by Rabbi Shmuel Kraines

The stars say, “It is You, alone, Who is Hashem. You created all of the heavens and all of their hosts, the Earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is within them, and You grant life to all, and the heavenly hosts bow to You.” (Nechemiah 9:6)

Hashem controls the natural world through the astrology of the stars. The varying arrangements of the stars channel different flows of blessing from Hashem: life, wealth, strength, progeny and so on.The uncountable stars shine the praise of the similarly immeasurable G-d, Who guides each of them according to His singular will. The constellations constantly bow in unity in the direction of the western horizon, towards Hashem’s Shechinah, as if to declare: “It is You Who is Hashem — alone.”

We should not let powerful people and difficult situations confuse us. Hashem controls all, and the Jewish People in particular. Moreover, we are compared to the stars. This means that we have the ability to achieve stellar greatness, to rise above the world, to multiply and to control it. The sky is not the limit.

• Sources: Aderes Eliyahu; Ber. 15:5; Megillah 16a

*In loving memory of Harav Zeev Shlomo ben Zecharia Leib

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