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Solar Eclipse 2024: Jewish Answers
To understand what an eclipse means in Judaism, first you have to ask whether an eclipse is a miracle or not? The answer is, as always, yes... and no. Here are some texts to help us understand, starting with what I was taught by my seventh grade Bible teacher.
"A miracle is not about what happened, but when it happened. If the sea parted before the Israelites were ready to move through, what good would it have been?" Rabbi Steve Stroiman, my seventh grade teacher at Akiba Hebrew Academy in Philadelphia, PA (paraphrased)
So what is a miracle in Judaism?

(ו) עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַמַּזִּיקִין, וּקְבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה, וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף צְבָת בִּצְבָת עֲשׂוּיָה:

(6) Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they: [1] the mouth of the earth, [2] the mouth of the well, [3] the mouth of the donkey, [4] the rainbow, [5] the manna, [6] the staff [of Moses], [7] the shamir, [8] the letters, [9] the writing, [10] and the tablets. And some say: also the demons, the grave of Moses, and the ram of Abraham, our father. And some say: and also tongs, made with tongs.

"The Sages, may their memory be blessed, have made a strange statement about miracles... They say that when God created that which exists and stamped it into the existing nature, God put inside the natural world all the miracles that would eventually occur. Therefore, according to this opinion, the sign of a prophet consists in God making known the time when the prophesy would occur." Maimonides Guide of the Perplexed, 2:29

Now let's look at how Jews view the sun and the moon? For this we should start with creation.

(יד) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיּ֖וֹם וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃
(14) God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times—the days and the years;
והיו לאותות AND THEY SHALL BE FOR SIGNS — When the heavenly luminaries are eclipsed it is a sign of ill-omen for the world, as it is written, (Jeremiah 10:2) “Be not dismayed at the signs of heaven” — when you carry out the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, you need apprehend no calamity (Sukkah 29a). Rashi on Genesis 1:14
So, if the sun and moon are signs from heaven, what does an eclipse represent? Is it positive or negative? Look at these next few texts and decide. What is the difference between each text? Why do you think there is a difference?
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּשְׁבִיל אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים חַמָּה לוֹקָה: עַל אָב בֵּית דִּין שֶׁמֵּת וְאֵינוֹ נִסְפָּד כַּהֲלָכָה, וְעַל נַעֲרָה הַמְאוֹרָסָה שֶׁצָּעֲקָה בָּעִיר וְאֵין מוֹשִׁיעַ לָהּ, וְעַל מִשְׁכַּב זְכוּר, וְעַל שְׁנֵי אַחִין שֶׁנִּשְׁפַּךְ דָּמָן כְּאֶחָד.

The Sages taught that on account of four matters the sun is eclipsed: On account of a president of the court who dies and is not eulogized appropriately, and the eclipse is a type of eulogy by Heaven; on account of a betrothed young woman who screamed in the city that she was being raped and there was no one to rescue her; on account of sexual immorality; and on account of two brothers whose blood was spilled as one.

וּבִשְׁבִיל אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים מְאוֹרוֹת לוֹקִין: עַל כּוֹתְבֵי פְלַסְתֵּר, וְעַל מְעִידֵי עֵדוּת שֶׁקֶר, וְעַל מְגַדְּלֵי בְּהֵמָה דַּקָּה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל קוֹצְצֵי אִילָנוֹת טוֹבוֹת.
And on account of four matters the heavenly lights are eclipsed: On account of forgers of a fraudulent document [pelaster] that is intended to discredit others; on account of testifiers of false testimony; on account of raisers of small domesticated animals in Eretz Yisrael in a settled area; and on account of choppers of good, fruit-producing trees.
Eclipses in the Torah. Take a look at the next few examples. How did our ancestors view eclipses?
(כא) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה נְטֵ֤ה יָֽדְךָ֙ עַל־הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וִ֥יהִי חֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְיָמֵ֖שׁ חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃
(21) Then יהוה said to Moses, “Hold out your arm toward the sky that there may be darkness upon the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be touched.”
...The main thrust of this Midrash is to teach us that the darkness was not a kind of solar eclipse. On the contrary, the sun operated completely normally during all these days. In fact, the whole universe operated normally; the palpable darkness was as if each individual Egyptian had been imprisoned all by himself in a black box seeing the atmosphere of Egypt had been darkened... The miracle was that G’d interfered with this system of light reaching the Egyptians. He shut off every Egyptian’s “antenna” for these light waves without interfering with the source of their transmission. Seeing that the Egyptian airspace could not receive these light waves it simply turned a natural black for them. They could not see the stars and the moon either seeing their capacity to receive light waves had been tampered with. Once this stage had been reached, G’d intensified this darkness to the extent that it was felt physically, preventing people from being able to move without “bumping” into darkness at every move they tried to make. The reason all this did not affect the Israelites was that their “antennae” had not been deprived of the ability to absorb light waves. (Shemot Rabbah 14:1
(יב) אָ֣ז יְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה בְּי֗וֹם תֵּ֤ת יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י לִפְנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ לְעֵינֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שֶׁ֚מֶשׁ בְּגִבְע֣וֹן דּ֔וֹם וְיָרֵ֖חַ בְּעֵ֥מֶק אַיָּלֽוֹן׃ (יג) וַיִּדֹּ֨ם הַשֶּׁ֜מֶשׁ וְיָרֵ֣חַ עָמָ֗ד עַד־יִקֹּ֥ם גּוֹי֙ אֹֽיְבָ֔יו הֲלֹא־הִ֥יא כְתוּבָ֖ה עַל־סֵ֣פֶר הַיָּשָׁ֑ר וַיַּעֲמֹ֤ד הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְלֹא־אָ֥ץ לָב֖וֹא כְּי֥וֹם תָּמִֽים׃ (יד) וְלֹ֨א הָיָ֜ה כַּיּ֤וֹם הַהוּא֙ לְפָנָ֣יו וְאַחֲרָ֔יו לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּק֣וֹל אִ֑ישׁ כִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה נִלְחָ֖ם לְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {ס} (טו) וַיָּ֤שׇׁב יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל עִמּ֔וֹ אֶל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה הַגִּלְגָּֽלָה׃

(12) On that occasion, when GOD routed the Amorites before the Israelites, Joshua addressed GOD; he said in the presence of the Israelites:
“Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon,
O moon, in the Valley of Aijalon!”
(13) And the sun stood still
And the moon halted,
While a nation wreaked judgment on its foes
—as is written in the Book of Jashar (a collection of war songs). Thus the sun halted in midheaven, and did not press on to set, for a whole day;
(14) for GOD fought for Israel. Neither before nor since has there ever been such a day, when GOD acted on words spoken by someone else. (15) Then Joshua together with all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

(ט) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ בַּֽצׇּהֳרָ֑יִם וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י לָאָ֖רֶץ בְּי֥וֹם אֽוֹר׃
(9) And in that day
—declares the Sovereign GOD —
I will make the sun set at noon,
I will darken the earth on a sunny day.
(ח) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר חִזְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ אֶֽל־יְשַׁעְיָ֔הוּ מָ֣ה א֔וֹת כִּֽי־יִרְפָּ֥א יְהֹוָ֖ה לִ֑י וְעָלִ֛יתִי בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֖י בֵּ֥ית יְהֹוָֽה׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְשַׁעְיָ֗הוּ זֶה־לְּךָ֤ הָאוֹת֙ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֚י יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּ֑ר הָלַ֤ךְ הַצֵּל֙ עֶ֣שֶׂר מַעֲל֔וֹת אִם־יָשׁ֖וּב עֶ֥שֶׂר מַעֲלֽוֹת׃ (י) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יְחִזְקִיָּ֔הוּ נָקֵ֣ל לַצֵּ֔ל לִנְט֖וֹת עֶ֣שֶׂר מַעֲל֑וֹת לֹ֣א כִ֔י יָשׁ֥וּב הַצֵּ֛ל אֲחֹרַנִּ֖ית עֶ֥שֶׂר מַעֲלֽוֹת׃ (יא) וַיִּקְרָ֛א יְשַׁעְיָ֥הוּ הַנָּבִ֖יא אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיָּ֣שֶׁב אֶת־הַצֵּ֗ל בַּֽ֠מַּעֲל֠וֹת אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרְדָ֜ה בְּמַעֲל֥וֹת אָחָ֛ז אֲחֹרַנִּ֖ית עֶ֥שֶׂר מַעֲלֽוֹת׃ {פ}

(8) Hezekiah asked Isaiah, “What is the sign that GOD will heal me and that I shall go up to the House of GOD on the third day?” (9) Isaiah replied, “This is the sign for you from GOD that GOD will do the thing that was promised: Shall the shadow advance ten steps or recede ten steps?” (10) Hezekiah said, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for the shadow to recede ten steps.” (11) So the prophet Isaiah called to GOD, and the shadow that had descended on the dial of Ahaz was made to recede ten steps.

On March 5 in 702 B.C.E., the 16th year before Hezekiah’s death, a prominent solar eclipse appeared over the Middle East (according to NASA). Its path crossed the Arabian Peninsula, and the obscuration of the sun over Israel was more than 60 percent.
If a stairway had been engulfed in darkness and then restored to daylight, the shadow would have appeared to retreat. A shadow wave, produced by an eclipse, may also have given the appearance of a shadow retreating.
- BiblicalArchaelogy.org
Is there a blessing for an eclipse? The short answer is no. But, that doesn't mean we can't create one.
The blessing that is prescribed for seeing a comet/shooting star, lightning, strong winds, awesome mountains, valleys, oceans, rivers, or deserts, for example, is:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֳלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, oseh ma’aseh v’reishit.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Author of Creation.
We might argue that the above list — lightning, mountains, oceans, etc. — is not meant to be exhaustive but rather demonstrative and that, in our day, we should add solar eclipse to it.
Alternatively, one can also say this blessing for remarkable natural phenomenon:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעוֹלָם שֶׁכֹּחוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם

Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, shekocho ooh g’vuratoh mahlay olam.
Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the Universe, whose strength and glory fills the universe.
Rabbi Natan Margalit is the founder and president of Organic Torah and the Interim Dean of Faculty for the Aleph Ordination Program.
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/blessing-solar-eclipse/