Part 1: Oseh Maaseh Bereishet and the Rabbinic View on Eclipses
עַל הַזִּיקִין, וְעַל הַזְּוָעוֹת, וְעַל הַבְּרָקִים, וְעַל הָרְעָמִים, וְעַל הָרוּחוֹת, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁכֹּחוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם. עַל הֶהָרִים, וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת, וְעַל הַיַּמִּים, וְעַל הַנְּהָרוֹת, וְעַל הַמִּדְבָּרוֹת, אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ עוֹשֵׂה מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, הָרוֹאֶה אֶת הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ שֶׁעָשָׂה אֶת הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל, בִּזְמַן שֶׁרוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ לִפְרָקִים. עַל הַגְּשָׁמִים וְעַל הַבְּשׂוֹרוֹת הַטּוֹבוֹת אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב, וְעַל שְׁמוּעוֹת רָעוֹת אוֹמֵר בָּרוּךְ דַּיַּן הָאֱמֶת:
One who sees conspicuous natural occurrences recites a blessing. For zikin and zeva’ot, which the Gemara will discuss below, for lightning, thunder, and gale force winds, manifestations of the power of the Creator, one recites: Blessed…Whose strength and power fill the world. For extraordinary (Rambam) mountains, hills, seas, rivers, and deserts, one recites: Blessed…Author of creation. Consistent with his opinion that a separate blessing should be instituted for each individual species, Rabbi Yehuda says: One who sees the great sea recites a special blessing: Blessed…Who made the great sea. As with all blessings of this type, one only recites it when he sees the sea intermittently, not on a regular basis. For rain and other good tidings, one recites the special blessing: Blessed…Who is good and Who does good. Even for bad tidings, one recites a special blessing: Blessed…the true Judge.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בִּזְמַן שֶׁהַחַמָּה לוֹקָה — סִימָן רַע לְכׇל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְמֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם שֶׁעָשָׂה סְעוּדָּה לַעֲבָדָיו וְהִנִּיחַ פָּנָס לִפְנֵיהֶם, כָּעַס עֲלֵיהֶם וְאָמַר לְעַבְדּוֹ: טוֹל פָּנָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם וְהוֹשִׁיבֵם בַּחוֹשֶׁךְ.
Apropos the fact that rain on Sukkot is an indication of divine rebuke, the Gemara cites several related topics. The Sages taught: When the sun is eclipsed it is a bad omen for the entire world. The Gemara tells a parable. To what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a king of flesh and blood who prepared a feast for his servants and placed a lantern [panas] before them to illuminate the hall. He became angry at them and said to his servant: Take the lantern from before them and seat them in darkness.
וּבִשְׁבִיל אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים מְאוֹרוֹת לוֹקִין: עַל כּוֹתְבֵי פְלַסְתֵּר, וְעַל מְעִידֵי עֵדוּת שֶׁקֶר, וְעַל מְגַדְּלֵי בְּהֵמָה דַּקָּה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל קוֹצְצֵי אִילָנוֹת טוֹבוֹת.
And on account of four matters the heavenly lights are eclipsed: On account of forgers of a fraudulent document [pelaster] that is intended to discredit others; on account of testifiers of false testimony; on account of raisers of small domesticated animals in Eretz Yisrael in a settled area; and on account of choppers of good, fruit-producing trees.
תַּנְיָא רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר: כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁמְּאוֹרוֹת לוֹקִין — סִימָן רַע לְשׂוֹנְאֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמְּלוּמָּדִין בְּמַכּוֹתֵיהֶן. מָשָׁל לְסוֹפֵר שֶׁבָּא לְבֵית הַסֵּפֶר וּרְצוּעָה בְּיָדוֹ, מִי דּוֹאֵג — מִי שֶׁרָגִיל לִלְקוֹת בְּכׇל יוֹם וָיוֹם הוּא דּוֹאֵג.
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir says: When the heavenly lights, i.e., the sun and the moon, are eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the enemies of the Jewish people, which is a euphemism for the Jewish people, because they are experienced in their beatings. Based on past experience, they assume that any calamity that afflicts the world is directed at them. The Gemara suggests a parable: This is similar to a teacher who comes to the school with a strap in his hand. Who worries? The child who is accustomed to be beaten each and every day is the one who worries.
Part 2: The Modern Poskim:
The OU:
Should a bracha be recited on a solar eclipse, and if so which bracha should be said?
Shulchan Aruch (OC 227:1) lists many natural events for which the bracha of ‘Oseh Ma’aseh Breishis’ (‘He performs the acts of creation’) is recited, such as lightening, thunder and great winds. However, an eclipse is not included in this list. It therefore may be presumed that a blessing is not recited. Why should this be? Isn’t an eclipse an incredible and awe inspiring event, as much so as thunder and lightning?
Rav Chaim David Halevi, former Av Beis Din of Tel Aviv and Yaffo, suggests in Teshuvos Asei Licha Rav (5:7) that ‘Oseh Ma’aseh Breishis’ is only recited for natural events, which are part of ‘Ma’aseh Breishis’. The Talmud (Sukkah 29a) states that the likui chama, sun diminutions, is a response to man’s sinful behavior. It is a punishment and ominous sign. Many commentaries assume that likui chama refers to solar eclipses. As such, ‘Ma’aseh Breishis‘ cannot be recited, since eclipses are not part of the natural sequence and order of creation.
How can an eclipse be a response to human conduct when eclipses occur at predictable points in time? See Maharal, Be’er Hagolah 6 and Aruch L’ner (Sukkah 29a).
Rabbi Michael Broyde:
Why is an eclipse different from a stalagmite cave or a volcano? I could think of a few reasons from a halachic perspective, even to those who believe that the Mishna’s list is not inclusive.
a. Many perceive them to be a siman raah – a bad sign, either because of superstitious reasons or because darkness in the middle of the day is practically bad – and there is no blessing on bad omens (as Rabbi Moshe Feinstein is quoted in Mesorat Moshe 2:51).
b. Because one sees nothing in an eclipse (as it is an absence of light, rather than a presence) and we do not make brachot on absences.
c. Because the bracha of oseh maaseh breseshit does not apply to things whose existence can be mathematically predicted, but are merely rare: eclipses are not anomalies, but a product of the universes’ cycle of life, and more under the berkat hachama rule.
d. Because full eclipses are exceedingly rare and partial eclipses are almost impossible to “see” without modern eclipse glasses (a 75% eclipse hardly is noticed on a functional level) and are naturally invisible.
e. For other reasons that are less obvious related to the fact that these have to be wonders from “creation” and these are not from creation.
f. Because some thought that eclipses were punishments and thus no blessing was ordained.
Based on all this, one can say that eclipses could be different from all other created natural anomalies as a matter of Jewish law and are not covered by the general idea of a wonder such that a blessing should be made.
R' Dov Linzer on Solar Eclipses
The case against:
The Rabbis, in the final chapter of Tractate Brakhot, established blessings that should be said upon experiencing certain meteorological or seismic events – thunder, lightning, an earthquake, a shooting star and powerful winds or when viewing certain natural phenomena – mountains, valleys, deserts, oceans and and large rivers...
What about phenomena that are not mentioned explicitly by the Rabbis; should one recite oseh ma’aseh bereishit upon seeing a waterfall, a geyser, an active volcano or an eclipse of the sun? This question is a matter of debate between the poskim. Many poskim assume that any phenomenon not mentioned explicitly does not warrant a blessing. These poskiminclude: R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, R. Chaim David Ha’Levi, R. David Lau, and R. Chaim Kanyevsky.[1] They argue that to make a blessing would be to add to the brakhot that the Rabbis established, something we may not do....
Some of those poskim who rule that one should not make the brakhah point to the gemara in Sukkah (29a) which states that a solar eclipse is a bad omen for the world and argue that one should not make a brakhah over a negative phenomenon...
The argument not to make a brakhah on an eclipse rests primarily on the fact that it is not mentioned explicitly in the Talmud or Shulkhan Arukh. But does it really make sense that a valley should get a blessing but not a waterfall? As the Talmud says elsewhere (Gittin 33a): “Do you then expect the author of the mishnah to list everything announcing his wares like a spice merchant?” A number of poskim believe that the list in the Talmud was never meant to be exhaustive and that one should make a blessing in these cases. These poskim include: R. Nissim Karlitz, R. Shmuel Vozner, R. Ben Tzion Abba Shaul and R. Eliezer Melamed. [5]
On one level, this debate is a technical one – do we think that the list is exhaustive or not. It seems to me that there is something deeper at play here; should we maximize opportunities to make brakhot when possible within halakhah, or should we adopt a more conservative, cautious approach out of concern for brakhah li’vatalah (a blessing in vain) and brakhah she’einah tzrikhah (a blessing that is superfluous). This can be framed, as R. Yoel bin Nun has described it, as a question of whether to give primacy to ahavat Hashem or yirat Hashem.
Those that rule that one does not make a brakhah will respond that their ruling is a form of religious expression – scrupulous attention to the concern of not saying brakhot and God’s name when not warranted. They would further argue that one is not precluded from expressing words of praise. If one wants to give voice to their religious feelings on seeing an awe-inspiring site such as an eclipse, he may recite an appropriate chapter or verse of Tehillim, such as: The heavens declare the glory of God (19:2).
The Case For:
In response, we may note that there is no precedent for basing the halakhot of brakhot on this aggadic passage, one that many great rabbis throughout the ages have grappled with, given that we know that these are predictable events.
Moreover, the fact that we make a brakhah over an earthquake, something that is not only an omen of something bad but that actually may bring about death and destruction, is clear evidence that we can make a blessing over “bad” phenomena.
...
But what does it mean when our religious impulse to praise God and see God in the world is not able to find expression in halakhic forms, such as the recitation of brakhot? Does this not run the risk of making halakhah an experience only of following rules or, at best, an expression of yirat Hashem, and not a vehicle to express and experience ahavat Hashem?
It is well known that when Ben-Gurion completed the public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel in Tel Aviv, on May 14, 1948, R. Yehudah Leib Fishman (Maimon) stood up and recited the she’hehiyanu blessing. A story, possibly apocryphal, is told that following this blessing, R. Fishman was approached by a certain gentlemen.
The man said to him, “I don’t understand. How could you make this brakhah? Where does it say in Shulkhan Arukh that you make a brakhah for an occasion like this?”
Fishman responded, “You don’t understand. I just got a new tie. I was making a brakhah for that.”
“Oh,” said the man, “Now I understand. Thank you.”
To which R. Fishman replied: “What are you thinking?! You would make a brakhah for a tie, but you wouldn’t make a brakhah for the founding of a Jewish state?!”[6]
Who do we side with in this story – R. Fishman or the questioner? Do we want to live a bifurcated life, [...] or do we want to live a life where halakhah becomes the vehicle to encounter God?
...The Rabbis wanted to maximize the opportunities to experience God in the world and they did so through the vehicle of brakhot.
...And when it comes to making a brakha on a solar eclipse, or on other natural phenomena that do not appear explicitly in the Talmudic list, the argument that one should make the brakha is, at least in my opinion, the far more persuasive one.
בדרך כלל אנו נפגשים עם הטבע המסודר – השמש זורחת ושוקעת כסדרה, הכוכבים נעים במסילותיהם, והכל ניצב על מכונו, ועל כך אנו מודים ליהוה בברכת 'יוצר המאורות' וב'פסוקי דזמרה'. אולם לפעמים אנו נפגשים עם תופעות יוצאות דופן שמזעזעות את הנפש, עד שנראה כאילו הסדרים שטבע הבורא בעולמו אינם מחזיקים עוד מעמד. אבל עלינו לזכור כי הכל מאת יהוה הוא, וגם התופעות החריגות והמזעזעות הם מעשיו וגבורותיו, שנועדו ליישר את העולם ולתקנו, וכפי שאמרו חכמים (ברכות נט, א): "לא נבראו רעמים אלא לפשוט
עקמומית שבלב".
In general, we encounter the orderly nature — the sun rises and sets as usual, the stars move along their paths, and everything stands firm in its place. For this, we thank God with the blessing of "Creator of the lights" and with the "Pesukei Dezimra" prayers. However, sometimes we encounter exceptional phenomena that shake the soul, to the point that it seems as though the natural order that the Creator established in His world no longer holds. But we must remember that everything comes from God, and even the unusual and disturbing phenomena are His deeds and powers, meant to straighten and correct the world, as the sages said (Berakhot 59a): "Thunder was not created except to straighten the crookedness in the heart."
יש אומרים שעל כל תופעת טבע מיוחדת, כדוגמת הר געש בהתפרצותו, גייזר, מפלי מים מרשימים וליקוי חמה או לבנה, צריכים לברך, ומה שחכמים מנו אינו אלא דוגמא. ויש שמסתפקים בזה. למעשה, ראוי למתפעל מהם לברך.
Some say that for every unique natural phenomenon, such as an erupting volcano, a geyser, impressive waterfalls, or a solar or lunar eclipse, one should bless, and that what the sages listed is only an example. Others are uncertain about this. In practice, it is proper for one who is amazed by these phenomena to bless.
Part 3: A Potential Analogue From Yom Kippur?
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אָסוּר לִרְחוֹץ מִקְצָת גּוּפוֹ כְּכׇל גּוּפוֹ, וְאִם הָיָה מְלוּכְלָךְ בְּטִיט וּבְצוֹאָה — רוֹחֵץ כְּדַרְכּוֹ וְאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ. אָסוּר לָסוּךְ מִקְצָת גּוּפוֹ כְּכׇל גּוּפוֹ, וְאִם הָיָה חוֹלֶה, אוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ חֲטָטִין בְּרֹאשׁוֹ — סָךְ כְּדַרְכּוֹ וְאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ.
§ The Gemara clarifies some of the prohibitions relating to Yom Kippur. The Sages taught: It is prohibited to bathe part of the body just as it is prohibited to bathe the whole body. But if one is dirty from mud or excrement, he may bathe in his usual manner, and he need not be concerned about transgressing, since his goal is not pleasure. Similarly, it is prohibited to smear oil on part of the body just as it is prohibited to smear oil on the whole body. But if one was sick and needed to smear oil on his body for medicinal purposes, or if one had scabs on his head that would hurt if he did not smear oil on himself, he may smear oil in his usual manner, and he need not be concerned about transgressing.
תְּנָא דְּבֵי מְנַשֶּׁה: רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: מְדִיחָה אִשָּׁה יָדָהּ אַחַת בְּמַיִם, וְנוֹתֶנֶת פַּת לַתִּינוֹק, וְאֵינָהּ חוֹשֶׁשֶׁת.
The school of Menashe taught that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: A woman may rinse one hand in water, so that she does not touch food before she has washed her hands in the morning, and give bread to her child, and she need not be concerned about violating the prohibition of bathing on Yom Kippur.
אָמְרוּ עָלָיו עַל שַׁמַּאי הַזָּקֵן שֶׁלֹּא רָצָה לְהַאֲכִיל בְּיָדוֹ אַחַת, וְגָזְרוּ עָלָיו לְהַאֲכִיל בִּשְׁתֵּי יָדַיִם. מַאי טַעְמָא? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: מִשּׁוּם שִׁיבְתָּא.
They said about Shammai the Elder that he did not want to feed his children with one hand, to avoid having to wash it. This prevented the children from eating during all of Yom Kippur. Due to concerns about the health and the suffering of his children, they decreed that he must feed them with two hands, forcing him to wash both hands. What is the reason that they also said in general that one must wash his hands before touching food? Abaye said: Due to an evil spirit named Shivta, who resides on hands that have not been washed in the morning.
משום שיבתא - פרש"י רוח רעה השורה על הידים שלא נטלן שחרית ור"ת מפרש דבלא נתינת פת לתינוק מותר ליטול ידיו שחרית ביום הכפורים דלא גרע ממלוכלכות בטיט ובצואה דאמרינן שרוחץ כדרכו ואינו חושש ואין לך מלוכלך בטיט ובצואה יותר מזה שלא נטל ידיו שחרית שאינו רשאי ליגע לפיו ולחוטמו ולאזניו ולעיניו כדאמר בפרק שמונה שרצים (שבת דף קח:) יד לפה תקצץ וכו' משום בת מלך ושיבתא דהכא ענין אחר הואי ששורה על האוכל כשבא ליתן פת לתינוק בן ד' ויהוה שנים וחונקתו אם לא נטל ידיו באותה שעה אף על פי שכבר נטלן שחרית ומה שהעולם אין נזהרין עכשיו בזה לפי שאין אותה רוח רעה שורה באלו המלכיות כמו שאין נזהרין על הגילוי ועל הזוגות:
Rashi's opinion: It is a Ru'ach Ra'ah that rests on hands that were not washed in the morning. R. Tam's opinion: Even if one need not feed bread to a child, he may wash his hands in the morning on Yom Kipur; He is no less [permitted] than one whose hands are dirty with mud or excrement. We say that he may wash normally without concern; This is even worse than one whose hands are dirty with mud or excrement! One who did not wash his hands in the morning may not touch his mouth, nose, ears and eyes. We say (Shabbos 108b) that a hand that touches the mouth [before it was washed in the morning] should be cut off... because the Ru'ach Ra'ah on it is a Bas Melech. Shivsa here is a different matter. It rests on the food when one comes to give bread to a child four or five years old, and chokes him if the one feeding him did not wash then, even if he washed in the morning; Nowadays people are not careful about this, for this Ru'ach Ra'ah does not dwell in these kingdoms, just like we are not careful about exposure [of liquids that snakes drink from] and Zugos (doing things in even numbers).
