As we continue to enjoy more normalcy after a challenging and unconventional year, the blessings of our life unfold renewed before us. This week, I will share some of the brachot (blessing) formulas that come from our tradition for special and eye-opening moments.
Every single year of my life—except the year that I lived in Jerusalem and celebrated in Gan Atzmaut, Independence Park—I have enjoyed Fourth of July fireworks with my father. Of course, I learned early on that Independence Day is our time set aside to honor the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, officially forming the United States of America. And even with my pride in living in such a remarkable (if complicated) nation, I think of the Fourth of July as the day when I watch the night sky light up while laughing, joking, singing, and holding hands with my dad. I hope that yesterday you were able to enjoy seeing the night sky light up with fireworks, creating a new memory with loved ones, holding gratitude for our country’s rich history and for the gift of our independence, and perhaps experiencing awe and wonder for the greatness that is the sparkling sky above us.
Our ancestors’ fascination with the sky and attempt to understand the great light shining down on us appears in the very first verses of our Torah. We read in Bereshit that God created the heavens and the earth first and immediately after, God created light; God quickly divided light from darkness and experienced the inherent goodness of it (Genesis 1:1-4). There is something so affirming, comforting even, about these first verses of Torah. As human beings, we stand small under the vastness of the great sky. And yet, as Jews, we trust that as we stare out into the sky, we are connected to God, connected to the first moments of creation, connected to something so much greater than ourselves.
Of course, fireworks are manmade and temporary, but I love them because they draw our attention skyward in celebration and wonder. Our rabbis certainly did not have a blessing for fireworks, but they created blessings for the great lights above us, including lightning, comets, meteor showers, and shooting stars (and other natural wonders). May we continuously draw our attention to the sky and ponder the mystery of creation and our place in it with immense gratitude for the inherent goodness of God’s light.
ברוך אתה ה’ אלהינו מלך העולם עושה מעשה בראשית
Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, oseh ma’aseh b’reishit
Blessed are You, God, who re-enacts the work of creation
— Cantor Emma Lutz