Many people will be traveling to view the full solar eclipse the will be seen across the United States on August 21, 2017. Here is a webpage with links to all kinds of information about this celestial event. Although traditionally, no Hebrew blessing was said upon seeing an eclipse, as in earlier generations people viewed it as a bad omen, today many people view it with wonder and find it appropriate to say a prayer from tradition. Rabbi David Zaslow recommends the blessings below.

Perhaps a blessing practice can help us to see the Eclipse in a more positive, modern light, as a fully predictable natural event that evokes awe and wonder at creation. Still, the traditional sense of the Eclipse calling us to teshuvah, to repairing and mending our ways, is always worthwhile.

Image: Photo that I took during a solar eclipse in California, 2012, using a binocular projector. (In case you needed a reminder, never look at the sun during an eclipse as you can damage your eyes. The linked article will provide some ideas for safe ways to view it.)

For more eclipse resources, read the next “What’s New“ Post.