Last month’s impressive solar eclipse was also visible from Israel, though only partially so.

In the African Republic of Congo, the so-called “ring of fire” was already visible in the early morning. This phenomenon was also on full display in the Arabian Peninsula and in a strip across India to southern China. An annular solar eclipse that, according to astronomers, could only be seen on two percent of the earth’s surface.

The celestial event sparked a lot of discussion and media debates. Signs in the sky are always a sensitive issue over which people have always disagreed, especially pious Jews and Christians. God through the prophet Jeremiah (10:2) told the people of Israel that they must “learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them.” In other words, the signs in the sky shouldn’t scare us.

The sun, moon and stars were already an issue in the Bible. The prophet Amos (8:9) says: “And in that day, declares the Lord GOD, I...