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A comet is streaking across towards our solar system — is it an omen for Jews?
A newly tracked interstellar comet, which has been dubbed 3I/ATLAS and is likely to pass the sun, Jupiter, Mars and Venus this autumn, but nowhere near Earth, has sparked some unexpectedly Jewish reflections.
Avi Loeb, a Harvard professor of astronomy, has posited that comets and space debris might be products of extraterrestrial intelligence and has theorized that there is a 60% likelihood that 3I/ATLAS is an extraterrestrial construction. Loeb has also informed the Jewish Journal of Greater Boston that the Messiah may well be extraterrestrial in origin.
Elsewhere, Loeb has suggested that after the arrival of extraterrestrials on Earth, “old religions might die and new religions might be born,” implying the possible end of Judaism, as one of the old-time religions.
The professor has stated that he is “very proud” of Jewish tradition because “there’s a lot of wisdom in it,” which might be seen as a neat understatement. But at the same time, in a blog he has declared that because the earth is no safe haven for Jews, it might be a good idea to move to outer space, where there are no lethal proprietary struggles of the Middle East type nor any antisemitism.
In any case, the way the solar system is developing, within 7.6 billion years, astronomers tell us, the sun will swell into a red giant and vaporize the Earth. To sidestep this fate, Loeb hints that Jews might kvell for trillions, instead of mere billions, of years by relocating to a distant planet, any one of untold numbers currently uninhabited.
This notion, although meant perhaps only half-seriously, overlooks the Jewish tradition of earth as a potentially blessed place for Jews, however long the blessing lasts. The biblical Book of Isaiah uses the term Beulah (from the Hebrew word for married) to refer to the land of Israel after its restoration, a symbolic state of being in a blessed covenant with God on earth, not in outer space.
At the same time, Loeb has cautioned that extraterrestrial visitors might have malign motives and earthlings would not be able to oppose them; on the other hand, ETs might also be nicer and better than humans. Last month, Loeb claimed that, since interstellar visitors “must have survived” for billions of years, they might follow the principle of “survival of the kindest.”
Justifying his assertion that roaming extraterrestrials seeking earthly contacts might be benevolent, Loeb stated: “Lonely people do not engage in blind dates if they believe that their dating partners are likely to be serial killers,” going on to observe that such interstellar wandering lonely hearts are “motivated to seek partners if they believe that kindness is abundant on the dating scene.”
Whatever the eHarmony aspect of intergalactic dating might be, the concept of visitors from outer space who are kind to Jews and others is contradicted by Loeb’s repeated claims that interstellar comets could also be espionage vehicles with menacing intent. These dire predictions have worried some readers, while annoying fellow astronomers who have called them mere distractions, implying that the time spent denying Loeb’s much-publicized, highly improbable theories might be better used for further research.
Still, Loeb is far from the first to associate Yiddishkeit with extraterrestrial phenomena — the tradition goes back at least as far as the vision of a chariot-like structure with four wheels described in the Bible’s Book of Ezekiel, symbolizing God’s omnipresence, omniscience and mobility.
The 17th century cult leader Abraham Miguel Cardozo saw faces in the moon, including the False Messiah Sabbatai Zevi and the mystic Isaac Luria. More recently, the Jewish psychiatrist John Mack, also affiliated with Harvard, investigated unproven claims of alien abductions, including one made by an Israeli woman who, under hypnosis, recalled a former 13th century life as an Arab merchant famed for justice and benevolence.
These and other examples have been examined by David Halperin, an expert on Jews and UFOs, who alludes to the eminent American Jewish astronomer Carl Sagan, who was open-minded about the possibility of extraterrestrial life, but concluded that as yet, no purported discoveries had been proven scientifically.
In a recent blog post, Loeb, who has previously likened his detractors to those who dismissed Galileo, Madame Curie, and the Wright Brothers, compared himself to a Jewish child prisoner in Theresienstadt concentration camp who drew idealized images of a “better world” rather than the grim reality of a Nazi jail. Loeb noted that he and others who dream “of a better world than Earth” might “guide [humanity] to the promised land” by encountering aliens.
Whatever one thinks of these comparisons, Jews have long sought and found extraterrestrial inspiration in earthly phenomena, and the wisest scientific mavens, including Sagan and others, have remained temperate, whether or not such theories turned out to be factual. May the same turn out to be the case with 3I/ATLAS.
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The post A comet is streaking across towards our solar system — is it an omen for Jews? appeared first on The Forward.
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Israel to Reopen Jordan Border Crossing for Passage of Aid, Goods After Terror Attack
Israeli police officers stand next to their cars at the scene of a fatal shooting at the Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
Israel is set to reopen the Allenby Crossing with Jordan to the passage of goods and aid on Wednesday, an Israeli security official said on Tuesday.
The border crossing has been closed to aid and goods since September, when a driver bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel before being killed by security forces.
The security official said the crossing would have tightened screening for Jordanian drivers and truck cargo, and that a dedicated security force had been assigned to the crossing.
The Allenby Bridge is a key route for trade between Jordan and Israel and the only gateway for more than 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank to reach Jordan.
The crossing reopened to passenger traffic shortly after the attack, but had remained closed to aid trucks. The UN says the crossing is a major route for bringing food, tents, and other goods into Gaza.
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US Imposes Sanctions on Network It Accuses of Fueling War in Sudan
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on actors it accused of fueling the war in Sudan, taking aim at what it said was a transnational network that recruits former Colombian military personnel and trains soldiers, including children, to fight for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The US Treasury Department in a statement seen by Reuters said that it imposed sanctions on four individuals and four entities that were part of the network, which it said was largely comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.
The Treasury said that since at least 2024, hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have traveled to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF, which the US has accused of committing genocide.
The Colombians have provided the RSF with tactical and training expertise and served as infantry and artillerymen, drone pilots and instructors, among other roles, with some training children to fight for the paramilitary group, according to Treasury, which added that Colombian fighters have participated in battles across Sudan, including in the capital Khartoum and al-Fashir.
“The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians — including infants and young children. Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating the conditions for terrorist groups to grow,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John Hurley, said in the statement.
Among those targeted was Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, who the Treasury said was a dual Colombian-Italian national and a retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. It accused him of playing a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian military personnel to Sudan.
The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied.
“The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents,” Treasury said in the statement.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 out of a power struggle and has triggered famine, ethnic killings, and mass displacement. In November, US President Donald Trump said he would intervene to stop the conflict.
The United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia – known as the Quad – earlier in November proposed a plan for a three-month truce followed by peace talks. The RSF responded by saying it had accepted the plan, but soon after attacked army territory with a barrage of drone strikes.
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When Is a Wedding Too Extravagant?
A wedding ceremony, illustrative. Photo: Jason Hutchens via Wikimedia Commons.
It has been part of my life as a rabbi to attend weddings — more often than not, to “perform.” I reckon that I have attended approximately 100 weddings of various sizes, styles, numbers, and traditions. Some I have enjoyed, but I am finding it increasingly hard to feel comfortable about many of the religious weddings I have attended.
They are getting more and more protracted. People are forced to wait for hours. A wedding I once attended was so overcrowded by jostling relatives under the Chupah, that the father of the bride couldn’t get close enough to give his son in law a sip of the cup of wine.
One band plays for the reception, another for the Chupah, a third for Hasidic or Israeli dances, a fourth for ballroom dancing, and a fifth for a disco. One singer is for Ashkenazi cantorial style, one for Hasidic pop, one for Sephardi tunes, and another for Carlebach. As for food, a loaded reception is offered as people arrive, and sushi is a must. There are multiple servings and meals, and if there’s a Hasidic Mitzvah dance at the end, you’ll get a complete breakfast too.
It is fashionable in the Diaspora to fly in rabbis from Israel. An oligarch recently hired an airliner to ferry over musicians, artistes, and security alone. Consider the millions being spent each year on religious weddings. And then consider how much charitable and educational work could be accomplished instead of a one-night bash that disappears into photo albums a few hours after it is over, to be glanced at perhaps once a year thereafter. The cost and the waste is mind blowing.
Successful businessmen have to invite business contacts, flaunt their success to attract new capital, and invite gaggles of rabbis to prove their religious status and legitimacy. It is not just spoiled daughters who clamor for excess; it’s magnates, too.
Over the past 50 years of rising Jewish affluence, as well as continuing Jewish poverty, many religious leaders of all denominations have tried hard to limit excessive expenditures on weddings, to absolutely no avail. Desperate parents have offered apartments and cars instead of huge weddings. Occasionally, you hear of a couple who elope to Israel or just take a rabbi and two witnesses into Central Park, but the pressures are great — and in most Jewish circles, it is simply not an option.
Recently, I entertained a relatively humble Rosh Yeshiva from Israel with 10 children who has personal debts of $500,000 because of marrying off his five daughters. It was not just the cost of the wedding itself or all the celebrations. It was the need to buy an apartment for each that left him staggering under such a heavy load of debt. And at the same time, he must help and support his five sons who are also married but are studying full time. This is not atypical. A rented apartment is unacceptable nowadays. And the chances of someone with no serious secular education getting a good job are massively reduced in Israeli society, indeed in any society nowadays.
Judaism is expanding because of its families blessed with many children. And it is true that social welfare (incidentally a product of the secular culture they despise) enables this mindset. But eventually, at some point, social welfare will have to be cut back as fewer enter the workplace to fund all this with their taxes.
For our own good as a people, we must call a halt to throwing so much money away on pure self-indulgence. If we care for our future, we must give as much attention to supporting Jewish education as we do to celebrating occasions. And the place to start is weddings. Make your calculations. Then set budgets, be realistic, and divide the sum evenly between your needs and those of others.
It is a huge mitzvah to rejoice at weddings and to help couples get married. Every day in our prayers, we are reminded how important Hachnasat Kala is. But that doesn’t mean we should go overboard. There should be limits.
The author is a rabbi and writer based in New York.