I try to avoid writing about a topic if I know a fellow columnist will also be writing about it. Since I saw Susie Garber in a shul in Albany, I expect that she will also be writing about it. However, it was such an amazing unique experience that I feel the need to write about it.
According to the luach (Jewish yearly calendar), the time for the new moon in Jerusalem was 10:57, which was 3:57 p.m. Daylight Savings Time, right in the middle of the eclipse. In 2017, during the last total eclipse, I decided to stay in Yellowstone National Park with two of my daughters instead of going a few hours up north to see the total eclipse. The park was empty. I had an enjoyable time even if we missed the total eclipse. Yellowstone is a wonder to see at any time.
Now, seven years later, I had the choice of staying in New York City or going north and trying to see a total eclipse. This will possibly be the last chance in my lifetime to do so. I decided to take the risk. I drove up to Albany on Sunday with my youngest daughter. Albany is a convenient location because it has places for me to daven. Also, Albany is geographically well located since I had options to go north, west, or east to see the eclipse, or even to go back to New York City. It was unclear what I would end up doing. There were many variables including the traffic and the weather, which I would not know until nearly the last minute. Who wants to be stuck in a traffic jam too far south to see the total eclipse or to drive to a place where it is so cloudy that you cannot see the eclipse? This is just another reminder that as much as we may plan, there is so much out of our control.
I had prepared three options, one of which I was planning to use based on the predictions the night before regarding visibility during the eclipse. Who wants to see an eclipse if it’s cloudy? I might as well have stayed in Kew Gardens Hills. None of the three options looked promising. While checking out places with the best chances of not being cloudy and not being too far, I came across Bristol, Vermont. There were a few places to view the eclipse in Bristol. The only fear was that there was limited parking. Since the weather in western New York was bad, I figured that everyone would be going east into Vermont. My fears were unfounded. We ended up at Sycamore Park in Bristol. Traffic from Albany to Bristol was not too bad so we got there early. At eclipse time, there were maybe 50 people in the entire park - perfect for me who hates crowds. That is why I live in New York City.
As to the eclipse, there was great excitement watching the moon slowly covering the sun. However, until a few minutes before the total eclipse, if you did not know that the moon was covering parts of the sun, you would not be able to tell the difference between an eclipse happening and a regular day. Then it got totally dark when the moon covered the sun. I took my glasses off and took a picture of my daughter in the dark and three pictures of the area. I then turned to look at the sky, expecting the sun to still be covered. Instead, I saw a blast of light like you’d see at a fireworks show. I was fortunate there was no damage to my eyes. My daughter said that she saw light behind the moon the entire time even when it covered the sun. They had predicted that it was going to be a total eclipse for two minutes. That did not happen. It was more like a minute. I spent the time taking pictures instead of looking at the sky and seeing the change from complete darkness to seeing the rays of the sun when the moon began to move away. This is how people live their lives. They think that they have so much time that they can get involved with less important activities, thinking that there is still time to get back to what is really important and then it is gone before you have the chance.
After the moon started slowly moving away from blocking the sun, the attendees’ attitude changed. Instead of staying to watch, people made a mad dash for the exits. This included some of the locals. Originally, I had planned to stay until the moon retreated to its normal position, but I followed the crowd and decided to leave. Bristol is south of Burlington, which was having a big celebration, so I wanted to beat that crowd. The moon moving away from the sun is just as amazing as its moving toward it. When is the next time anyone is going to see that happening when there is a total eclipse? Even during the last stage of the total eclipse, we were in too much of a hurry to appreciate the moment. It was as if it was no big deal. In retrospect, in the greater scheme of things, it would not have been a big deal if we had gotten home a little later.
It is important to look at the big picture. I was able to see a total eclipse, a once in a lifetime experience. There is no comparison between a partial eclipse like I saw in Yellowstone in 2017 and a total eclipse. The weather cooperated so that we could see the total eclipse. It was a comfortable, partly cloudy day. I was able to see it with my daughter in a place that was not crowded, and the drive was long but not as bad as expected. You could quibble with some mistakes made but it’s like that with everything in life. You can dwell on the successes or on the mistakes.
In the shul in Albany, the gabbai was joking that every day is an eclipse so we should come to Albany. There were 75 people at a shul that normally has trouble getting 10. The gabbai was right; there may not be a physical eclipse every day, but there is a spiritual eclipse.
We, with our knowledge, understand what is going on during an eclipse, so we are not afraid. Yet for animals, when it starts getting dark during the day, they get anxious. They have no idea that this is a temporary condition and it will get back to normal. We are like animals when we look at a situation where it seems to be getting darker day by day, minute by minute. We see it in the present, not knowing what the final result is. Right now, the future appears dark with no hope for a return to better times. When it comes to the eclipse, we know what will happen, so we are not afraid. We should have that same faith whenever there are trying times. We believe that Hashem will end this darkness and bring light.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
