What would 3rd-century Jewish sage and astronomer Shmuel have thought yesterday at sunrise, watching dozens of young Jews play guitar, dance and pray on the Lincoln Memorial’s grand steps, transforming his ancient solar calculations into a chance to sing folk songs and do yoga?
The scene at daybreak was unusual, as is the ritual that prompted it.
Birkat HaChamah, a Jewish blessing service honoring the sun, happens only once every 28 years. It occurs when the sun makes its biannual stop over the equator, the vernal equinox, on the fourth day of the Jewish week — the same day the Old Testament says God created the sun.
Read it all.
Washington Post: A Celebration of the Sun, and the Earth
What would 3rd-century Jewish sage and astronomer Shmuel have thought yesterday at sunrise, watching dozens of young Jews play guitar, dance and pray on the Lincoln Memorial’s grand steps, transforming his ancient solar calculations into a chance to sing folk songs and do yoga?
The scene at daybreak was unusual, as is the ritual that prompted it.
Birkat HaChamah, a Jewish blessing service honoring the sun, happens only once every 28 years. It occurs when the sun makes its biannual stop over the equator, the vernal equinox, on the fourth day of the Jewish week — the same day the Old Testament says God created the sun.
Read it all.