Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe: What's Jewish About a Solar Eclipse? (VIDEO)

Today we witnessed something special, something unique. All across the US and the world, people took time off from discussing tragic events and politics.

Instead – we talked about the solar eclipse. Facebook was flooded with articles and lots of people took trains, planes and cars to where the total eclipse occurred.



Here at Beth Tfiloh people went in and out of the building, putting on safety glasses and getting quick glimpses as the moon covered more and more of the sun and then receded. A childlike enjoyment and expressions of “ooh” and “ahh” were in the air.

Together some of us recited the blessing, “Ose Ma’ase Breishit - Blessed are You, God, King of the universe, who makes the works of creation.” This is the same blessing that we make on lightning and other amazing natural phenomena. Rabbi Dov Linzer, the Rosh Yeshiva of YCT wrote a piece explaining the Jewish law and offered this suggestion for a blessing.

I was privileged to speak with an Orthodox astrophysicist who felt that this was a spiritual experience for him. “It is amazing that with our G-d-given intellect and our knowledge of math and science, we can predict with 100% accuracy the timing of this phenomenon which G-d built into the very fabric of the universe that He created.”

This brought to my mind a similar experience in our Jewish history. Two thousand years ago, Rabban Gamliel knew exactly how to plot the new month and the lunar cycle. Without the aid of Google or astronomy books, he knew just how long each cycle was, what the new moon would look like and where it would appear in the sky. Yet he waited for witnesses to come to Jerusalem from all over and then tested them on what they saw. There were community meals and gatherings as the Jerusalemites welcomed the witnesses and offered them food and shelter. By encouraging people to come and bear witness, Rabban Gamliel and the Jewish people ensured that this would remain a communal event, one that became part of our collective memory as a people.

And for a fun science fact: solar eclipses only happen around Rosh Chodesh…which is tonight!

I still remember the lunar eclipse a few years ago that occurred on the first night of Sukkot. Walking home with other guests, we tarried and gazed, enjoying the beauty and oddity in the sky. A year later we were all in different places, yet we remembered that magical night and agreed that experiencing it together raised the enjoyment to another level.

Chodesh Tov to one and all!