On Monday, April 8, many areas of North America will experience what science calls a solar eclipse. The question arises: as Jews what spiritual or halachic significance is there for such an event? If you look in the Igros Kodesh of the Lubavitcher Rebbe this question was raised, specifically whether one would recite a bracha like עושה מעשה בראשית similar to what happens every 28 years when the sun returns to the beginning of its cycle. The answer is a resounding no, there is no bracha. Seemingly there is no mitzvah associated with this event. The only thing that we see from the Gemara in Sukka 29 is that it's a sign of warning for the non-Jews that they better mend their ways or else...
In truth, there are three opinions in the Gemara and the question still stands: what about the Jews? I think that when we recall the Gemara in Taanis that spells out the source of all trouble in the world and basically sends the address to none other than the Jewish people. As the Gemara says הלא כארבע the Jews are spread throughout רוחות השמים פרשתי אתכם the world, and in the same way the winds affect the world, so do the Jewish people affect the world. So when the UN or other “great friends” of the Jews blame us for this and that, in essence they are right; we are responsible for the world we believe and we were given the mission of tikkun olam, and when we do what we're supposed to do, we will turn this world around into a beautiful and perfect world, something which we hope to see fulfilled very soon.
There is a basic question that many of the great Rabbis like the Nodah B'yehuda and Rav Yonasan Eibeshitz and others ask: how can the solar eclipse be a sign for anything if, after all, it’s all scientifically predicted? The answer lies in the powerful essay of the Bais Halevi - essay 18. The Bais Halevi presents a novel approach to viewing historical events. He explains as an example that Chazal tell us that because of the jealousy between the brothers over Yosef’s ketones pasim we ended up in Mitzrayim. The Bais Halevi says many people make a mistake in understanding this passage. Yes, Chazal tell us that the brothers’ jealousy is the cause. However, in truth, there was a decree even before that that we would go down to Mitzrayim. It’s just that Hashem orchestrated the cause to be the jealousy of the brothers, so that when we look at the going down to Egypt, we need to focus on ahavas Yisrael to get out of Mitzrayim.
The principle of the Bais Halevi explains to us what we need to do and think when seeing and experiencing an eclipse. It also lays a solid foundation of what it means to have true emuna and bitachon
So how does all this relate to tzara’as? The answer lies in the famous words of the Chinuch and the Rambam in HIlchos Taanis and in Hilchos Tumas Tzara’as. It also connects beautifully to the Haftorah of parshat Tazria. which describes a conversation that took place between the Navi and Naaman, the non-Jewish officer who was suffering from a form of tzara’as. How does this all tie together? Stay tuned.
by Rabbi Daniel Coren
