berishit new shiur

Bereishit 5769
Clothing of Light

© 2008 Rabbi Ari D. Kahn

In the aftermath of man’s sin in Eden, Adam and Eve find themselves exposed, vulnerable, humiliated – naked.

בראשית פרק ג
(ז) וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה עֵינֵי שְׁנֵיהֶם וַיֵּדְעוּ כִּי עֵירֻמִּם הֵם …
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew[1] that they were naked[2].

In a feeble attempt to cover themselves they take fig leaves and fashion a primitive covering.

וַיִּתְפְּרוּ עֲלֵה תְאֵנָה וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם חֲגֹרֹת:
and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons [loincloths?] (Genesis 3:7).

Their purpose was to cover up their nakedness. The choice of fig leaves has caused at least one rabbinic tradition to identify the Tree of Knowledge with the fig tree[3]: In a frantic attempt to cover up, they chose the closest material at hand.

Subsequently – after the investigation, trial, sentencing and punishment, we find the conclusion of the saga, and again it addresses their attire:

(כא) וַיַּעַשׂ ה’ אֱלֹהִים לְאָדָם וּלְאִשְׁתּוֹ כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר וַיַּלְבִּשֵׁם:
For Adam and for his wife the Lord God made coats of skins, and clothed them (Genesis 3:21).

The difference is striking: Adam and Eve found flimsy fig leaves and fashioned a loin cloth of sorts, whereas God provides fine leather coats to protect and provide shelter from the elements. While man only managed to cover up, God provided man with clothing “and clothed them”. While man simply didn’t want to be stark naked in public, God chose to act with kindness. Despite the sin and the resultant alienation, God performs an incredibly tender gesture: He clothes them, He cares for them; He takes care of wayward, sinful man.

We exist in a world of clothing and costumes, and it all began with a fig leaf. It was only by virtue of the bite taken from a mysterious, dangerous, deadly fruit that an awareness of nakedness appeared. But what was the nature of this nakedness? Was it physical or spiritual? Was the awareness of their nakedness the result of a spiritual shift, of a metamorphosis which occurred in the aftermath of sin? Or was man altered in a more physical fashion?

We would have expected that sin would cause a spiritual reaction – but we see that the response of Adam and Eve is to cover up their bodies which had become vulnerable; they became embarrassed, humiliated. Perhaps this is the result of their souls feeling alienated. But what of their souls? Did they seek spiritual cover? How does one cover up a tainted soul? Surely the soul was impacted, damaged and tainted with sin by their action. What was the reaction?

When discussing this point Rav Yosef Dov Solovietchik[4] introduced the following verse:

ישעיהו פרק סא
(י) שׂוֹשׂ אָשִׂישׂ בַּה’ תָּגֵל נַפְשִׁי בֵּאלֹהַי כִּי הִלְבִּישַׁנִי בִּגְדֵי יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי כֶּחָתָן יְכַהֵן פְּאֵר וְכַכַּלָּה תַּעְדֶּה כֵלֶיהָ:
I greatly rejoice in the Lord my soul rejoices with God for he has clothed me in the clothing of salvation, He has wrapped me in a robe of victory, like a bridegroom adorned with a turban and a bride bedecked with her finery (Isaiah 61:10).

When Adam and Eve sin, they lose the clothing of salvation. The result is the loss of Divine protection, of the feeling of nearness and closeness with God, the feeling of a child wrapped in the embrace of a loving mother. It is then that they feel naked. Their response is to cover their bodies, apparently oblivious to the damage done to their souls. In place of this “clothing of salvation” which has dissipated, they cover themselves, but God provides them with new clothing.

In partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve succumbed to their animal instincts, acting with no regard for their spiritual identity and seeking only immediate gratification. The spiritual consequences follow immediately: God clothes them in animal skins or leather. A metamorphosis has taken place. Their new clothing reflects their diminished status.

What was the nature of this leather clothing? [5] Various traditions suggest different materials. Rashi[6] cites a tradition that it was warm, soft rabbit fur. The Targum (Pseudo) Yonatan[7] says the leather came from something near at hand, from something to be found at the scene of their crime. God gave them garments of snake skin, as if to say: They were seduced by the serpent, the result was their nakedness, and now they will be wrapped in a fitting symbol of their treachery[8].

The Midrash reports that the clothes of Adam were made of a completely different material:

בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשה כ ד"ה יב ויעש ה'
ויעש ה' אלהים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור וילבישם בתורתו של ר"מ מצאו כתוב כתנות אור אלו בגדי אדם הראשון שהן דומים לפיגם (לפנס( רחבים מלמטה וצרין מלמעלה
In R. Meir's Torah it was found written, ‘Garments of light (ohr): this refers to Adam's garments, which were like a torch [shedding radiance], broad at the bottom and narrow at the top.

This comment is curious. The Torah text reads ‘OR -- עור skin or leather. This Midrash relates a tradition or commentary Rabbi Meir recorded in the margin[9] that rendered the word OHR אור – light. Why would God make for them clothing of light?

Rabbenu Bachayeh admits that the p’shat – the straightforward level of understanding the Torah - is that God made for wayward man “dignified clothing”. However according to Rabenu Bachayeh’s understanding of the Midrash, this was clothing of light, referring specifically to primordial light. As any clothing reflects the designer, this clothing, provided by God, must therefore reflect something Divine.

Prior to eating from the tree man was meant to live forever, like the angels. Eating from the tree caused death, loss of immortality, but the new clothing was somehow angelic, possessing an element of what was lost.[10] By way of reference, Rabenu Bachayeh suggests that these garments are similar to what enveloped Moshe on the mountain[11]. When Moshe descends from the Mountain for the second time, the Torah describes:

שמות פרק לד
(כט) וַיְהִי בְּרֶדֶת מֹשֶׁה מֵהַר סִינַי וּשְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה בְּרִדְתּוֹ מִן הָהָר וּמֹשֶׁה לֹא יָדַע כִּי [12]קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו בְּדַבְּרוֹ אִתּוֹ: (ל) וַיַּרְא אַהֲרֹן וְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מֹשֶׁה וְהִנֵּה קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו וַיִּירְאוּ מִגֶּשֶׁת אֵלָיו:
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, Moshe was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him (Shmot 34, 29).

Here it clearly states that the skin on Moshe’s face glowed: ‘OR is spelled with an ayin.[13]

Rabenu Bachayeh is apparently suggesting that at times the words ‘OR -“skin” (with an ayin) and OHR- “light” (with an aleph) can be connected. This is the significance to the glow of the skin of Moshe[14].
According to Rabbinic tradition, when the Jews stood at Sinai and declared na’aseh ve’nishma, “We will do we will listen”, each received two crowns. However when they sinned with the Golden Calf, they lost those precious crowns. These hundreds of thousands of crowns all came to Moshe, creating for him an incredible glow.

מסכת שבת פח
דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי סִימָלאִי, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהִקְדִּימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל "נַעֲשֶׂה" לְ"נִשְׁמַע", בָּאוּ שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא שֶׁל מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת. לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִשְׁרָאֵל קָשְׁרוּ לוֹ שְׁתֵּי כְּתָרִים, אֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד "נַעֲשֶׂה", וְאֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד "נִשְׁמַע". וְכֵּיוָן שֶׁחָטְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, יָרְדוּ מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים רִבּוֹא מַלְאֲכֵי חַבָּלָה וּפְרָקוּם... אָמַר רַב יוֹחָנָן, וְכוּלָּן - זָכָה מֹשֶׁה וּנְטָלָן.
R. Simlai lectured: When the Israelites gave precedence to ‘we will do’ over ‘we will listen,’ six hundred thousand ministering angels came and set two crowns upon each man of Israel, one as a reward for ‘we will do,’ and the other as a reward for ‘we will listen’. But as soon as Israel sinned, one million two hundred thousand destroying angels descended and removed them, ... R. Johanan observed: And Moses was privileged and received them all. (Talmud Bavli Shabbat 88a)

According to Rashi[15] this is the source of Moshe’s glow, the concentrated crowns of all of Israel. The Zohar[16] reports a tradition that Adam and Eve originally possessed Divine primordial light, and when they sinned this light disappeared. When the Jewish people stood at Sinai the light returned to each person in the shape of crowns. When the Jews subsequently sinned the crowns were forfeited, with all the light going to Moshe – which means now Moshe possessed primordial light.[17]

Rabbi Meir is therefore teaching that the clothing that God gave to Man was from this same primordial light. The Ari”zal[18], citing the Zohar, explains that Adam and Eve originally were covered with supernal light. Upon sinning they lost this luster and only then became naked. They were now naked, having lost their refulgent covering. This is the meaning of Rabbi Meir’s marginal note: God covered them with skin – but previously He had covered them with light.

The Midrash reports a second instance of a note in the margin of Rabbi Meir’s book:

בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשה ט ד"ה ה בתורתו של
בתורתו של רבי מאיר מצאו כתוב, והנה טוב מאד והנה טוב מות
In the copy of R. Meir's Torah was found written: AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS VERY (ME'OD) GOOD: and behold, death (mot) was good. (Midrash Rabbah - Genesis IX:5)

The “goodness” of death is difficult for man to comprehend, although it may be no more difficult than the association between light and skin. Both of these comments by Rabbi Meir, while at first inexplicable, must somehow stem from a unique perspective. Perhaps a passage in the Talmud providing some biographical information about Rabbi Meir can shed some light on these comments.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת עירובין דף יג עמוד א
והאמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל משום רבי מאיר: כשהייתי לומד אצל רבי עקיבא הייתי מטיל קנקנתום לתוך הדיו ולא אמר לי דבר. וכשבאתי אצל רבי ישמעאל אמר לי: בני, מה מלאכתך? אמרתי לו: לבלר אני. אמר לי: בני, הוי זהיר במלאכתך שמלאכתך מלאכת שמים היא, שמא אתה מחסר אות אחת או מייתר אות אחת - נמצאת מחריב את כל העולם כולו.
Did not Rav Judah in fact state in the name of Samuel who had it from R. Meir: When I was studying under R. Akiva I used to put vitriol into my ink and he told me nothing [against it], but when I subsequently came to R. Yishmael the latter said to me, ‘My son, what is your occupation?’ I told him, ‘I am a scribe’, and he said to me, ‘Be meticulous in your work, for your occupation is a sacred one; should you perchance omit or add one single letter, you would thereby destroy all the universe’.

Rabbi Meir made a living as a scribe. He understood the importance of every letter. He knew that leaving out a single letter could have dire consequences. The thought of changing a word probably never crossed his mind, yet he did write comments in the margins, indicating deeper levels of understanding and meaning. His colleagues, however, did not always understand him.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת עירובין דף יג עמוד ב
אמר רבי אחא בר חנינא: גלוי וידוע לפני מי שאמר והיה העולם שאין בדורו של רבי מאיר כמותו, ומפני מה לא קבעו הלכה כמותו - שלא יכלו חביריו לעמוד על סוף דעתו. שהוא אומר על טמא טהור ומראה לו פנים, על טהור טמא ומראה לו פנים. תנא: לא רבי מאיר שמו אלא רבי נהוראי שמו, ולמה נקרא שמו רבי מאיר - שהוא מאיר עיני חכמים בהלכה. ולא נהוראי שמו אלא רבי נחמיה שמו, ואמרי לה רבי אלעזר בן ערך שמו, ולמה נקרא שמו נהוראי - שמנהיר עיני חכמים בהלכה. אמר רבי: האי דמחדדנא מחבראי - דחזיתיה לרבי מאיר מאחוריה, ואילו חזיתיה מקמיה - הוה מחדדנא טפי. דכתיב )ישעיהו ל'(: והיו עיניך ראות את מוריך.
R. Aha b. Hanina said: It is revealed and known before Him Who spoke and the world came into existence[19], that in the generation of R. Meir there was none equal to him; then why was not the halachah fixed in agreement with his views? Because his colleagues could not fathom the depths of his mind, for he would declare the ritually unclean to be clean and supply plausible proof, and the ritually clean to be unclean and also supply plausible proof.
One taught: His name was not R. Meir but R. Nehorai. Then why was he called ‘R. Meir’? Because he enlightened the Sages in the halachah. His name in fact was not even Nehorai but R. Nehemiah or, as others say: R. Eleazar b. Arak. Then why was he called ‘Nehorai’? Because he enlightened the Sages in the halachah.
Rebbi[20] declared: The only reason why I am keener than my colleagues is that I saw the back[21] of R. Meir, but had I had a front view of him I would have been keener still, for it is written in Scripture: “Thine eyes shall see thy teacher.”

We learn several things from this passage. Rabbi Meir was unparalleled in his generation. Despite this, the law was not established in his opinion, because his colleagues did not understand his dazzling brilliance. We also learn that his name “Meir” means light[22].

Meir, who was full of light, sees in our passage in Bereishit “light” instead of “skin”, and in the second instance, instead of “good”, sees “death”. His vocation may have been more than incidental in leading up to the brilliant but radical insights he had to the Torah and halachah.

The Ari”zal taught:

ספר הליקוטים - פרשת בראשית - פרק ג
ואחר שחטא אדה"ר, נהפכו הכותנות מאור לעור, והפנימיות שבהם שהוא האור לקחו חנוך ואליהו ז"ל, כנוד' מדרוש שרשי הנשמות וע"ש. והחיצוניות שהוא העור, לקחו נמרוד והדומים לו,
After Adam sinned his clothing turned from light to skin, and the inner aspect, which is the light, was taken by Chanoch and Eliyahu, as is known … the external aspect was inherited by Nimrod and those of his ilk.

The primordial light lost by Adam and Eve was inherited by Chanoch and Eliyahu. The common denominator between Chanoch and Eliyahu[23] is that although both were born of human stuff, each was elevated. They became angels[24], and live forever. The ascension of Eliyahu is better known, both his ascension in a fiery chariot[25], and his occasional visitations (at each Pesach seder and at circumcision ceremonies).

Regarding Chanoch, the Torah deviates from standard practice and does not tell of his death:

And Chanoch (Enoch) walked with God; and he was not; for God took him. (Bereishit 5:24)

The Targum (Pseudo) Yonatan explains:

יונתן בראשית פרק ה פסוק כד
(כד) וּפְלַח חֲנוֹךְ בְּקוּשְׁטָא קֳדָם יְיָ וְהָא לֵיתוֹהִי עִם דַיְירֵי אַרְעָא אֲרוּם אִתְנְגִיד וְסַלִיק לִרְקִיעָא בְּמֵימַר קָדָם יְיָ וּקְרָא שְׁמֵיהּ מִיטַטְרוֹן סַפְרָא רַבָּא:
כתר יונתן בראשית פרק ה פסוק כד
(כד) ויעבוד חנוך באמת לפני יי והנה איננו עם תושבי הארץ כי נלקח ועלה לרקיע במאמר לפני יי ויקרא שמו מיטטרון הסופר הגדול:
And Chanoch walked in righteousness before God, and he ceased to exist with the dwellers of Earth. He ascended to heaven in front of God and he was given the name Metatron the Great Scribe. (Targum (Pseudo) Yonatan Bereishit 5:24)

The one other person described as a great scribe, “Safra Rabbah”, was none other than Moshe.[26]

Adam and Eve were supposed to live forever and be angel-like. Due to their sin they lose this quality and the light that accompanies it. Chanoch and Eliyahu subsequently become angels and inherit this light. Chanoch becomes the Great Scribe and is now known as Metatron, the Heavely Scribe. We come across him in a crucial passage in the Gemara:

תלמוד בבלי מסכת חגיגה דף טו עמוד א
אחר קיצץ בנטיעות, עליו הכתוב אומר +קהלת ה'+ אל תתן את פיך לחטיא את בשרך. מאי היא? חזא מיטטרון דאתיהבא ליה רשותא למיתב למיכתב זכוותא דישראל, אמר: גמירא דלמעלה לא הוי לא ישיבה ולא תחרות ולא עורף ולא עיפוי, שמא חס ושלום שתי רשויות הן. אפקוהו למיטטרון ומחיוהו שיתין פולסי דנורא.
Aher mutilated the shoots. Of him Scripture says: Suffer not thy mouth to bring thy flesh into guilt. What does it refer to? — He saw that permission was granted to Metatron to sit and write down the merits of Israel. Said he: It is taught as a tradition that on high there is no sitting and no emulation, and no back, and no weariness. Perhaps, — God forfend! — there are two divinities! [Thereupon] they led Metatron forth, and punished him with sixty fiery lashes, saying to him: Why didst thou not rise before him when thou didst see him? Permission was [then] given to him to strike out the merits of Aher. (Talmud Bavli Chagiga 15a)

The context is a spiritual journey of four great scholars who enter an orchard – or perhaps The orchard: Pardes, no less than paradise itself – or the Garden of Eden. One of the four sees an angel sitting and writing. This is Metatron the Great Scribe, and his job is to record the good deeds of Israel. Aher (the erstwhile sage Elisha Ben Avuyah) sees him sitting at work and becomes confused: Preconceived notions of dualism[27] cause confusion between good and evil. This reminds us of the tree which caused confusion between good and evil. Aher cannot reconcile what he has seen, and becomes a heretic.

Despite his apostasy, Aher retains one famous student: Rabbi Meir continues to study with is fallen master. The Masters of the Talmud questioned how Rabbi Meir could continue his association with such a man, and state[28] that Rabbi Meir knew how to separate between the chaff and the wheat – he knew how to separate between good and evil. Rabbi Meir alone was not blinded by the knowledge of the tree. He did not suffer from it’s confusion of good and evil.

Rabbi Meir is a sofer, a scribe, as were Moshe and Chanoch. It is his notes on the teachings of Rabbi Akiva, transmitted to Rebbi, which will help establish the standard text of the Mishna. He is uniquely able to separate between proper and improper, true and false, good and evil. Fundamentally, as a sofer, he is an agent of God. He facilitates the transmission of the Torah of God to this world. In this sense, as a great sofer, he becomes angelic. He is a messenger and transmitter of the Word of God, for he knows how to separate good and evil[29]. Rabbi Meir sees light where others do not. A sofer writes on skin – parchment, but the primordial Torah was written with light.[30] A sofer somehow reaches into heaven and pulls down the words of God and puts them on parchment, and the parchment – skin becomes holy. We should not wonder that when the text of the Torah reads ‘OR (skin), Rabbi Meir reminds us with one word of the primordial light that was lost and will one day be regained through righteousness and acceptance of the Torah, by Chanoch and later by all of Israel.

Rabbi Meir had two teachers: one, as we have already seen, was Elisha ben Avuya. The other was Rabbi Akiva. Elisha ben Avuya became a paid informant for the Romans; he chose evil. Presumably, he lived out his days in the lap of luxury, wearing only the finest garments. Death surely came to him of natural causes, as he lay in a warm soft bed, covered in the finest of clothes. Conversely, his erstwhile colleague, Rabbi Meir’s other teacher, Rabbi Akiva was brutally tortured by the Romans, having the very skin peeled off his body. But what does Rabbi Meir see even in death? What he saw in Bereishit: “Tov mot/Tov meod” --very good. He sees the good in everything[31], because he can connect to the light[32] prior to the sin, before mankind was impacted by the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Before the confusion, before the orlah, before the extra skin, he sees the good in everything.[33]

Even when witnessing the horrific torture and death of Rabbi Akiva[34], when his clothes and his skin are stripped from his body, Rabbi Meir still sees good -tov, he still sees light. For in truth Rabbi Akiva was not naked: He was clothed in the clothes of salvation. He was held tightly by the shechinah, spiritually protected like Adam and Eve before the sin, clothed in a garment of light and salvation. Elisha Ben Avuya may have had the finest of furs but he was naked – devoid of salvation, spiritually cold, dark and shivering.

Living as we do in a world after the sin, we must find clothing of light to care for our vulnerable souls. We need to see the good of God and be able to differentiate between good and evil. We are all, in our own way, messengers of God, and we must not succumb to confusion. When God sends us on a mission, He is always with us. We will succeed if we seek out and find the light, feel its warmth and we will then be adorned in the clothing of salvation.

[1] Presumably this “knowledge” was accrued by virtue of eating from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
[2] While the verse seems unequivocal two possibilities exist: 1.only now they became aware of their nakedness, or alternatively (an admittedly more difficult reading) only now they became naked, therefore only now they became aware of the fact.
[3] Talmud Brachot 40a
תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף מ/א
רבי נחמיה אומר תאנה היתה שבדבר שנתקלקלו בו נתקנו שנאמר ויתפרו עלה תאנה
[4] "Yemei Zikaron", page 203 Translated from Yiddish by Moshe Krone. Aliner Library, World Zionist Organization, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora, Orot, Jerusalem, 1986.
[5] See the comments of the Ohr Hachaim Vayikra 19:26 regarding Orla – a law which teaches that a tree must be left for the first 3 years after planting. This law is a result of Adam eating from the tree too soon;, he should have waited until Friday night and drank the wine (assuming, as does the Zohar, that the Tree of Knowledge was grapes). This is the mystical explanation of the passage in the Talmud that says that Adam was moshech orlato: Adam was born physically and spiritually perfect and therefore was born circumcised – but he pulled the skin back as if to “undo” the circumcision. This is a physical expression symbolizing Adam’s breaking a covenant with God. After this breach, Adam receives “clothing of skin”. Likewise, Eve was cursed with painful loss of virginity – which is also related to being covered with skin.
[6] ויש אומרים דבר הבא מן העור, כגון צמר הארנבים שהוא רך וחם ועשה להם כתנות ממנו: רש"י בראשית פרק ג פסוק כא

[7] Perhaps by the snake shedding its skin. Also found in the Pirki Drebbi Eliezer chapter 20, see comments of Rekanati to Berishit 3:21
[8] The Hebrew word בגד begged has the connotation of rebellion.
[9] See Torah Temimah Berishit 3:31
תורה תמימה הערות בראשית פרק ג הערה לא ובמ"ר כאן איתא, בתורתו של ר' מאיר מצאו כתוב כתנות אור באל"ף, וכתבו המפרשים בתורתו של ר"מ - בחדושי תורה שלו, אבל לדעתי אין הלשון בתורתו מכוון לפי' זה, ויותר נראה לפרש שהי' מדרכו של ר"מ לעשות רמזים וחדושים קצרים בצדי הגליון מהספר שלמד בו…
[10] Rabenu Bachayeh Berishit 3:21
רבינו בחיי על בראשית פרק ג פסוק כא וע"ד המדרש כתנות עור בתורתו של רבי מאיר היה כתוב כתנות אור והכוונה שהלבישם הקב"ה מיני מעלות ומאורות מן האור העליון שהיו בגן עדן כעין משה שזכה להן בהר. וממעלת המלביש תוכל ללמוד מעלת הלבוש כי הכוונה בהם לחיות לעולמים ולהיותם כמלאכי השרת:
[11] Where of course Moshe doesn’t eat or drink – and achieves a demi-angelic status. See Avot Drebi Natan chapter 1.
אבות דרבי נתן פרק ראשון
א"ר נתן מפני מה נתעכב משה כל ששת ימים ולא שרה עליו דבור. בשביל שימרק מכל אכילה ושתיה שהיה במעיו עד שעה שנתקדש ויהא כמלאכי השרת.
[12] קָרַן is a verb; it means “glowed”, not that Moshe grew horns, certainly when the word is connected with the next two words קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו the skin on his face glowed, it is hard to understand how someone could make a mistake about this. As is well known certain works of art have spread this misinterpretation, which is most likely based on a mistranslation of the text by Jerome of the Vulgate.
However there is a comment of Rashi in his commentary to Habakuk which suggests that the light which emanated from Moshe’s skin looked like rays of sun:
ספר חבקוק פרק ג
(ד) וְנֹגַהּ כָּאוֹר תִּהְיֶה קַרְנַיִם מִיָּדוֹ לוֹ וְשָׁם חֶבְיוֹן עֻזֹּה \{עֻזּוֹ\}:
His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.
רש"י חבקוק פרק ג פסוק ד
כאור תהיה - כאור המיוחד של שבעת ימי בראשית היה וכן ת"י:
קרנים - לשון מאור כשהוא נוקב וזורח דרך הנקב נראה כמין קרנים בולטין וכן (שמות לד) כי קרן עור פניו:

[13] Despite the unequivocal status of the Torah text being written with an ayin, a surprisingly large number of commentators cite the text with an aleph. I don’t think this is an indication of textual intrigue or doubt, I think this can be attributed to peoples’ minds playing tricks on them, and for some reason they remember – or think they remember - the text stating that Moshe’s face shone (like light).
[14] When Moshe descends from the mountain it is not the first time that his glow is hinted at. Commenting on the words “When she saw that he was a fine child” (Exodus 2:2) Rashi comments: He was fine: when he was born the house filled with light. רש"י (ב) כי טוב הוא - כשנולד נתמלא הבית כולו אורה: שמות פרק ב פסוק ב
Moshe’s glow is already there at infancy.
[15] See Rashi’s comments Talmud Shabbat 88a SV UMoshe Yikach
שני כתרים - מזיו שכינה:
ומשה יקח - אותו עדי, לשון אחר את האהל, לשון בהלו נרו (איוב כט) והוא היה קירון עור פניו:
[16] Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 36b Soncino edition
R. Hiya says, their eyes were opened to the evil of the world, which they had not known hitherto. Then they knew that they were naked, since they had lost the celestial lustre which had formerly enveloped them, and of which they were now divested. AND THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES. They strove to cover themselves with the (delusive) images from the tree of which they had eaten, the so-called “leaves of the tree”. AND THEY MADE THEMSELVES GIRDLES. R. Jose said: ‘When they obtained knowledge of this world and attached themselves to it, they observed that it was governed by those “leaves of the tree”. They therefore sought in them a stronghold in this world, and so made themselves acquainted with all kinds of magical arts, in order to gird themselves with weapons of those leaves of the tree, for the purpose of self-protection.’ R. Judah said: ‘In this way three came up for judgment and were found guilty, and the terrestrial world was cursed and dislodged from its estate on account of the defilement of the serpent, until Israel stood before Mount Sinai.’ Afterwards God clothed Adam and Eve in garments soothing to the skin, as it is written, HE MADE THEM COATS OF SKIN (‘or). At first they had had coats of light (‘or), which procured them the service of the highest of the high, for the celestial angels used to come to enjoy that light; so it is written, “For thou hast made him but little lower than the angels, and crownest him with glory and honor” (Ps. VIII, 6). Now after their sins they had only coats of skin (‘or), good for the body but not for the soul.
[17] Sefer Shnie Luchot Habrit Pesachim drush #4
ספר השל"ה הקדוש - מסכת פסחים - דרוש רביעי (ט)
וכמו אדם תכלית בריאותו היתה להיות כתנות אור ב'א' כאשר הארכתי בדרשות אחרות, כן משה רבינו ע"ה קרן אור פניו. ולא כתיב נקרן דהוה משמע עתה, רק קרן כתיב כבר. והענין כי בעת מתן תורה היה ראוי להיות תכלית הבריאה וכל האדם בכתנות אור, וזהו העדיים והעטרות וכתרים שנתנו להם בחורב, רק כאשר קילקלו בעגל ויתנצלו בני ישראל את עדיים, דהיינו קירון אור. ובמקום שהיו ראויין להיות כבני עליון, אכן כאדם סליק להו דהיינו אדם קדמאי. אכן משה רבינו ע"ה נשאר לו הקירון אור, כי מהיכי תיתי שינטל ממנו, כן מוכח בזוהר.
[18] Sefer Liquitim Berishit chapter 3
ספר הליקוטים - פרשת בראשית - פרק ג
ויעש ה' אלהים לאדם ולאשתו כתנות עור וילבישם:
כבר ידעת מ"ש חז"ל בתורתו של ר' מאיר מצאו כתוב כתנות אור. וסוד הענין הוא, כי אדה"ר קודם שחטא היה לו זיהרא עילאה, שהיה מלובש מלבוש רוחני שהוא אור, בסוד הזיהרא עילאה שהיתה לו, כמו שידעת מדרוש שורשי הנשמות, וכיון שחטא, אותה הזיהרא נסתלקה ממנו, כנודע מס"ה פ' בראשית דף ל"ו ריש ע"ב, וז"ל, ותפקחנה עיני שניהם וגו', וידעו כי ערומים הם, דאבדו זיהרא עילאה דהוה חפי עלייהו, ואסתלק מנייהו, ואשתארו ערומים מיניה. ואותה זיהרא היתה יושבת בין החומות של ג"ע שלש מאות שנה, ואח"כ ניתנה לחנוך, כמו שידעת מדרוש שרשי הנשמות, וע"ש. ואחר שחטא אדה"ר, נהפכו הכותנות מאור לעור, והפנימיות שבהם שהוא האור לקחו חנוך ואליהו ז"ל, כנוד' מדרוש שרשי הנשמות וע"ש
[19] I.E. God – by saying “let there be light”
[20] It is significant to note that the Mishna is compiled by Rebbi, he primarily used the notes of Rabbi Meir (the scribe or notetaker) of the lectures of Rabbi Akiva. See Sanhedrin 86a
[21] This is reminiscent if the description in Torah of Moshe seeing the Back as it were of God – which ironically is one of the sources offered for Moshe’s glow. Midrash Rabbah Exodus 47:6
[22] Sefer Beer Mayim Chayim Berishit chapter 3
ספר באר מים חיים פרשת בראשית - פרק ג
ונחזור לענין ר' מאיר אשר בתורתו נעשה עור פניו אורה ממש ועל כן אמרו (עירובין י"ג ע"ב) שהיה מאיר פני חכמים בהלכה. פירוש בשעה שהיה עוסק בהלכה והיה מבהיק זיו אור פניו על החכמים אשר היו אתו עד שגם הם קלטו האור על פניהם ומאורו היה מאיר גם פני חכמים, ועל כן א"ר (עירובין י"ג ע"ב) האי דמחדדנא מחבראי דחזיתיה לר' מאיר מאחוריה ואלמלי חזיתיה מקמאי הויא מחדדנא טפי וכו' עד כאן.
[23] The Midrash compares Chanoch and Eliyahu – specifically regarding their disappearance:
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה כה פסקה א
(א) ויתהלך חנוך את האלהים ואיננו כי לקח אותו אלהים …אפיקורסים שאלו לרבי אבהו אמרו לו אין אנו מוצאין מיתה לחנוך אמר להם למה אמרו לו נאמרה כאן לקיחה ונאמרה להלן (מלכים ב ב) כי היום ה' לוקח את אדונך מעל ראשך אמר להם אם ללקיחה אתם דורשים נאמר כאן לקיחה ונאמר להלן (יחזקאל כד) הנני לוקח ממך את מחמד עיניך א"ר תנחומא יפה השיבן רבי אבהו מטרונה שאלה את ר' יוסי אמרה לו אין אנו מוצאין מיתה בחנוך א"ל אלו נאמר (בראשית ה) ויתהלך חנוך את האלהים ושתק הייתי אומר כדבריך כשהוא אומר ואיננו כי לקח אותו אלהים ואיננו בעולם הזה כי לקח אותו אלהים:
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXV:1
AND ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD, AND HE WAS NOT; FOR GOD TOOK HIM (V, 24). …Some sectarians asked R. Abbahu: ‘We do not find that Enoch died?’ ‘How so?’ inquired he. ‘"Taking" is employed here, and also in connection with Elijah,’ said they. ‘If you stress the word "taking",’ he answered, ‘then "taking" is employed here, while in Ezekiel it is said, Behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes,’ etc. (Ezek. XXlV, 16). R. Tanhuma observed: He answered them well. A matron asked R. Jose: ' We do not find death stated of Enoch?’ Said he to her: ‘If it said, AND ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD,
[24] See Malachai Elyon Reuven Margoliot Mossad Harav Kook Jerusalem 1978 (third Edition) page 154 note 26
[25] 2 Kings Chapter 2: 11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both assunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
[26] See Talmud Bavli Sotah 13b
[27] See Chagigah 15a. I hope to return to this tortured soul at a later date
[28] Chagigah 15b
[29] Evil – ורע contains the same letters as skin (parchment) עור, this idea is found in Emek Hamelech gate 5 chapter 42 and subsequently in the writings of Rav Zadok Hakohen of Lublin, Liquitie Halachot, and the Leshem
[30] See Rashi Dvarim 33:2
רש"י על דברים פרק לג פסוק ב
אש דת שהיתה כתובה מאז לפניו באש שחורה על גבי אש לבנה
[31] As did his teacher Rabbi Akiva, Brachot 60b-61a and his teacher (see Brachot 22a) Nahum ish Gamzu Taanit 21a.
[32] Sefer Risisai Laila section 53
ספר רסיסי לילה - אות נג
ולעצמו לא האירה תורתו מפני ריבוי הקליפה הסובבתה. אבל רבי מאיר היה יכול להבדיל ולהפריד התוך מהקליפה כי הוא היה מלא אור כשמו שעל כן בתורתו כתוב כתנות אור באל"ף (בראשית רבה כ, יב) שגם הלבוש של עור מלא אור והוא כמו אור האבוקה שמושך אליו כל אור קטן שמתקרב לו כך היה יכול למשוך אור הפנימי שהיה באחר אליו:

[33] On a halachik level this may be challenging, and hence we are told that the law was not established according to Rabbi Meir.
[34] Rabbi Soloveitchik makes this point. See "Yemei Zikaron" page 205.