The Embodied Torah of Wonder

Divre Harav – April, 2024

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On Monday April 8, the path of a total solar eclipse will cross North America from Mexico, through Texas, up and across the central and eastern United States through Maine, and into Canada through Newfoundland and Labrador. The path of totality will touch a tiny corner of Michigan just north of Toledo. The next opportunity to see a solar eclipse in North America will be in 2044. If you can wait until 2099, the totality of the eclipse will pass right over Grand Rapids.

In ancient times, an eclipse was a sign of Divine displeasure (Talmud, Sukkah 29b). For this reason, historically no blessing was said when witnessing an eclipse. However, since we understand eclipses to be a predictably recurring natural phenomenon, my colleague Rabbi Josh Heller suggests that if you see the total eclipse, you should recite the same blessing that you would recite over other powerful natural phenomena such as shooting stars, earthquakes, lighting, and violent winds:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָּ אֱ–לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָּעוֹלָּם שֶכֹּחוֹ וּגְבוּרָּתוֹ מָּלֵא עוֹלָּם 

You are the source of Blessing, Adonai our God, whose power and strength fill the world.

Leading up to and following the totality, you may also wish to add personal meditations or readings attesting to the power or majesty of creation, such as Psalm 121 or 148.

Remember, however, that you should never look directly at a partial eclipse without proper eye protection. Note that solar viewing glasses are thousands of times darker than sunglasses. During the time of totality, when the moon completely covers the sun, it is safe to look at the eclipse without glasses. When the sun begins to peek out from the edge of the moon, no matter how slightly, you must cover your eyes with the solar viewing glasses again.

I have seen several partial eclipses, but never a total eclipse. I’m looking forward to spending the day with my friends from Fort Wayne, IN, which is just on the edge of the totality, and hopefully find a cloud-free place within the path of the total eclipse to witness something that for me will likely be a once in a lifetime event.

Hebrew Words of the Month:

  • Shemesh, Ḥamah – Sun
  • Yare’aẖ, L’vana – Moon
  • Likkui Ḥamah – Solar eclipse
  • Likkui Yare’aẖ – Lunar eclipse

Reflections on the Psalms

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An interview with Samuel Zinner about my book. The book is available on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFCYR1NP. If you are in Grand Rapids, I have a few copies that I can sell for about 20% off. It makes a great Hanukkah (or Christmas) present!

Samuel Zinner, Ph.D. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2002. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Zinner concentrated in modern and ancient languages and literatures, history, and Museum Studies. He contributed to German Scholars and Ethnic Cleansing 1920- 1945 (Berghahn Books 2004), which was awarded the American Library Association’s prestigious “Choice Outstanding Academic Book of the Year Award” for 2005. He has contributed articles to Religions/Adyan (Doha International Centre for Interfaith Dialogue), and other academic journals. He has served as a peer-review referee for the journals Old Testament Essays, Paedagogia Christiana, etc. His work has been published internationally in a variety of languages by Oxford University Press, De Gruyter, etc. Zinner’s work has been praised by Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Philip R. Davies, Hebraist John F. A. Sawyer (Durham University), Targums scholar Robert Gordon (University of Cambridge), and others. Zinner is currently an editor of the forthcoming volume Origins and Applications of Language and Number (Rowman and Littlefield), which includes contributions by Noam Chomsky, Gregory Chaitin, and other eminent scholars. Zinner’s recent conference participations include presentations for the Oregon Jewish Cultural Project “Bob Dylan: Jewish Perspectives on his Repertoire” and “The Bible and the Qur’an: Comparative Studies” at the Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran.

Psalm 113

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“From the rising of the sun until its setting …” (113:3)

In the ancient world, astronomical phenomena were unpredictable and thus were signs of Divine favor or displeasure. An eclipse was a portent of disaster. A comet was a sign of good tidings. The regular cycles of the sun and moon told people when to sow, when to reap, and when to celebrate. Stars and planets were and are objects of wonder. Someday, humanity might take steps to populate another world, but today, the distances and difficulties of travel are insurmountable. From our miraculous perch on the arm of a galaxy we call the Milky Way, we sit and observe and perhaps wait to be contacted.

Psalm 71

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“In utero, I was dependent on You.” (71:6)

The Grand Canyon and the Himalayas may be majestic and breathtaking, but there is no greater miracle than that of the creation of life. Science can describe the way a zygote becomes an embryo and grows into a child, but that doesn’t take away the gratitude for the baby’s birth, as we watch the child, so long dependent on the mother for everything, take the first step towards becoming an independent person.