A Non-Theistic Midrash on the Moon
The sages asked: Why was the calendar entrusted to the moon rather than to the sun?
One answered: Because the sun teaches daily effort and the moon rests.
Another answered: Because the sun appears unchanged, but the moon changes.
The teacher rose and said:
Neither has understood the matter completely. The moon appears to grow and diminish, yet no one imagines that part of it has been lost. Its fullness remains even when hidden from sight. It is our position that changes, not the moon itself. The moon is like Acceptance.
The disciples asked: If the Acceptance never changes, why do we sometimes feel close to it and at other times abandoned?
The teacher replied:
When clouds cover the moon, do you say that the moon has ceased to exist? When the new moon cannot be seen, do you mourn its destruction? You know that what cannot be seen has not ceased to be.