02 Apr ECLIPSES AND SPIRITUAL CAUSES: JEWISH PERSPECTIVES

On Monday, April 8, a
historic total solar
eclipse will take place.
This cosmic event will
be visible across a
narrow route, called
the path of totality, which extends through
Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
During this event, on that path, the sky will
darken for several minutes and the air will get
colder. After the total solar eclipse on April 8,
2024, the next one visible from the contiguous
United States will be on August 23, 2044. (Of
course, we expect Mashiach to arrive way
before then.)
Rashi(יד ,א בראשית (addresses eclipses and
says that when Hashem created the world, He
created the two big luminaries. Rashi points
out that when the lights are dimmed, as sin a
solar eclipse, it is a bad omen (sign) for the
world.
The Gemara(א ,כט סוכה (also tells us why
eclipses happen, attributing them to four
different sins.
The mefarshim (commentators) ask that since
an eclipse is a natural world event that can be
calculated ahead of time, why would we
consider it good or bad. It’s not any different
from any other natural occurrence.

For example, the Torah tells us that Hashem
had a treaty with the world not to flood it
again as He did in the time of Noah. As a sign
at times when the world should be flooded as
a result of their bad deeds, He creates a
rainbow. The rainbow is a reminder of this
treaty. The question is obvious: rainbows
occur when light from the sun is scattered by
water droplets (e.g. raindrops or fog) through
a process called refraction. Refraction occurs
when the light from the sun changes direction
when passing through a medium denser than
air, such as a raindrop. So, why then does the
Torah say the reason is the treaty?
Amongst the various explanations, one that
we like to bring out is the Maharal’s(הגולה באר
ששי באר (. He says the above question is based
on a mistaken assumption that Chazal told us
how nature operates, and therefore we can
assess their statements and see if they fit
scientific scenarios, which many times they
do not. Thus, we come to the mistaken
conclusion that they were wrong.
The truth, explains the Maharal, is that Chazal
don’t deal with earthly things because it’s
beneath their endless wisdom to concern
themselves with findings that can be done by
scientists. Rather, they deal with the spiritual
reasons things happen. Chazal teach us that

every event that happens in the
world has spiritual causes,
which are not revealed to
anyone besides Torah scholars.
Therefore, when people sin to
the point that Hashem wants to
flood the world, He sends rain
and then scatters the droplets by
sunlight, which creates a
rainbow.
When Chazal tell us the reasons
eclipses happen, it is to point
out which sins brought nature to
operate this way.
This means that since those sins mentioned in
the Gemara were not rectified, nature will
continue to have eclipses at those times.
However, if they were to be rectified, then
nature would change its course, and no
eclipses would occur anymore.
It’s like a person who experiences back pain
every time it rains. Therefore, we can predict
that whenever it rains, he will be in pain.
Similarly, with the sins and eclipses, the sin
brings about the eclipse every once in a while.
If the sin is not corrected, the celestial sign of
the eclipse will continue to manifest at their
predicted times.
The gmara(א ,כט סוכה (presents three
opinions regarding the eclipse ramifications.
The last of the three opinions holds that
when the sun is eclipsed, it is a bad omen
(sign) for the nations. When the moon is
eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the Jewish
people.
Let’s try to understand the reason behind
those words. Israel is often compared to the
moon, while the nations of the world are
compared to the sun. There are many
explanations for this comparison. Some
explain it is because, like the moon, Israel
renews itself every month; even after falling,
they raise themselves up. Additionally, after
persecutions, they always come back in full
force. Another explanation is that eventually,
when Mashiach comes, they will shine out
as a new creation.
Now that we understand what each player
represents and that the eclipses represent the
spiritual status of the nation, let’s see how
eclipses happen. A solar eclipse occurs when
the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth,
causing the Moon to cast a shadow on Earth.
On the other hand, a lunar eclipse occurs
when Earth is between the Sun and the
Moon, causing Earth to cast a shadow on the
Moon.
During a lunar eclipse, when the moon
receives no light from the sun because the
earth is between those two celestial bodies, it
is considered as the worldly desires,
represented by the earth covering the moon.
As the moon resembles Israel, when it is

covered by the earth (representing physical
desires), it signifies that our physical desires
are overtaking our nation and covering us
completely. Chazal point out that this is a bad
sign, possibly indicating negative events to
come.
On the other hand, during a solar eclipse, the
moon stands between the sun, representing the
world’s nations, and covers the earth. This
represents that the small nation of Israel,
which covers the sun, sometimes has the
power to overcome all the nations and be
victorious. This is a bad sign for the nations
but a good sign for Israel.
Since a total solar eclipse is a rare event,
recurring somewhere on Earth every 18
months on average, yet estimated to recur at
any given location only every 360–410 years
on average, the prophet Yoel already
prophesied that before the time of Mashiach
we will experience such eclipses(ג יואל (‘:
“Before the great and terrible day that Hashem
comes, I will set portents in the sky and on
earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke; The
sun shall turn into darkness And the moon into
blood.”
The prophecy says that at the time of the solar
eclipse, the sun totally darkens and the moon
turns a color of bloody red, which is indeed
the moon’s color expected to be at the
upcoming eclipse.
more is) פרשת כי תצא דף רפא ע״ב)Zohar The
specific, saying that since Israel and Ishmael
count the days of the month according to the
sun (as opposed to the Christians who count
according to the sun), depending on the day of
the month when the solar eclipse happens, it
makes a difference if it’s considered bad for
Israel or Ishmael. The Zohar says: “Since the
moon can be good or bad, and since Israel and
Ishmael count according to the moon, thus if
the eclipse happens when the moon is full, it’s
a bad sign for Israel. But when the moon is not
full, it’s a bad sign for Ishmael.”
Since the eclipse happens on Monday, which
is the end of the month of Adar, it is when the
moon is completely missing and not visible in
the sky, which is the very end peak of the
month. This is hopefully a good sign of victory
as the Zohar explained and hopefully a sign
that Mashiach is here, as prophesied by Yoel.