In the beginning, God spoke. And the first word He uttered was not power, not judgment, not even love. It was light. "Let there be light," and light blazed into existence, shattering the primordial darkness, establishing the rhythm of day and night, revealing the character of God as the One who brings order from chaos. But this was not the light of the sun—the sun would not be created until Day Four. This was something deeper, something older, something that the sages call the primordial light, the hidden light, the or ganuz. Drawing from Rashi's mystical teaching, Ramban's philosophical depth, Ibn Ezra's precision, the Talmud's cosmic secrets, and the Midrash's poetic vision, we explore why God's first creative word was light, what distinguished this light from the luminaries created later, why God called the light "good," how the separation of light from darkness established the foundation of all subsequent creation, and why the day begins with evening. This is the moment when God's Voice shattered silence and eternity began.
Sources & Further Study:
Rashi on Genesis 1:3-5
https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.1.3
Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 1:3
https://www.sefaria.org/Ramban_on_Genesis.1.1.3
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 1:3
http://davidblumenthal.org/GenTradIbnEzraRamban.html
Talmud Chagigah 12a on the primordial light
https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.12a
Midrash Bereishit Rabbah on hidden light
https://www.sefaria.org/Bereishit_Rabbah
Sforno on Genesis 1:3
https://www.sefaria.org/Sforno_on_Genesis
Mishnah Pirkei Avot 5:1 on ten utterances
https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.5.1
Psalm 33:6-9 on creation by divine word
https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.33.6-9
Rav Kook Torah, The Hidden Light of Creation
https://ravkooktorah.org/BREISHIT_67.htm
Aish.com, Let There Be Lights
Din Online, Two Creations of Light
https://dinonline.org/2021/06/13/two-creations-of-light-in-genesis-13-4-and-114-16/
The Hidden Orchard, The Hidden Light (Ohr haGanuz)
https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-hidden-light-ohr-haganuz/
Jan Lemke, Genesis Chapter 1 - In The Beginning
https://janlemke.com/genesis-chapter-1
Aish.com, Creation & The Big Bang
https://aish.com/creation-the-big-bang/
Zohar on primordial light
Abraham Isaac Kook, Orot HaKodesh
Sources:
[1] Ramban on Genesis 1:1:3 - Sefaria https://www.sefaria.org/Ramban_on_Genesis.1.1.3?lang=en
[2] Genesis: Traditional with Ibn Ezra and Ramban - David R. Blumenthal http://davidblumenthal.org/GenTradIbnEzraRamban.html
[3] Genesis – Chapter 1 – In The Beginning https://janlemke.com/genesis-chapter-1
[4] Examining Translations of Genesis 1:1 in relation to Genesis 1:1–3 ... https://winebrenner.edu/2019/05/02/examining-translations-of-genesis-11-in-relation-to-genesis-11-3-part-three/
[5] Let There Be Lights - Aish.com https://aish.com/48922892/
[6] Breishit: The Hidden Light of Creation - Rav Kook Torah https://ravkooktorah.org/BREISHIT_67.htm
[7] Creation & The Big Bang - Aish.com https://aish.com/creation-the-big-bang/
[8] Two creations of light in Genesis 1:3-4 and 1:14-16? - Din - Dinonline https://dinonline.org/2021/06/13/two-creations-of-light-in-genesis-13-4-and-114-16/
[9] The Hidden Light - The Ohr haGanuz https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-hidden-light-ohr-haganuz/
[10] Who was G‑d addressing when He said, "Let US create man in our ... https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/558595/jewish/Who-was-Gd-addressing-when-saying-Let-US-create-man.htm