Tikvah
Editors’ Pick

August 17, 2017

What the Talmud Says about Solar Eclipses, and How Rationalist Rabbis Explained It

A bad omen for everyone, or just non-Jews?

Surprisingly, given its near-boundless breadth and the ancient rabbis’ interest in astral phenomena, the Talmud contains only a single discussion of solar eclipses, found in Tractate Sukkah. Gil Student summarizes the passage and explains how medieval and modern rabbis addressed the problems it raises:

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