Earthquake. Eclipse. Is It The End of the World?
Many of us in the tri-state area had a rather interesting morning: A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked New York City and surrounding area. Twitter, as can be expected, blew up with the heady buzz of New Yorkers sharing a common experience.
And of course, there is a blessing to say when you an experience an earthquake.
There is, of course, another natural phenomenon, quite literally on the horizon, that many are expected to experience: The total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th.
But when it comes to the solar eclipse, there’s something rather interesting: There is no blessing for this fantastic event.
Which is surprising: There is not only a blessing for an earthquake, but also rainbows, thunder and lightening, strong winds and hurricanes, the first buds of fruit tree in the spring, and even a once in 28 year blessing on the sun… In other words, there are a lot of blessings.
And it makes sense. Blessings remind us that there is a G-d behind the majesty of nature. They call out to us with a sense of awe about the Creator of all.
But the is no blessing
for an eclipse.
In fact, what little exists of Eclipse talk in the Talmud, isn’t exactly positive:
The Sages taught: When the sun is eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the other nations. When the moon is eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the enemies of the Jewish people. This is due to the fact that the Jewish people calculate their calendar primarily based on the moon, and the other nations calculate based on the sun.
Now of course, the rabbis of the Talmud were not unaware than an eclipse is a natural phenomenon. They not only had their own calculations of the paths of heavenly bodies, but were also in regular correspondence with non-Jewish astrologers and astronomers (in the ancient world, these two fields were linked).
So how could calculable, regular astronomical phenomena be considered portents to the undesirable?
Rather than viewing these moments as ones of actual negativity, they are instead a chance to reflect inward - to change those negative attributes within ourselves, that are negative.
Quoting Ecclesiastes, there is a chasidic adage:“‘G‑d made man upright.’ The uniqueness of humanity is that G‑d [in His kindness] made us walk upright. Even though we tread upon the earth, we see the heavens. A four-legged creature, by contrast, sees only the earth.”
The Talmud relates that the Jewish people have no Mazel. We have the ability to transcend our nature.
Our ability, as humans, is to transcend the confines of the natural order… to look upwards, to see the mysteries of the universe, and recognizing the powerful portent the moment has to catalyze change in our conduct. In our connection with the divine.
Thus there is no blessing for this moment. We can look up, we can experience the transcendent power of the forces of the universe… and work on ourselves, dig down deep, and understand that we can transcend them all.
A future Special Dispatch will unpack this trip!
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For those who will be at an eclipse viewing, please note My One Simple Request
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