Tamid 32A

מן השמים לארץ רחוק, או ממזרח למערב? אמרו לו: ממזרח למערב. תדע, שהרי חמה במזרח ⁠– הכל מסתכלין בה, חמה במערב ⁠– הכל מסתכלין בה, חמה באמצע רקיע ⁠– אין הכל מסתכלין בה.

Is the distance from the heavens to the earth further, or is the distance from east to west further? They said to him: From east to west is a greater distance. Know that this is so, as when the sun is in the east, everyone looks at it without hurting their eyes, and when the sun is in the west, everyone looks at it without hurting their eyes. By contrast, when the sun is in the middle of the sky, no one looks at it, as it would hurt their eyes. This shows that the sun’s place in the middle of the sky is not as far from the earth as its remote positions in the extreme east and west.

וחכמים אומרים: זה וזה כאחד שוין, שנאמר: ״כגבוה שמים על הארץ [וגו׳] כרחוק מזרח ממערב״. ואי חד מינייהו נפיש, נכתוב תרווייהו כי ההוא דנפיש! ואלא, חמה באמצע רקיע מאי טעמא אין הכל מסתכלין בה ⁠– משום דקאי להדיא, ולא כסי ליה מידי.

But the rabbis say: This distance and that distance are equal, as it is stated: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His kindness toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalms 103:11–12). The verses compare the extent of God’s kindness and His removal of transgressions to vast expanses. And if one of the distances is greater than the other, let the verse write that both of God’s enumerated attributes are like the measure that is greater. But if so, with regard to the sun in the middle of the sky, what is the reason that no one looks at it? It is because it stands exposed and nothing covers it, whereas it is partially screened when it is in the east or the west.