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was seen across North America. Many cultures view
this as an omen of danger, as the world darkens
(e.g. there was a total eclipse the day before
WWI broke out & some sources say an eclipse will
precede the cataclysmic war of Gog & Magog). What
do Jewish sources say? On the pasuk, "Let there
be luminaries in the heavens for signs &
seasons;" Rashi says "signs" refers to eclipses &
says this is indeed unfavorable, but he also
quotes Yirmiyahu 10:2 that if we are faithful to
Hashem then we will be protected & not harmed.
The Gemara Sukka says that there are 4 sins that
bring eclipses, notably including the rape of
young women & brothers dying together (the war in
Gaza?!). Most poskim say the bracha of "Oseh
ma’aseh b’reisheit" is not recited, possibly
because watching the eclipse with the naked eye
is dangerous, & so one should not be encouraged
to look at it & possibly do harm to himself. (With thanks to rabbis HW & ET)
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part II
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
Parashat Hashavua Happiness for the Right Reasons
[With painful longing, we share these divrei Torah from our co-Rosh Kollel for close to 40 years, Harav Moshe Ehrenreich zt”l.]
