Spirituality
Birkat HaChamah
Rare 'Blessing for the Sun' to be celebrated April 8.
Susan Tawil
Special to the Jewish News
Let
The Sun
Shine
T
he sun's a hot topic these days
as the Jewish world prepares for
one of the rarest events in Jewish
practice: Birkat HaChamah, the once-in-
28-year blessing for the sun.
The blessing, which praises God for the
works of Creation, is pronounced when
the sun — and the planets and constella-
tions —return to the same time and place
they were in when the world began.
The 207th cycle will be observed
throughout the world at sunrise, April
8. Quite atypically (and some say, propi-
tiously), the event coincides this year with
erev Pesach, the night Passover begins.
Although the blessing can be recited
individually that morning, Jews prefer the
group experience. This is based on a prin-
ciple derived from the verse in Proverbs
14:28: B'rov am hadras Melech (the King is
glorified in the multitudes of the people),
the same reason why it is better to pray
with a minyan than by oneself.
Locally, the Council of Orthodox Rabbis
of Greater Detroit has arranged for com-
munal Birkat HaChamah gatherings to
be held April 8 in the parking lots of the
Beth Jacob School, 14390 W. 10 Mile Road,
Oak Park and the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield. The assemblies
will include Shacharit (morning prayer
service) at 6:35 a.m., followed by a siyum
(completion of a tractate of Talmud) for
the traditional erev Pesach fast of the first-
born. The actual blessing for the sun is
scheduled for 7:45 a.m.
Congregation Beth Ahm will hold a
Birkat HaChamah service at 7:15 a.m.
Wednesday in the synagogue parking lot,
5075 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, imme-
diately following morning minyan in the
chapel. Minyan will begin at 6:30 a.m.
After Birkat HaChamah, Rabbi Steven
Rubinstein will lead a brief Talmud study
session on the subject of this rare ritual,
using study materials prepared by the
Conservative movement's Rabbinical
Assembly. No knowledge of Hebrew is
required for the study session, a tradition
for the erev Pesach fast of the firstborn. A
special breakfast, or seudat mitzvah (meal
following a mitzvah), such as studying
Torah, will follow the study session.
Calendar
marks Birkat
HaChamah.
The Blessing for the Sun will be recited during Wednesday morning services.
Other area synagogues may also be
holding celebrations of the sun ritual.
Why Every 28 years?
In the biblical account of Creation
(Genesis 1:14-19, see sidebar), the lumi-
naries were set into action on the fourth
day, Wednesday. Birkat HaChamah occurs
when the vernal equinox (the day in
springtime when the daylight and dark
hours are equal) falls on a Wednesday.
The calculations get technical, espe-
cially when you throw in the necessary
alignment with the planets and the stars.
Amazingly, our sages worked out these
astronomical cycles as well as our very
complicated Jewish calendar (based on
the lunar cycle, but with adjustments to
synchronize with the solar cycle) with
extraordinary precision thousands of
years ago, without the aid of computers.
Basically, the solar year is 365 1/4 days,
which is 11/4 days more than 52 weeks
(52 x 7 = 364). Therefore, every year, the
vernal equinox is 1 1/4 days later than the
previous year. To return to the same day
of the week (Wednesday), it takes seven
years. But, because of those pesky quarter-
days, to return to the same time of day as
the original Creation, it takes another four
years for each seven-year cycle, or 4 x 7 =
28.
Based on the verses in Genesis: "And it
was evening, and it was morning," Jewish
"days" begin the previous night. Hence, the
actual time the luminaries were put into
position was Tuesday evening. However,
our sages decreed that we recite Birkat
HaChamah at sunrise Wednesday, the first
opportunity we have to actually see the
sun.
The blessing, to be said while standing,
is: Blessed are You Lord, our God, King
of the Universe, Who makes the works
of Creation. Although the proper time
for Birkat HaChamah is at sunrise, if you
are unable to recite the blessing then or
if the day is overcast to the point that the
sun cannot be seen at all, you
should say the blessing as soon
as possible, but before noon.
Our sages composed an
entire service of relevant
prayers, including the Hebrew
version of the blessing, and
psalms (Psalm 19: "The heav-
ens declares the glory of God
...") to accompany the bless-
ing. You can download it at:
www.kehillaton.com/en/docs/
birkat_hachama.pdf.
Birkat HaChamah is a won-
derful opportunity to express
appreciation to God for the
marvels of our world, the life-
giving precision of Earth's rela-
tive position in the universe,
and the many benefits we derive from the
light and warmth of the sun.
Don't miss out — your next chance for
Birkat HaChamah won't come again until
April 8, 2037! [I]
udaism.com has produced a
commemorative "Calendar
of the Jewish People" as a
souvenir for Birkat HaChamah.
The 18x24-inch poster is titled
"Blueprint: The Fourth Day of
Creation." Its central zodiac design
communicates all of the elements
of the Jewish calendar and their
relationships to each other.
Surrounding the central graphic
is a functional Jewish calendar
beginning with Nisan 5769 through
Adar 5770.
On the reverse side is an intro-
duction to Birkat HaChamah, with
sunrise
times for
major
Jewish com-
munities.
The cost
of an indi-
vidual copy
is $4.95.
Additional
copies are
$1 each,
plus ship-
ping and
handling.
Call (800)
583-2476
or go to the
Web sites
www.blessingofthesun.com or
www.judaism.com . A print-quality
poster image is available at
www.judaism.com/blueprint.jpg.
j
April 2 2009
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