The Kabbalah of the Solar EclipseIn each of us shines a bright sun . In each of us , there is a time of its eclipse . By Tzvi Freeman « PreviousCosmic VibrationsNext » G - d in LoveThe Solar Eclipse WithinIf you can observe it , recognize it and understand it , it must be found somewhere within you . Yet more : Anything you observe is teaching you something about something inside of you . Something vital for your divine mission here on earth . Yet more : The truth of each thing is the lesson it comes to teach you . Because if a thing enters your world , there could be only one reason : So that your soul could better fulfill the mission for which it is sent to this place . If so , if there is anything you want to understand to its depths , you must first find it within yourself , and listen to what it is teaching you . And the Torah is your guide to finding it there . So here ’ sWhere is the solar eclipse within your life ? the question of the day as the solar eclipse makes it ’ s way across America on August 21 st , capturing a nation ’ s attention : Where is the solar eclipse within your life , and within your life ’ s mission ? The Song of the SunPerek Shirah is a Midrash that describes the song of each creation as it praises its Creator — from the song of heaven and the song of earth , to the song of the waves of the sea , the rooster , the crane , and even the lowly rat . Each sings a verse from Tanakh , each song appropriate to its character . Indeed , the kabbalists tell us that the song of each being is its life - force , the divine energy that brings it into being and endows it with its nature . Of what does the sun sing ? Of the time of its eclipse : 1 The Sun is saying : “ The sun , when covered by the moon , stood in its abode ; they walk to the light of your arrows , and by the shine of your glittering spear . ” 2 Why would the sun sing about its eclipse ? Let it sing about its great light , its warmth , how it makes possible all the life of our planet . Rabbi Moshe ben Yosef deTrani ( known by the acronym of his name “ Mabit ” ) a halachist and kabbalist of Tzfat in the 16 th century , explains : The sun sings its praises to G ‑ d for the bad just as it does for the good . Even as it is struck by the moon standing before it , blocking its light , the sun remains in its place with all its light . It is only that the moon obstructs between us and that light . The moon , on the other hand , is not that way . When the earth stands between it and the sun , it has no light , for all its light is from the sun . Wonderful . Everything is for the good — only that from our limited perspective we can ’ t always see the good that is there . As the sages of the Talmud say , “ Just as you must make a blessing for good tidings , so you must make one for bad tidings . ” 3 And they explain that this means you should accept it with joy . 4 Why ? “ Because this is also for the good . ” 5 Everything is for the good — only that from our limited perspective we can ’ t always see the good that is there . 6 Even this eclipse . For thunder , lightning , shooting stars , earthquakes , volcanoes , etc . , there ’ s a blessing to be recited . 7 For an eclipse — zilch . And yet , the sun sings , even this is good in truth . Rabbi Moshe deTrani goes on to explain the words of the sun ’ s song this way : At the time of the eclipse , the sun “ stands in its abode , ” shining just the same — unlike the moon — since it shines its own light . And even to those that stand in the path of its eclipse , “ they walk to the light of your arrows , ” they still have some light — the rays and arcs of light that shoot out as arrows at the time of the eclipse . And for those in the rest of the world for whom the eclipse does not appear , they walk “ by the shine of your glittering spear . ” Rabbi Moshe deTrani goes on to describe how the sun experiences an immediate recovery from the eclipse , suffering no scars or wounds , instantly returning to its full glory . Reading this simply , the interpretation is lovely , but very problematic : If the sun never loses its light then nothing bad has happened to it . How can we say that it is praising G ‑ d “ for the bad as for the good ? ” And we have yet to answer the major question : Why is this the praise that speaks most of the character of the sun ? The truth is , Rabbi Moshe is several steps ahead of us . He has taken his great depth of knowledge and wisdom and squeezed them tightly into simple words that have meaning to all . To understand those words , at least a little more deeply , we must first see the sun as its Creator knows it — not as a great gaseous ball of nuclear fusion , but as a key theme in the act of creation , merely reflected in our world as a physical object up in the sky . A Higher Sun , A Higher MoonThe universe is a parable . 8 A parable teaches wisdom by dressing wisdom in metaphor ; the universe reveals the divine wisdom by concealing it within the artifacts of heaven and earth . Beginning with the power of infinite light , G ‑ d calls forth existence from the void , and by concealing that light , He molds that existence into a world — filtering it , carefully articulating it within tight packets of creative energy by which all things are formed — the divine words of creation . Think of a musician playing a stringed instrument , such as a violin or a guitar : one hand causes the strings to vibrate , while the other opens and closes those strings , restricting them to the degree that the music demands . Or think of an actor , who expresses his creativity by pretending to be that which he is not . Or of the novelist , who must stand back and see his story from the perspective of his characters , as if he were not there . Creativity and restraint , presence and mystery , light and dark , yes and no — these are the fundamental elements of all creative work . Just as there is no music without the power of restraint , so there is no creation without concealment . Because the archetype of all creativity is the creation of heaven and earth , and heaven and earth are created by a harmony of these opposites . From within the creation , these two powers can appear as a duality . Some see the story of the universe in this way — a struggle between the powers of light and the powers of darkness . They see evil as a ploy of the powers of darkness , good as a victory of the powers of light . But a Jew has faith that there is only one Creator of all things , who calls existence into being and then breathes into it life , while all the time remaining a mystery withheld from those beings , so that they might feel themselves as true creations . And therefore a Jew sees harmony in these opposites . Just as there is no music without the power of restraint , so there is no creation without concealment . And without a creation , to whom will the light shine ? Without a creation , who will know their Creator ? In the language of Kabbalah , these are the two levels of the sefirot , zah and malchut . on a higher level , they are the two divine names , Havaye ( the four - letter name of G ‑ d ) , and Elokim . This is what Moses meant when he taught us , “ Know today and take it to heart : Havaye is Elokim . There is nothing else . ” Meaning : Meditate deeply upon the harmony and unity of darkness and light , concealment and revelation — to know that they are truly one . Then you will realize that there is truly nothing else but G ‑ d . For even the darkness is G ‑ d . 9 As Two Loving Parents To Planet EarthWithin the physical world , these two elements find their most exquisite ｅxpressions as the sun and the moon . The sun speaks of the Creator ’ s power to create , The sun speaks of the Creator ’ s power to create . The moon speaks of His power to conceal Himself within His creation . to provide energy , to give life . The moon speaks of the Creator ’ s power to conceal Himself within His creation , to remain mysterious , to dwell in darkness so that the world looks and feels like a real world . And see how they work together in wondrous harmony : The sun shines its great light and warmth upon our planet , but it is the moon that enables us to receive that light and live from it . The moon ’ s gravity pulls our oceans ’ tides , moving heat outward from the equator toward the poles . It creates undersea currents to circulate that heat to the furthest regions . It ’ s mighty mass stabilizes our planet ’ s axis and slows its rotation , so that both seasons and days are neither too extreme nor too mild . 10 As two parents to a child , so the sun and the moon nurture life on Planet Earth . Shining in the DarknessYet now , at the time of the solar eclipse , the moon comes to dominate over the sun . It does more than regulate its great energy — it blocks its light . And this is Rabbi Moshe ’ s point : The sun itself is not affected . There really is no concealment at all . It is only from our perspective that G ‑ d ’ s light is hidden . G ‑ d is here , exactly the same as before the world came into being . All this descent and filtering of light does not affect Him in the slightest . Go back to the analogy of a parable . When a teacher tells a parable , the student hears a nice story . Eventually , we hope , he discovers the teaching within the story . But to the teacher , there is only the teaching — that is all he sees , in every detail of the parable . So , for G ‑ d , all that is here , now , is the same infinite light that was here before creation began . Everybody agrees that G ‑ d Himself is here . Everyone agrees that G ‑ d is here — seemingly somewhat like a stealth police vehicle with all the lights turned off . Truth is , the lights are glaring — we just can ’ t see them . He ’ s everywhere . But it seems that His presence is somewhat like a stealth police vehicle with all the lights turned off . But the truth is that no , all the light is on — His infinite light , here , now , with us , in our world , providing infinite information of His presence . It ’ s just that we are not yet capable of perceiving that light — we would lose all sense of existence if we did . Not until a time soon to come , when our physical eyes , and the entire physical world will be refined to the point that we will be capable of absorbing that light and remaining self - sentient beings within its glow . Now find the solar eclipse within you . Within each of us , as well , there is a great light that never ceases to shine . As we say each morning , “ G ‑ d , the soul You have placed within me is pure . ” 11 And in the Song of Songs : “ Mighty waters cannot extinguish the love , and rivers cannot inundate it . ” 12 Just as it is certain that behind the moon , the sun still shines , so it is certain that within each of us burns a divine fire . You can run away and hide , you can try to forget , you can deny everything — but just as a child can never lose the love for a parent , immeasurably more so , the soul inside us can never lose its unconditional love for G ‑ d . “ For darkness will cover the earth , and a thick darkness to the nations , but upon you G ‑ d will shine . ” 13 Staring at the Sun with the Naked EyeThat provides a glimpse into the fuller meaning of Rabbi Moshe deTrani ’ s interpretation . Now we understand why the eclipse best brings out the greatness of the sun — because we are speaking of a light that is never extinguished , and that is what we see best at the time of the eclipse . Our other question , however , still remains unanswered : If the sun is shines just the same at the time of its eclipse , how does this teach us to give thanks for the bad as for the good ? I haven ’ t seen the following anywhere — I may be completely off track . But I can try to provide an answer : Here is the irony of the solar eclipse : Here is the irony of the solar eclipse : It ’ s the only time we get to look at the sun . We bask in the sun ’ s rays all day . Yet this is the only time — and only for the short period of its totality — that we are able to stare at the sun with our naked eye . At any other time or place — even the moment immediately before the eclipse or after it , even a few degrees off the narrow “ band of totality ” — a short glimpse of the sun can be literally blinding . Don ’ t do it without special glasses or equipment . But for those two minutes or so , humanity has its only opportunity to behold the sun eye to eye . In fact , if it were not for the eclipse , it is doubtful that we would ever understand a thing about the sun . Yet more : It is the only time when we can see the darkness of the moon , clearly , even in midday . Meaning : At all other times , we bask in the sun ’ s light . At the time of the eclipse , we can stare at the sun itself . As it turns out , the moon ’ s darkness hides the light , only to reveal the sun . So , too , the darkness of this world hides the light , so that G ‑ d Himself can be revealed — through our labor in that darkness , our mitzvahs and our seeking out G ‑ d with all our heart despite every challenge . The angels have light – they have little free choice , for they see only the truth . We who struggle in darkness , who must choose light on our own accord , we touch G ‑ d Himself . The Solar Eclipse WithinIn simple terms , for each of us : There are times when light shines down upon us . We need neither struggle nor search . It is the daytime of our lives . And then , “ You bring on darkness , and it is night , when all the wild things of the forest creep forth . ” 14 In the darkness , each movement becomes a struggle . Nothing can be found without grappling to search . The world becomes a threatening , thick forest of confusion . That is when we are forced to find our own inner light , a light that never fades nor flickers , but only hides behind the barriers we ourselves have set for it . It ’ s in the eclipses of our life that we discover G ‑ d Himself shining within us . Now , in the eclipses of our life , we uncover that light , and discover that it is G ‑ d Himself that shines within us . And so it is the sun that teaches us to make a blessing for the good as we do for that which appears not so good . Because who knows better than the source of light that darkness , too , is good ? Indeed , there no good and evil . “ From heaven does not descend the good and the bad . ” There is only good and very good . For it is this time of darkness that allows us to stare the Source of all good in the face , with the naked eye . Soon will be a time when the darkness will shine openly , when all pain and suffering will transform to good , and the nighttimes of our life will endure only as memories of even greater good . As Isaiah describes in the metaphor of his vision : The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun , and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of the seven days [ of creation ] , on the day that G ‑ d will bind the fracture of His people , and the stroke of their wound He shall heal . 15 May this solar eclipse be the harbinger of the realization of that vision , and may it come sooner than we can imagine . See AlsoDoes Judaism See Solar Eclipses as Bad Omens ? A Blessing for a Lunar Eclipse ? An Interview With a Solar Eclipse Engineer « PreviousCosmic VibrationsNext » G - d in LoveFOOTNOTES 1 . Perek Shirah 2 : 3 . 2 . Habakkuk 3 : 11 . The translation here follows that of Rabbi Moshe deTrani in his commentary to Perek Shirah . 3 . Mishnah Berachot 9 : 5 . 4 . Talmud Berachot 60 b . 5 . Ibid . 6 . See Tanya , chapter 26 . Igeret HaKodesh , 11 . 7 . Talmud , ibid . 8 . For a lengthy explanation of this topic , see Rabbi Shalom Dovber of Lubavitch , Vayadata 5657 . 9 . See Sha ’ ar HaYichud V ’ Ha - Emunah , chapters 4 and 6 . 10 . See Waltham , “ Anthropic Selection of the Moon ’ s Mass ” in Astrobiology 4 , pages 460 – 468 . Munk and Wunsch in Deep - Sea Research 45 ( 1998 ) , confirmed by Egbert and Ray , Nature 405 ( 2000 ) 775 - 778 . 11 . Morning liturgy . 12 . Song of Songs 5 : 7 . 13 . Isaiah 60 : 2 . 14 . Psalms 104 : 20 . 15 . Isaiah 30 : 26 . BY TZVI FREEMANRabbi Tzvi Freeman , a senior editor at Chabad . org , also heads our Ask The Rabbi team . He is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth . To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman ' s writing , visit Freeman Files subscription . FaceBook @ RabbiTzviFreeman Periscope @ Tzvi _ Freeman .