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On Tuesday morning, everybody was having a similar conversation, “Did you see the eclipse? Did you get pictures? Do you know anyone who saw the total eclipse?” In the office people compared pictures, both of the eclipse and of wearing eclipse-safe glasses. What struck me was that having a shared communal experience has become more and more rare these days.

In a world of streaming this and on-demand that, witnessing something at the same time as someone else has become pretty uncommon. With the exceptions of live concerts and sporting events, everyone tends to run at their own pace and experience cultural phenomena at times that are convenient to them. Remember before VCRs when we got to stay up and watch The Wizard of Oz on TV? Our kids definitely don’t understand how special that was.

Experiencing something synchronously with others is valuable because even if it is temporary, it creates a sense of community. And, when we’re in community we feel less alone. So many studies have shown that in this era of constant connectivity, more people feel alone than ever.

My wife and kids make fun of me because I get choked up when we sing the National Anthem at ball games. But that two minutes of singing creates a moment of national pride and community; that for better or worse, we are all in this American experiment together and are committed to one another. When we came back for our first Shabbat service in-person after Covid, hearing everyone sing Kiddush together was the most glorious sound I had ever heard. We were raising a cup of thanksgiving and joy TOGETHER in community.

I found it really satisfying to talk about the eclipse with others and gave thanks for the shared experience and sense of community it brought. While Judaism has a blessing for seeing great works of nature, the real blessing for me was that we all saw it at the same time. That is deserving of a Shehechayanu: Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha’olam, Shehechayanu, v’kiymanu, v’higianu lazman hazeh. Blessed are You Adonai our God, who gives us life, gives us good health, and who allows us to reach really spectacular moments [TOGETHER]. To which we can say, “Amen.”