Once, every twenty-eight years, the sun (in relation to the earth) "moves" into the exact position it occupied in the sky on the Fourth Day of Creation. That happens again tomorrow and Jews around the world say Birkat HaChama [Blessing of the Heater (a poetic term in Hebrew for the sun)].
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/817862/jewish/About.htmBlessing the sun
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anditsgood, Soundwave, gafinfan and 4 others like this.
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Ohiophinphan Chaplain Staff Member Luxury Box
May God's sun shine its blessings upon you and yours!
dolphindebby, gafinfan, Miamian and 1 other person like this. -
Thank you so very much for the knowledge and may we all be blessed during this holy week.
Miamian and dolphindebby like this. -
We did it this morning. As the sun rose, I closed my eyes and said the relevant Psalms. The red-yellow light filled the insides of my eyelids and I felt myself bathing in the warmth of the sun.
By the way, a slight correction: HaChama means "the hot (one/thing)."dolphindebby likes this. -
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Ok this maybe a daft question but, what happens if it is raining?
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Ohiophinphan Chaplain Staff Member Luxury Box
An equally daft answer, "You get wet!"
Seriously, we know the sun is rising whether we see it or not. If we needed to see the sun in Ohio for Sunrise services on Easter we would never celebrate!
While Miamian said he did the prayers outside, I don't know whether the rite requires you to be outdoors. He will have to answer that.Miamian and emeraldfin like this. -
I didn't see anything on Chabad's pages and as I'm not a Rabbi I don't have an answer for sure. My guess is that if it's possible, then it should be done outdoors. For me, rain is not really a deterrent.
There are distinctions in Judaism between halacha (law) and minhag (tradition). Sometimes those distinctions become blurred. Just this morning there was a question like that.
Before Passover, we do very thorough cleaning, literally scrubbing the floors. We cannot have any regular flour or leavening in our houses and we have to clean assiduously in the off-chance that a cookie crumb may have fallen somewhere.
It's also customary to do a search in the evening with bits of chamets
(the contraband) in a certain place in a symbolic act of getting rid of it. My housemates and I decided last night that it's more minhag and therefore not absolutely necessary, but a lady that I know insists that it's halacha. Judaism is full of that kind of thing.njfinfan likes this. -
Ohiophinphan Chaplain Staff Member Luxury Box
It is not only Judaism that blurs the distinction between, esse, the required and the bene esse, the benificial.
Thanks for your explanation of Birkat HaChama and have a blessed Passover my friend!Miamian, dolphindebby and njfinfan like this. -
Thanks for the explanation Michael. You continue to educate me. I mentioned your post yesterday to my husband and, ironically enough, though he's had a devoutly Jewish best friend for going on 30 years, he said he'd never heard of it. I told him that was because last time it happened he was 16 years old and probably didn't really pay attention to the news at that age. :lol:
I echo Mal and the good Pastor's wishes for a blessed Passover for you and yours.Miamian likes this. -