Originally Published April 4, 2024
This past weekend, I drove to visit family in New York, essentially following the path of totality for next week’s social eclipse. All along the route, on both sides of the border, were ample signs reminding drivers of the impending eclipse. “Arrive early, stay late,” warned the New York signs, in an attempt to minimize the expected traffic throughout the region. While this advice was focused on crowd control, not on maximizing our own opportunities and ability to witness a once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomenon. What if we applied this “arrive early, stay late,” approach to our lives more broadly? Of course, as a rabbi, I’m always in favour of applying it to Shabbat services! But let’s not stop there – let’s maximize our opportunity for wonder, for connection, for presence. Rabbi Sharon Brous, in her book The Amen Effect, reminds us of the importance of showing up: to the funeral, to the shiva, to the hospital room, to the simcha, to the friend who needs us. Arrive early, stay late.
As we prepare for next week’s eclipse, I invite you to arrive early and stay late b’chol l’vavcha, b’chol nafsh’cha, uv’chol m’odecha – with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. Open your eyes fully (with appropriate protective equipment, of course!) to take in the wonders of the Divine and of nature. If you’d like to frame your eclipse watching with Jewish ritual, this resource from Ritualwell and the Shamir Collective offers a collection of blessings, readings, and music to help each of us access the Divine Wonder within this incredible natural phenomenon.
See you – hopefully early! – on Shabbat!
