Sukkah, Daf Kaf Tet, Part 4
Today’s section continues to discuss heavenly signs as omens for the future.
תניא, רבי מאיר אומר: כל זמן שמאורות לוקין – סימן רע לשונאיהם של ישראל, מפני שמלומדין במכותיהן. משל לסופר שבא לבית הספר ורצועה בידו, מי דואג – מי שרגיל ללקות בכל יום ויום הוא דואג.
It was taught: R. Meir said, Whenever the heavenly lights are in eclipse, it is a bad omen for [the enemies of] Israel for they are accustomed to their blows. A parable to a school teacher who comes to school with a strap in his hand. Who starts to worry? The one who is accustomed to being beaten every day.
This is a sad baraita. Israel (the "enemies of Israel is a euphemism for Israel) is presented as the abused school child, fearful of every bad sign for he is used to being beaten. Rabbi Meir points out that it is only natural for Israel to assume that a heavenly sign is a bad omen for them and not for the rest of the world, for Israel is the suffering child of God.
We should also perhaps note that this baraita is particularistic heavenly signs are directed at Israel and not at the whole world. Nature acts on behalf of Israel, albeit as a sign of punishment. Throughout this sugya we would do well to keep track of when heavenly signs are directed against particular nations and when they are directed against all of humanity.
תנו רבנן: בזמן שהחמה לוקה – סימן רע לעובדי כוכבים, לבנה לוקה – סימן רע לשונאיהם של ישראל, מפני שישראל מונין ללבנה ועובדי כוכבים לחמה.
Our Rabbis taught, When the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for idolaters; when the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel, since Israel reckons by the moon and idolaters by the sun.
This baraita notes that Israel is a "moon" people we reckon our calendar based on the moon. The rest of the world reckons by the sun. So when the moon is eclipsed it’s a bad sign for Israel, but when the sun is eclipsed, it’s a bad sign for idolaters.
לוקה במזרח – סימן רע ליושבי מזרח, במערב – סימן רע ליושבי מערב, באמצע הרקיע – סימן רע לכל העולם כולו.
If it is in eclipse in the east, it is a bad omen for those who live in the east; if in the west, it is a bad omen for those who live in the west; if in the midst of heaven it is bad omen for the whole world.
This section is pretty self-explanatory. Here the signs are universal, not directed against a particular nation.
פניו דומין לדם – חרב בא לעולם, לשק – חיצי רעב באין לעולם, לזו ולזו – חרב וחיצי רעב באין לעולם. לקה בכניסתו – פורענות שוהה לבוא, ביציאתו – ממהרת לבא. ויש אומרין חילוף הדברים.
If its face is red as blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world; if it is like sack-cloth, the arrows of famine are coming to the world; if it resembles both, the sword and the arrows of famine are coming to the world.
If the eclipse is at sunset calamity will be delayed; if at dawn, it will come quickly: but some say the order is to be reversed.
The first half of the baraita interprets the color of the sun as an omen to the world. Red signifies the blood shed by a sword and the grey of sack-cloth signifies the ashen face of someone undergoing starvation.
The second half imparts significance to the time of day of the eclipse, but there are two versions of the interpretation. The first version is that if the eclipse is at sunset, then it was delayed. This implies that calamity will be delayed. If the eclipse appears first thing in the morning, calamity will hasten on its way.
The second version interprets in the opposite manner. If it is eclipsed in the evening, then just as the sun is hurrying to set, so too calamity will appear quickly. However, if the eclipse is in the morning, then just as the sun has a long time before it sets, so too calamity will tarry in coming.