Bircas Hachammah: Blessing of the Sun-Renewal of Creation (Artscroll Mesorah Series)

Every twenty-eight years, for a few hours on a Wednesday morning in April, throngs of Jews fill streets, sidewalks, rooftops and parks for the most infrequent ritual in Judaism the Blessing of the Sun. The ancient rite marks the return of the sun to the exact place it occupied on the fourth day of Creation on the same day and at the same hour that the sun began to shine in the primordial heavens.Questions about Bircas HaChammah abound. How is the 28-year cycle, which is not at all discernible to the naked eye, calculated? Was it known to the ancients? How do Jews reconcile the solar and lunar calendars? What are the appropriate prayers for this rare event, and what do they mean? What is the underlying spiritual message of the practice? Bircas HaChammah: Blessing of the Sun-Renewal of Creation tackles these questions and more. The book also features the complete prayer service for the Blessing of the Sun, along with translation and commentary. Author and renowned scholar Rabbi J. David Bleich brings to the book his boundless knowledge of the subject matter and his familiarity with the entire corpus of rabbinic literature -- including many rare works that have long been out of print related to the topic. The result is a masterful treatment of a little-known ritual that nonetheless bears profound significance for the many who believe that there is a Creator who preserves and renews His universe.