Astrologers and sky-watchers are closely monitoring the heavens as a significant solar eclipse approaches today (Wednesday), followed by a lunar eclipse in two weeks. The period between these two events creates what some observers describe as an unusually intense window of celestial activity that will extend through much of the Hebrew month of Elul.
Interest in eclipses is not limited to secular observers. The Talmud in Tractate Sukkah addresses the significance of eclipses: "Rabbi Meir says: Whenever the luminaries are eclipsed, it is a bad sign for the enemies of Israel [a euphemism for Israel itself], because they are accustomed to their blows. This is comparable to a teacher who comes to school with a strap in his hand—who worries? The one who is regularly punished worries. The Rabbis taught: When the sun is eclipsed, it is a bad sign for the nations of the world. When the moon is eclipsed, it is a bad sign for the enemies of Israel."








