Mina's Musings - Shoftim 2017 - A Solar Eclipse, Rosh Hodesh Elul, and Justice

Shabbat Shalom.  Last Shabbat Jews around the world read from the Torah portion Re’eh – which is a command form of the Hebrew word “See.”  It was the perfect portion at least for those of us in the United States who were going to be treated just a couple of days later with “seeing” the majesty of God via a solar eclipse. 

Prior to the eclipse a few people asked me what the correct brachah or blessing for seeing an eclipse was.  I said there wasn’t a specific one for an eclipse, but that if you wanted to say one what seemed most appropriate was the blessing oseh ma’aseh b’reisheet – Who makes the wonders of creation.

Now I did not travel across state lines in order to be in what I heard referred to as “the path of totality.”  But I did see NBC’s coverage of the eclipse from Oregon, and I have to admit that when I saw it go from a sliver to total darkness and then back to a sliver and then more, I actually got teary eyed.  Later in the day when it reached peak here at a little more than 80% it wasn’t quite the same, but exciting nevertheless and I did say the blessing because it truly is a wonder of God’s creation and you can say that blessing any time you see a wonder of God’s.  

What is interesting to me is the REASON that I had to pick a blessing.  And that is that though the rabbis wrote blessings for almost all natural phenomena they did NOT write one for eclipses because in ancient times some saw an eclipse as a sign of doom and others did not.  The greatest of all rabbinic commentators, Rashi, handled this in his commentary to the Torah, specifically a comment on Genesis 1:14.  That verse in Genesis reads: “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.” 

And what does Rashi say about the verse?  He focuses on the words:  v’yahu l’otot - AND THEY SHALL BE FOR SIGNS.  He writes:  “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).

That is, Rashi explains that the signs referred to in Genesis are eclipses and that they are a sign of ill-omen.  But then he links the verse from Genesis to a verse in Jeremiah with the same language concerning signs of heaven, and tells us that according to the Talmud, IF we are doing what God wishes us to do then we have no need to fear.  And if we needn’t be afraid then we are free to focus on the majesty of the miracle and THAT is in turn why I encouraged people to say a blessing and why I said one myself. 

In thinking about the eclipse I want us all to remember right now that moment of wonder when seeing the light shining around the edge and through the darkness.  It was amazing, wasn’t it?  Just as amazing is how despite all the darkness we have been put through as a people we have as always focused on light.  Images of light are part and parcel of being Jewish – from the Ner Tamid, our eternal light, to the seven branched Menorah, Shabbat candles, the yahrzeit and shiva candles, the nine branched Hanukkiah etc.  When I was little I remember learning a song with only three words – Torah Aura, Torah Aura, halleluyah – Torah is a light, praise God!  And of course we describe ourselves, the Jewish people, as a light to the nations.

All of this imagery of light and seeing went beautifully together.  But nothing is by chance and a mere 27 hours after the eclipse, Tuesday night, we began Rosh Hodesh Elul – the new month of Elul.  And what happens during the month of Elul?  Every weekday morning after the morning prayers Jews around the world blow the shofar to help remind them and us of the upcoming High Holidays.  We literally went from one day focusing on seeing God’s majesty to hearing the shofar call to us as we prepare for the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  We are called to examine our own deeds, called to be generous in thinking about the deeds of others as we enter a period in which we all hope for forgiveness and reconciliation, and we are called to think about what God wants from us as individuals, a community, a people, and a nation.

Just as the shofar calls to us throughout the next month, there is another call we are all bidden to answer.  This is the call that our Bar Mitzvah spoke of in his d’rash – tzedek, tzedek tirdof – Justice, justice shall you pursue.

There are many places of darkness in our country and world right now.  There are many people who refuse to hear the call of shofar demanding that they do better, act more kindly, behave with  righteousness rather than self-righteousness.  As we approach the high holiday season may we all stand as bright lights heeding God’s call and pursuing justice, kindness, and decency every minute of every day