moon. Its twelve months are lunar, 29 or 30 days each. But the year itself is solar, since each holiday needs to be in its proper season. That’s why, every two or three years, an extra month is added, keeping the shorter lunar months from drifting out of sync with the seasons.
Read: The Jewish Calendar Year
4. It Carries Healing Powers
Jewish tradition teaches that G‑d wove a healing power into the sun’s rays, bringing strength to the weak and the ill. When an angel struck Jacob’s leg, the morning sunlight healed his limp.5 And in the future era, G‑d promises that “the sun will shine for those who fear My name, carrying healing in its wings.”6
One tradition adds that Abraham owned a gemstone with a unique healing power. After Abraham passed away, G‑d transferred that power to the sun.7
5. It Featured in Joseph’s Dreams
In one of Joseph’s dreams, he saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars all bowing down to him. Years later, when Joseph rose to power in Egypt, that vision was fulfilled: the sun in the dream represented his father Jacob, who, together with the rest of the family, bowed before him.
6. It Stood Still …
When Joshua’s forces were battling the Canaanites at Gibeon, it seemed that daylight would run out before the fight could be won. So G‑d miraculously stopped the sun in its tracks, leaving it halfway through the sky for a full 24 hours until the Jews were victorious.8 A Midrashic tradition adds that a similar miracle happened when Moses led the Jews in war against Sichon (or Og).9
7. … Jumped Ahead …
When Jacob was fleeing his brother Esau, he passed right by the Temple Mount without realizing it. Wanting Jacob to spend the night in the very place his descendants would one day serve Him, G‑d caused the sun to set early, and Jacob settled down to sleep on that sacred ground.10
Read: 9 Facts About Jacob's Ladder
Twenty years later, on his way back home, Jacob wrestled with Esau’s guardian angel and came away with an injured leg. In response, G‑d made the sun rise early by that same number of hours it had once set early, bringing Jacob the healing he needed.11
8. … And Retreated
When the righteous King Hezekiah fell gravely ill, he pleaded with G‑d for a recovery, and G‑d heeded his prayers. The prophet Isaiah came to tell him that he would indeed get well, and as proof, Isaiah said that the sun’s shadow on the royal sundial would miraculously move backward ten degrees. It happened exactly as promised, and Hezekiah went on to live another fifteen years.12
9. It’s the Torah’s Go-To Example of Idolatry
Many ancient pagan cultures worshipped the sun, the brightest of all celestial beings. G‑d warned the Jewish people again and again to steer clear of idolatry, and the sun comes up repeatedly as a prime example of what may never be worshipped.13 The Torah even describes a specific sun-idol that people placed on their rooftops, foretelling that G‑d would one day bring those buildings crashing down along with the idols on top of them.14
10. There Are Restrictions on Drawing It
The Torah forbids making images of the celestial beings as a safeguard against serving them.15 Most halachic authorities extend this prohibition to drawing as well.16 To avoid this issue, it is best to draw only partial images of the sun, or to portray parts of it covered by clouds17 (hence our artist's design of the sun for this article).
11. There’s a Blessing on It—Once in 28 Years!
Judaism has blessings for food, for mitzvahs, and various other occasions. Which is the rarest of them all? The blessing over the sun!
Once every 28 years, when the sun returns to the exact position in the sky it occupied at the moment of Creation, we recite the blessing oseh ma’aseh bereishit (“... Who reenacts the work of Creation”). It’s a special moment experienced just a few times in a lifetime.
12. Directions and Times Are Named After It
Several Hebrew words related to space and time have the sun as their theme. Mizrach, east, is related to the word for sunrise. Ma’arav, west, connects to the word for evening, since that’s where the sun disappears at night. The afternoon is called bein ha’arbayim, “between the darknesses”: the stretch between the midday “darkness,” when shadows start creeping eastward, and sunset, when full darkness sets in.18
13. Its Shadow Marked Miracles
The position of the sun’s shadow has been used to pinpoint the exact moment a miracle would happen. When Abraham was told he’d have a son, the angel delivering the news carved a mark into a wall and said, “When the sun's shadow reaches this spot next year, Sarah will give birth!”19 Moses did something similar when warning Pharaoh about the plague of hail, this time marking where the shadow would fall the very next day.20
14. Solar Eclipses Are Heavenly Warnings
The Talmud teaches that a solar eclipse is a message to the world. It indicates a time when people are more prone to sin and are held accountable for it. When G‑d created the world, He built in these celestial signs so that people could take extra care to do good and steer clear of wrongdoing during those times.21
15. The Torah Is Like the Sun, Only Better
In Psalms, King David compares the Torah to the sun, bringing light and benefit to everyone who keeps it. He then goes on to contrast the two in six different ways, showing how the Torah outshines the sun every time:22
- The sun’s heat can bring on sunstroke, but “the Torah of G‑d is complete; it revives the soul.”
- The sun’s heat can cloud the senses, but “the testimony of G‑d is trustworthy; it brings wisdom to the foolish.”
- The sun can leave one worrying about its harmful effects, but “the instructions of G‑d are upright; they gladden the heart.”
- Staring at the sun can weaken one’s eyesight, but “the command of G‑d is clear; it illuminates the eyes.”
- The sun is sometimes blocked by clouds, but “the fear of G‑d is pure; it endures forever.”
- The sun can only be in one place at a time, but “the judgments of G‑d are true; they are just throughout.”
16. It’s an Analogy for Divine Light
Scripture describes G‑d as “a sun and a shield.”23 This captures a foundational kabbalistic idea: G‑d’s infinite light is simply too much for any created being to handle. If He revealed His full glory, we would cease to exist. So G‑d “covers” His boundless light, letting through just enough Divine energy to create, sustain, and give life to the universe. In this way, G‑d is like the sun whose intense light would consume the world entirely, were it not for a protective shield that tones it down to a measure we can bear.24
Read: Creation Impossible
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