Massekhet HaHammah [The Blessing of the Sun] Compiled and translated with commentary by Abe Friedman

8/6/2019 Massekhet HaHammah [The Blessing of the Sun] Compiled and translated with commentary by Abe Friedman

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dngd zkqnMassekhet HaHammah

Compiled and Translated

with Commentary

by Abe Friedman

A Project of the Commission on Social Justice and Public Policy

of the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism

Rabbi Leonard Gordon, Chair

[email protected]


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Table of Contents

Preface i

Introduction v

Massekhet HaHammah

One Who Sees the Sun 1

Creation of the Lights 5

Righteous and Wicked 9Sun and Sovereignty 15

The Fields of Heaven 20

Star-Worshippers 28

Astrology and Omens 32

Heavenly Praise 41

Return and Redemption 45

Siyyum for Massekhet HaHammah 51

Bibliography 54

1.

2.

3.4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.


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PrefaceMassekhet HaHammah was developed with the support of the Commission on Social

Justice and Public Policy of the Conservative Movement in response to the blessing of

the sun (Birkat HaHammah), a ritual that takes place every 28 years and that will fall

this year on April 8, 2009 / 14 Nisan 5769, the date of the Fast of the Firstborn on the eve

of Passover. A collection of halakhic and aggadic texts, classic and contemporary,

dealing with the sun, Massekhet HaHammah was prepared as a companion to the ritual

for Birkat HaHammah. Our hope is that rabbis and communities will study this text in

advance of the Fast and use it both for adult learning about this fascinating ritual and as

the text around which to build a siyyum, a celebratory meal marking the conclusion of a

block of text study and releasing firstborn in the community from the obligation to faston the eve of the Passover seder.1

We are also struck this year by the renewed importance of our focus on the sun given

the universal concern with global warming and the need for non-carbon-based

renewable resources, like solar energy. We look to the sun this year in appreciation of

its power and in hope that the sun can once again inspire us to preserve and protect the

delicate balance we call the natural order.

Further information can be found at www.blessthesun.org, www.coejl.org, and

www.ritualwell.com.

How to Use Massekhet HaHammah

The text is divided into nine themed chapters. Massekhet HaHammah was designed

such that each chapter could stand alone, for the student who wished to select

individual sections, but the chapters also flow together so that a student who does learn

Massekhet HaHammah from beginning to end will be able to see the text as a single,

cohesive work. In addition, we have included a commentary that both highlights the

connections to contemporary environmental issues and offers guidance to readers who

may be new to Rabbinic texts. The commentary appears at the end of each chapter. Thebibliography includes a brief description of each of the sources that were adapted into

Massekhet HaHammah, as well as relevant contemporary scholarship.

1. For an overview of the origins of the Fast of the Firstborn and the custom to make a siyyum in order to

exempt people from the Fast, see below pp. vi-viii.

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We imagine that Massekhet HaHammah may be used in a wide variety of settings. For

the benefit of those learning independently, we wanted to offer a few words of

guidance.

Jewish study is traditionally a shared exercise. Rather than read texts silently, the

Rabbis developed a system of learning in hevruta (literally friendship, but more

colloquially a study-partner), in which the partners take turns reading the texts aloud

and discussing them as they go along. Each hevruta brings his or her own insights and

experiences into the conversation. You will probably find that you and your hevruta do

not always agree on how to understand a text; this is an expected outcome of hevruta

study. The Jewish tradition is multivocal, and reading with a partner helps draw out

and highlight different perspectives.

A Note on the Text

The Hebrew text of Massekhet HaHammah follows the standard printed editions of the

texts, except where a specific edition is cited; however, I have added citations and

expanded abbreviations wherever necessary to help make the Hebrew text as accessible

as possible. I have also removed some conjunctive phrases, such as xg` xac, from thebeginnings of passages where their presence confused the flow of the text.

The English text is newly translated, with the exception of Biblical quotations, which

were adapted from The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text (JewishPublication Society, 1917), and the final Kaddish which was taken fromMoreh Derekh:

The Rebbinical Assembly Rabbis Manual (Rabbinical Assembly, 1998) and Siddur Sim

Shalom for Shabbat and Holidays (Rabbinical Assembly, 1998).

The texts collected here often employ subtle wordplay in interpreting Biblical verses,

and I endeavored to offer translations that would help English readers make sense of

the text at hand. As a result, sometimes the same verse is translated differently in

different places.

Acknowledgments

A number of people have helped in the preparation of this text. My teachers Dr. Melila

Hellner-Eshed, iaxe ixen Reb Mimi Feigelson and Rabbi Pinchas Giller offered important

guidance on the choice of texts and translation and interpretation of passages from the

Zohar and Maor Aynayim. ixene ia` Murray Friedman, Dr. Lori Lefkovitz, Dr. Mitch

Marcus and Deborah Silver read early drafts of the text and made useful suggestions.

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Rabbi Leonard Gordon visioned the project and was my partner and mentor in bringing

it to timely closure. I am deeply grateful to Rabbi Gordon for entrusting me with his

concept and empowering me to create, explore, and follow the texts wherever they ledme.

Finally, as always, I could not have taken on this project without the constant support

and encouragement of my wife, Rebecca Krasner.

Abe Friedman

Editor and commentator, Massekhet HaHammah

[email protected]

Los Angeles

h"qyz ,oeygxn d"k / November 23, 2008

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Introduction

Birkat HaHammah2

Every twenty-eight years, Jews gather to mark a unique occasion: the moment at which

the sun returns to the spot it occupied in the heavens at the moment of its creation, on

the Fourth Day. For more than a millenium, Birkat HaHammah (The Blessing of the

Sun) has offered Jews the opportunity to stop, reflect on Gods role and our role in

creating and sustaining the universe, and give thanks for the natural bounty that

surrounds us.

Birkat HaHammah is an anomalous moment in the Jewish calendar. We follow a

predominantly lunar calendar, marking time and setting our holidays according to themoons monthly cycles, but Birkat HaHammah is tied to a purely solar moment: once,

every twenty-eight years, when the vernal (Spring) equinox falls on a Tuesday night.3

Astute observers will notice, however, that the date of Birkat HaHammah in 2009, April

8, is much later than the vernal equinox on March 20. While the ancient astronomical

calculations were strikingly accurate they differ from modern scientific observations

by a matter of minutes over the centuries, minutes add up to days. These slight

inaccuracies, combined with medieval recalibrations in the solar calendar, move the

date of Birkat HaHammah progressively later.4 As a result, Birkat HaHammah in 2009

falls out on the morning before Pesah, the date of the Fast of the Firstborn.

Communities typically preempt the Fast of the Firstborn with a celebratory meal

marking the culmination of study, as will be explained below; the coincidence of Birkat

HaHammah and the Fast of the Firstborn prompted the creation of Massekhet

HaHammah .

2. This section intends only to provide the most basic overview of Birkat HaHammah and its meaning.

For the primary sources that establish the basis for this ritual, see below in the text and commentary,Chapter 1. For a more thorough background on Birkat HaHammah, including its history, laws, and

associated liturgy, see Arnold A. Lasker and Daniel J. Lasker, Birkat Hahammah (Conservative Judaism

Vol. 34 No. 3 [January/February 1981]) and J. David Bleich, Birkas haChammah: Blessing of the Sun,

Renewal of Creation (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1980).

3. On the significant of the spring equinox and Tuesday night, see Lasker and Lasker (1981), 17-18; for a

general overview of the Jewish calendar, see Bleich (1980), 41-56.

4. For a more detailed description of this process, see below in the commentary, 1.1; for a thorough

analysis, see Lasker and Lasker (1981), 21-22 and Bleich (1980), 47-49.

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The Fast of the Firstborn

Traditionally, firstborn men observe a fast day on the eve of Pesah. The logical

explanation seems to be that since the firstborn Israelites were spared from the Plague

of the Firstborn in Egypt, later generations fast on the eve of Pesah to express their

gratitude for Gods mercy.5 While the precise origin of the custom is unknown, it is

already attested in talmudic sources:

`l` ,oqip xeariy cr oiprzn oi`e ... zeprzdl axrnay epizeax bdpneqpkiy ick ,zevnd liaya mirepvde ,gqtd axra oiprzny zexekad

...de`za gqtl[`"d `k"t (xbid) mixteq zkqn]

It is the custom of our Rabbis in the West [i.e., Israel] to fast [several

days in the month of Adar, but not to fast at all in the month ofNisan] except for the firstborn who fast on the eve of Pesah, as well

as those who are conservative regarding mitzvot, so that they will

go into Pesah with an appetite... [Massekhet Soferim (Higger ed.) 21.1]

However, two reasons are given for fasting on the eve of Pesah: one is the fast of the

firstborn, while the second, completely unrelated, reason stems from a desire to be

hungry for matzah on Seder night. The Jerusalem Talmud records that Rabbi Yehudah

HaNassi fasted on the eve of Pesah, but there too the later Rabbis seem uncertain as to

which of these reasons explains Rabbi Yehudahs actions (Jerusalem Talmud, Pesahim 10.1,

37b). Nevertheless, the tradition ultimately prefers the first option and the name TaanitBechorim, Fast of the Firstborn, stuck.6

While the basic tradition obligates firstborn men in the fast, some authorities include

firstborn women in the fast as well, based on the following midrash:7

,dzid dxeka drxt za diza :xn` ift oa dcedi 'x mya oea` 'xaezkc ,dyn ly ezltza ?zlevp dzid dn zekfaeaeh ik dnrh

dxp dlila daki `l dxgq(gi ,`l ilyn).lilxn` z`c dnk ,aezklil'dl `ed mixeny(an ,ai zeny).ivga idie - f `wqit ,(miealcpn) `pdk axc `zwiqt]

[f 'iq dlildRabbi Avon, quoting Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi, said: Batyah,

daughter of Pharaoh, was a firstborn, so on what merit was she

spared? Through the prayer of Moses, as it is written, She perceives

5. Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Taanit; Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.), s.v. Firstborn.

6. Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.), s.v. Firstborn.

7. Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Taanit; Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.), s.v. Firstborn.

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that her merchandise is good; her lamp does not go out at night (Proverbs

31.18). Night is spelled the same as it is in the verse, It was a night of

watching for the LORD (Exodus 12.42). [Pesikta dRav Kahana (Mandelbaumed.), Piska 7 (Vayehee ba-Hatzee HaLaylah) 7]

Nevertheless, while the Shulhan Arukh records the inclusion of firstborn women, it also

rules against the practice (Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim 470.1; Mishneh Berurah 470.4).

Decline of the Fast

Despite the prevalence of the custom, this fast held less standing than the public fast

days, such as Tisha BAv, and rabbinic authorities permitted a person to break their fast

for a seudat mitzvah (Mitzvah Feast).8 While classic examples of seudat mitzvah include

the meals following a circumcision or a wedding, there was another, more easilyscheduled option: the siyyum.

A siyyum, or mesibat siyyum (completion party), is a festive meal arranged to celebrate

the completion of a massekhet (tractate) of Talmud, or other significant body of Jewish

learning (e.g., an order of Mishnah).9 Although the special format of this celebration

(see below) only developed later, the general practice existed already in the time of the

Talmud:

`pciar dizkqn milyc opaxn `axev `pifg ikc ,il iziz :iia` xn`.opaxl `ah `nei[a"r giw zay ilaa]

Abaye said: May I be blessed, for whenever I saw a student of the

Rabbis finishing his massekhet, I made a holiday for the Rabbis.[Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 118b]

While Abayes statement does not specify the status of this meal, his use of the phrase

holiday suggests that he does consider this meal a seudat mitzvah, since the concept of

a personal holiday is later associated with seudot mitzvah.10 In any event, later

authorities explicitly classified the siyyum meal as a seudat mitzvah.11 Furthermore, the

8. Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Taanit; Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd

ed.), s.v. Firstborn.9. Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Siyyum; Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.), s.v. Hadran. Lerner

(2007) asserts that before the 13th century, the original occasion for a siyyum and the recitation of the

Hadran was in fact the completion of a chapter of Talmud, and not an entire massekhet.

10.See, e.g., Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (Belarus, 1838-1933),Mishneh Berurah 470.10, where he describes the

circumcision meal as a personal holiday for the mohel (circumciser), sandak (godfather), and the

babys father.

11.Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 246.26; Rabbi Shabbatai ben Meir ha-Kohen (Czech Republic, 1621-1662),

Siftey Kohen, Yoreh Deah 246.27; Rabbi David HaLevi Segal (Poland, 1586-1667), Turey Zahav, Yoreh

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permission to eat extends to all people in attendance at the completion of the massekhet,

not only the people who actually studied the texts.12

In time, it became the custom for the community rabbi to time his learning such that he

would make a siyyum on the morning of the eve of Pesah, usually after the morning

prayers, and all of the firstborn men (and, in some communities, women) would join

him in the synagogue, take part in the siyyum, and thereby exempt themselves from the

fast. This custom spread so widely that today the Fast of the Firstborn is rarely

practiced; in some communities it is only known because the firstborn men and women

in the community make a point to attend the rabbis siyyum!13 J.D. Eisenstein explains

the near-total abandonment of the fast by suggesting that medieval rabbis intentionally

phased out this practice in order to distance Jewish rituals from those of medieval

Christians, who fasted on the eves of their holidays.14

The Siyyum: Style and Substance

In the millenium and a half since Abaye made a holiday for the Rabbis, a distinctive

form and liturgy developed for the siyyum. Since halakhah encourages all members of

the community to take part in the celebration, even if they did not take part in the

learning, it became customary for one or more of the learners to offer a short overview

of the material and to read aloud the concluding passage.15 In principle, a person

should never finish learning Torah; this is the reason why Hattan Torah, the final

aliyahfrom the Torah read on Simhat Torah, is immediately followed by

Hattan Bereshit,the first aliyah that begins our new cycle of reading from the Torah. Based on this

principle, the person teaching at the siyyum typically attempts to connect the ending of

Deah 246.9; Rabbi Moshe Isserles, Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim 551.10. Although Rabbi Israel Meir

Kagan (Mishneh Berurah, 551.73) restricts Rabbi Isserles opinion, it seems likely that he only intends

his restriction to apply during the Nine Days of Av and not on the eve of Pesah, since the custom of

planning a siyyum for the eve of Pesah was already well-established by the early 20th century. See also

Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Siyyum; Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd

ed.), s.v. Hadran.12.Rabbi Shabbatai ben Meir ha-Kohen, Siftey Kohen, Yoreh Deah 246.27; Rabbi David HaLevi Segal, Turey

Zahav, Yoreh Deah 246.9; Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan,Mishneh Berurah 470.10. This stands in contrast with

other seudot mitzvah, such as the circumcision feast, in which, according to some authorities, only the

people actually celebrating the event may break their fast (Mishneh Berurah 470.10).

13.Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Taanit, Siyyum; Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed.), s.v.

Firstborn.

14.Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Taanit.

15.Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Siyyum.

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the text that was just completed to the beginning of the next text, or else to the

beginning of the text that was just completed.16

After the teaching, those who participated in the learning recite the Hadran, a

compilation of prayers.17 The Hadran is composed of six sections:

A declaration of dedication to learning, which begins Hadran alakh (We will

return to you), and which is recited three times in a row;

A prayer that Torah study should be a significant activity in our lives, followed

by the names of the ten sons of Rav Papa, a fourth-century Babylonian Rabbi;

A prayer for God to secure the words of Your Torah in our mouths;

A prayer of thanksgiving to God that we are among those who invest their time

in holy pursuits, as opposed to mundane activities;

A prayer for continued support from God and the spirits of the sages from all

eras of Jewish history to enable us to continue learning, and never to allow us to

forget the words of Torah;18

A special Kaddish recited only when making a siyyum.

The Hadran developed over time, and much of its origin is unknown.19 Nevertheless,

because the custom of reciting the Hadran is mentioned in medieval commentaries and

legal codes, we have some evidence of its development. Rabbi Abraham ben Isaac of

Narbonne (Provene, c. 1085-1158) reports the custom of reciting the first section,

Hadran Alakh, three times (Sefer Ha-Eshkol[Albeck ed.], 60b). Medieval and modern

rabbis disagree on how to explain this phrase: some support the reading of xcd as theAramaic verb return, while others propose the Hebrew xecid, meaning glorify.However, the earliest explanations of the practice, such as the responsa of Rav Hai

Gaon (cited in Sefer Ha-Eshkol[Albeck ed.], 60b), clearly support the first interpretation.

The second section begins with a prayer that we be engaged in the craft of Your Torah

in this world, and that it remain with us in the world to come. Lerner suggests that the

original text of this prayer read, May it be Your will... that Your Torah be with us in

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

16.Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Siyyum.

17.The text of the Hadran appears at the end of Massekhet HaHammah, pp.52-54.

18.The text of the Hadran included at the end of this Massekhet includes one new prayer Just as I

have merited to bless the sun in this cycle, so too may I merit, with the help of Heaven, to bless it in

another twenty-eight years within this section.

19.Lerner (2007) offers the most comprehensive and detailed analysis of this development, including

comparative versions from medieval sources and Talmudic manuscripts. This introduction is based

largely on his presentation.

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this world and in the world to come, and was emended to conform to the prayer of the

second-century Rabbi Hiyya (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 16b).

The precise reason for reciting the ten sages names is shrouded in mystery, but this

section appears to be the oldest part of the Hadran text. It is discussed in the responsa

of the Babylonian sage Rav Hai Gaon (939-1038), who dismissed the notion that all ten

of these sages are sons of the Rav Papa who appears prominently in the Babylonian

Talmud; citing Babylonian Talmud Ketubot, Rav Hai Gaon specifies that Abba Mar bar

Papa is the famous Rav Papa's son, and suggests theories as to how the others came to

take on the surname bar Papa (Son of Papa). Nevertheless, Rav Hai Gaon approves

the recitation of these names as a type of incantation against forgetting ones learning

(Sefer Ha-Eshkol[Albeck ed.], 60b).

Alternatively, Rabbi Moshe Isserles offers a beautiful homily on the names. He first

notes Rav Papas great wealth, and explains that when any of his ten sons would finish

a course of study, he would make an elaborate feast in celebration of his sons

scholarship. Rabbi Isserles then offers two interpretations of the names, first connecting

each name in order with one of the Ten Commandments, and then with each of the ten

statements through which the world was created (see Mishnah Avot 5.1; Rabbi Isserles homily

cited by Rabbi Shlomo Luria [Belarus, c. 1510-1574], Yam Shel Shlomo, end of Bava Kamma).

The third and fourth sections are based on passages from the Babylonian Talmud. The

text of the third section is based on a statement ascribed to the third-century Rabbi

Yohanan (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 11b), and is recited during the blessings for Torah

study at the beginning of the Shaharit (morning) prayer service. The fourth section is

attributed to the first-century Rabbi Nehunia ben Hakanah (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot

28b). Although both of these passages appear in the Babylonian Talmud and thus were

certainly composed earlier than the first two passages, their use in this context is not

attested until later in the medieval period. The fifth passage was composed later than

the first four.

The siyyum concludes with a unique version of Kaddish that is recited only at a siyyum

feast.20 The opening passage, from which this Kaddish takes its name, is recited only at

a siyyum and at graveside during a burial. The graveside Kaddish leethadta, however,

lacks the passage beginningAl Yisrael val rabanan; that section is taken from the Kaddish

dRabbanan that is recited after regular study and at certain points in the morning prayer

service. Consequently, the text of this Kaddish is unique in the liturgy.

20.Otzar Dinim u-Minhagim [Hebrew], s.v. Siyyum; Lerner (2007).

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dng dèxdoey`x wxtdngd zkqnOne Who Sees the Sun Chapter One Massekhet HaHammah

` 1,oxcqk zelfne ,mzeliqna miakeke ,dzxeaba dpal ,dztewza dng dèxd :opax epz".ziy`xa dyer jexa" xne`

i`zaya oqip ztewz dltpe xefgn xcde ,oipy dpenye mixyr lk :iia` xn` - ?ied zniè.rax` idbp zlzc `zxeà[a"r hp zekxa ilaa]

amixyre dpeny ly xefgn seqly èd reci xac :yexit - 'eke dztewza dng dèxd.iriax lila mlerl ède ,dziixa zligza my did xy` mewnl zxfeg oqip ztewz dpy

".ziy`xa dyer" jxan ,dngd dèxyke xwaa xgnl[a"r bn zekxa s"ix ,dpei epiax icinlz]

1 A Our Rabbis taught: One who sees the sun in its season, the moon in its power, the

stars in their paths, and the planets in their order, says: Blessed is the Maker of

Bereshit.

And when is [the sun in its season]? Abaye says: Every twenty-eight years, when thecycle resets and the vernal [Spring] equinox falls in Saturn on Tuesday evening, the eve

of Wednesday. [Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 59b]

B One who sees the sun in its season etc. Explanation: It is a known fact that at

the end of a period of twenty-eight years the vernal equinox returns to the place where

it was at the beginning of its creation, and that is always on the eve of Wednesday. The

following morning, when one sees the sun, one blesses Maker of Bereshit. [Students ofRabbenu Yonah, Rif Berakhot 43b]

` 2,mzra zelfn ,odizexnyna miakek ,dzxdha dpal ,dztewza dng dèxd :opax epz".ziy`xa dyer jexa" xne`[a"r bn zekxa s"ix]

amewnl mixfeg izni` miakekd inkgl rcep - mzra zelfne :azk l"f odkd ozpedi epiax.mlerd zìxa zrya my eidy[a"r bn zekxa s"ix ,dpei epiax icinlz]

b... dztewza dng dèxd;ziy`xa dyer jexa :xne`dpal dèxyk ok mb jxan oke.mzra zelfne ,mzexnyna miakeke ,dzxdha[a ,hkx miig gxe` ,jexr ogley]

c.dfa mlerd oibdep oi` meidke - 'eke jxan oke[h w"q hkx ,dxexa dpyn]

2 A Our Rabbis taught: One who sees the sun in its season, the moon in its purity, the

stars on their watches, the planets in their times, says: Blessed is the Maker of Bereshit.[Rif, Berakhot 43b]

B Rabbenu Yehonatan HaKohen (of blessed memory) wrote: The planets in their

times It is known to the scholars of the stars when they return to the places where

they were at the moment of the creation of the world. [Students of Rabbenu Yonah, RifBerakhot 43b]

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C One who sees the sun in its season ... says: Blessed is the Maker of Bereshit; And

one should similarly bless upon seeing the moon in its purity, and the stars on their

watches, and the planets in their times. [Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim 229.2]

D And one should similarly bless But today the community does not practice

this. [Mishneh Berurah, 229.9]

` 3fè dpy g"kl g"kn èdy ,lecb xefgn zlgza oqip ztewz meia dngd z` dèxddzidy zexe`nd ziilz zra ziy`xa ini zyya dzidy enk ,ziriax lil zlgza dtewzd

iriax meia lecb xefgnd ly dpey`x dpya dngd z` dèxyk okle ,iriax lil zlgza".ziy`xa dyrn dyer 'eke jexa" :zeklne mya jxan xweaa[b ,hkx miig gxe` ,ogleyd jexr]

a.mr aexa dze` jxal aehe[g w"q hkx ,dxexa dpyn]

blr zery 'b cr ìd dkxade .daehl epilr dàd f"pxz zpya ,myd dvxi m` ,didzezevg cr mè .xzei `le meid zevg cr jxal elkei mippra dqekn riwxd m` mpn` ,meid

.cer ekxai `l mippra dqekn[b ,hkx miig gxe` ,ogleyd jexr]

coian dnyex zi`xp j` miara dqekn dzid m`c azk e"p oniq xteq mzg zaeyzae.jxal d`xp `l llk d`xzp `lyk la` .oikxan ,miard[g w"q hkx ,dxexa dpyn]

3 A One who sees the sun on the day of the vernal equinox at the beginning of the long

cycle which is every 28 years when the equinox is at the beginning of the eve of

Wednesday, like it was during the six days of creation at the moment when the lights

were hung, which was at the beginning of the eve of Wednesday when one sees the

sun in the first year of the long cycle on Wednesday morning one should bless, with the

Name and Majesty: Blessed [are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe,] Maker

of the Works of Bereshit. [Arukh HaShulhan, Orah Hayyim 229.3]

B It is best to say the blessing with a large group. [Mishneh Berurah, 229.8]

C It will occur, if God wills it, in the year 5657 [April 7, 1897], may it come to us in peace.

And the blessing may be recited until the third hour of the day; but if the sky is covered

with clouds one may bless until midday, and no further. And if it is covered with

clouds until midday one may no longer bless. [Arukh HaShulhan, Orah Hayyim 229.3]

D And in the Responsa of the Hatam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Sofer, Slovakia, 1762-1839) 56 he

wrote that if it was covered with clouds, but its outline was visible among the clouds,

we recite the blessing. But when it is not visible at all, it is not appropriate to recite the

blessing. [Mishneh Berurah, 229.8]



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Commentary

1.1 On Wednesday morning, April 7, 1897, a few hundred Jews gathered for a prayer service in

Tompkins Park in New York. The leader of the service was arrested and brought before a magistrate,

who promptly dismissed the case. The following weeks issue of the Jewish Messenger remarked

sarcastically that the guardians of the law probably saw an anarchistic defiance that had to be

suppressed, and the germs of a terrible revolution were thus annihilated.

It is not surprising that the police did not recognize the nature of the gathering. The last time that such a

service had been held was on April 7, 1869, and there would be none like it again until 1925 (Lasker and

Lasker, 1981).

The Talmud describes Birkat HaHammah as occurring when the sun returns to the exact position in the

sky where it was originally created. Since a Rabbinic tradition also states that creation began on Rosh

Hodesh Nisan and the sun was created on the Fourth Day, we should expect Birkat HaHammah on a day

when the vernal (Spring) equinox coincides with the eve of the fourth of Nisan. In 2009, however, neither

condition is true the vernal equinox, March 20, will be the 24th of Adar on the Jewish calendar, while the

fourth of Nisan falls out on March 29!

The Rabbis of the Babylonian Talmud relied upon contemporary astronomy for their calculations. Based

on accepted Babylonian science, the Rabbis believed that a solar year was precisely 365.25 days long, and

that a 19-year cycle of Jewish years regular and leap years together contained exactly 235 lunar

months. Based on these calculations, the Rabbis were able to link the two cycles 28 years for Birkat

HaHammah and 19 years for the lunar calendar in such a way that the vernal equinox would fall out on

the eve of Wednesday, the fourth of Nisan, once every twenty-eight years.

The Babylonian calculations were astonishingly accurate: they overstated the length of a solar year by

only 11 minutes, 14 seconds, and overstated the length of a lunar year by only 6 minutes, 39 seconds.

Nevertheless, over the following two millennia, the slight overestimation of the solar year as well as Pope

Gregory XIIIs replacing the Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar in October, 1582 caused the dateof Birkat HaHammah to shift later than the vernal equinox by about 18 days, placing it between the

seventh and eighth of April. At the same time, the fourth of Nisan also shifted later than the vernal

equinox, by approximately 11 days (Lerman [2005]; Lasker and Lasker [1981], 21-22; Bleich [1980], 46-49. Both Bleich

and Lasker and Lasker offer a more detailed account of Rabbinic astronomy and the development of the 28-year cycle).

1.2 While we may think of astronomy as a scientific discipline, for ancient rabbis it played a central role

in religious life: in a time before clocks, the rabbis needed a way to discern the passing of months and

properly establish the holiday calendar. Astronomy remained a central topic of study throughout the

medieval period, but in modern times it has dropped out of mainstream Jewish discourse. Thus today

the community does not practice the blessing over the moon, stars, and planets. Nevertheless, we have

retained Birkat HaHammah, and it offers us an opportunity to reflect on the beauty and order of the

universe that God created.

Jewish communities traditionally marked the monthly renewal of the moon with a ceremony called

Kiddush Levanah (Sanctification of the Moon), and the observance of this monthly ritual has increased

in recent years. Recited after Havdallah on the first, or sometimes second, Saturday night following Rosh

Hodesh (the beginning of the Jewish month, which coincides with the New Moon), and usually said with

a minyan, Kiddush Levanah celebrates the renewal of the moon as the symbol for the inevitable renewal



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and redemption of the Jewish People. Kiddush Levanah can only be recited when the moon is visible and

not obscured by clouds, just like Birkat HaHammah (See below in the text, 1.3).

While the ceremony for Kiddush Levanah is built around a blessing said over the moon, that blessingacknowledges God as Renewer of Months; the blessing over the moon that is at issue in this passage

refers to God as Maker of Bereshit, and was intended to be recited upon the resetting of the moons

orbital cycle just like Birkat HaHammah. This blessing over the moon, which bears no religious or

astronomical connection to Kiddush Levanah, fell out of Jewish practice as Jewish astronomy faded from

prominence after the Middle Ages.

1.3 In these passages we see rabbis of the 19th and 20th centuries wrestling with two competing values.

On one hand, Jewish law requires that a person reciting Birkat HaHammah be able to see the sun. On the

other hand, cloudy days happen and the opportunity for Birkat HaHammah comes only once every

twenty-eight years. What might initially appear to be academic minutia What if the sun is covered by

clouds, but only thin and translucent clouds? in fact reflects very real human concerns: How can I

maximize the opportunity to participate in such a rare opportunity?

The search for renewable and sustainable energy sources presents us with a myriad of options. While

some promise truly limitless, renewable energy, most like hybrid cars and cleaner coal technologies

fall short of the perfect solution to our energy needs. In considering the competing values at stake in

Birkat HaHammah, these rabbis offer us a model for working with the limitations of life, even as we strive

to follow an ideal path.

The phrase Name and Majesty refers to the technical style of blessings. In the familiar format, Blessed

are You, Adonai our God, Master of the Universe, Adonai our God constitutes the Name and

Master of the Universe the Majesty. Blessing with the Name and Majesty indicates that the

blessing is recited in fulfillment of religious obligation; in cases where the obligation is doubtful, rabbinic

authorities typically advise recitation without the Name and Majesty.



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zexe`nd zìxaipy wxtdngd zkqnCreation of the Lights Chapter Two Massekhet HaHammah

` 1zz l Eid e d liN d oi aE mFI d oiA li C a dl mi nX d riw x Azx n idi mi dl x n I eUrI e :oki die u x dlr xi dl mi nX d riw x A zxF` nl Eid e :mipW e min ilE mi crFnlE

ohT d xF O dz e mFI d zlW n nllcB d xF O dz milcB d z x O d ip Wz mi dllW nl e :u x dlr xi dl minX d riw x A midl mz oYI e :miakF M d z e dli N d zlW n nlmFi x wai die a xri die :aF hiM midl ` xI e K W g d oi aE xF d oiA li C a dl E dli N aE mFI A

:iri a x[hi-ci ,` ziy`xa]

azexe`n idi midl` xnìe(ci ,` ziy`xa):gzt opgei 'x -(hi ,cw mildz)micrenl gxi dyr.?dpal z`xap dnl ok m` .cala dng lblb `l` xi`dl `xap `l :opgei iax xn`micrenl,

.mipye miycg iy`x dpeayga ycgl ick[` ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

bxn`py ,xi`dl e`xap mdipy :xn` oeniq iax mya dikxa iax(eh ,` ziy`xa)eide

zexe`nl,(fi ,` ziy`xa)minyd riwxa midl` mze` ozie-(ci ,` ziy`xa)zeze`l eideel` ,zezaymicrenle,milbx yly el` ,minile,miycg iy`x el` ,mipyle.mipy yecw df ,[` ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

1 A 14 And God said: Let there be lights in the vault of the heaven to divide the day

from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; 15 and

let them be for lights in the vault of the heaven to give light upon the earth. And it was

so. 16 And God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser

light to rule the night; and the stars. 17 And God set them in the vault of the heaven to

give light upon the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide

the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was eveningand there was morning, a fourth day. [Genesis 1.14-19]

B And God said: Let there be lights (Genesis 1.14) Rabbi Yohanan opened: God appointed

the moon for seasons (Psalm 104.19). Rabbi Yohanan said: The sun alone was created to

give light. If that is the case, why was the moon created? For seasons, in order to renew

months and years by its count. [Genesis Rabbah 6.1]

C Rabbi Berakhyah, quoting Rabbi Simon, said: Both of them were created to give

light, as it says, Let them be for lights (Genesis 1.15),And God set them in the vault of the

heaven (Genesis 1.17) Let them be for signs (Genesis 1.14), these are the Sabbaths; and for

seasons (ibid.), these are the three Festivals; and for days (ibid.), these are the New Months;

and years (ibid.), this is the sanctification of the years. [Genesis Rabbah 6.1]

2(fi ,` ziy`xa)minyd riwxa midl` mze` ozie,mlerl dpzn epzp mixac 'b :opgei iax xn` ,.minybde ,zexe`nde ,dxezd :od elè

xn`py ?oipn dxezd(gi ,`l zeny)dyn l` ozie'ebe[zcrd zg l ip W ...].



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xn`py ?oipn zexe`nd(fi ,` ziy`xa)minyd riwxa midl` mz` ozie.

xn`py ?oipn minyb(c ,ek `xwie)mzra mkinyb izzpe.[d ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

2 And God gave them in the vault of the heaven (Genesis 1.17), Rabbi Yohanan said: Three

things were given as a gift to the world, and they are: The Torah, the Lights, and the

Rains.

From where do we learn about the Torah? As it says,And God gave to Moses etc. [... the

two tablets of the testimony] (Exodus 31.18).

From where do we learn about the Lights? As it says,And God gave them in the vault of

the heaven (Genesis 1.17).

From where do we learn about the Rains? As it says, Then I will give your rains in theirseason (Leviticus 26.4). [Genesis Rabbah 6.5]

3mia kFM d z e(fh ,` ziy`xa)cg` - oitexhet` ipy el eidy jlnl lyn :`g` 'x xn`,xira hley zeidl df envr hrine lièd :jlnd xn` .dpicna hley cgè ,xira hley

ilea `dz qpkp `diy dryae ,enr d`vei `qlke` lk `dz `vei èdy drya eilr ip` xfebzeidl dnvr dhrin efd dpalde lièd :èd jexa yecwd xn` jk .enr dqpkp qenice

ìdy drya ,dnr oi`vei miakekd ediy z`vei ìdy drya ,dilr ip` xfeb ,dlila zhley.dnr miqpkp miakekd edi zqpkp[c ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

3 And the stars. Rabbi Aha told a parable of a King who had two administrators onewho controlled the city, and one who controlled the rest of the land. The King said:

Since this one diminished himself to be in charge of the city, I decree for him that from

the time he goes out [in the morning], the troops will go out with him, and at the time

when he returns [in the evening] the Senate and the people will come back with him.

Thus said the Holy Blessed One: Since this Moon has diminished herself to be in charge

of the night, I decree for her that from the time she goes out the stars will go out with

her, and at the time when she comes back the stars will return with her. [Genesis Rabbah6.4]

c:cecl xFn f n g Sp n l: riwxd ciB n ei c i dUrnE l cFa M mix R q n mi nX d

:z r CdE gi dli l N d lil e x n ri Ai mFi l mF i:m lFw rn Wp i l A mixa C oi e x n oi

:mdA l d m U W n Xl mdiN n la z d v w aE mE w vi u x dlk A



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:g x uE xl xF A b M UiUi F zR g n vi ozg M E d e:F zO gn x Y qp oi e mzFv wlr FztEwzE F vF n mi nX d dv w n[f-` ,hi mildz]

4 1 For the Leader. A Psalm of David.2 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the vault shows Gods handiwork;3 Day to day utters speech, and night to night reveals knowledge;4 There is no speech, there are no words, neither is their voice heard.5 Their line has gone through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In

them has God set a tent for the sun,6 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to

run his course.7 Its entrance is at the end of the heaven, and its circuit goes to the ends of it; and there

nothing hides from the heat of it. [Psalm 19.1-7]

Commentary

2.1 God initially creates the lights to divide night from day, mark the passage of time, and give light

upon the earth. Throughout human civilization, technology has shifted our reliance on the sun for these

things. Controlled fire, in the form of torches and candles, allowed us to see after dark; more recent

advances in electrical lighting even allow us to grow food without sunlight. At the same time, we are

beginning to look to the light that the sun gives to the earth as a source of clean, limitless energy.

2.2 Rabbi Yohanan plays with the use of the Hebrew verb ozp, which usually means give but can also

mean set or place, to identify the gifts that God gave to the world.

2.3 Why does God reward the Moon with an entourage of stars? The stars are no mere consolation

prize for agreeing to take charge of the nighttime; they are a demonstration of honor. God holds up the

Moon as an example of moral behavior. Rather than fighting to claim the most prestigious position, she

accepts an apparently lesser role in order to serve the communal good: that there should be a light by day

and another light by night. Only after the Moon has committed to the smaller role does God equalize her

status by granting her the stars to accompany her through the sky. Our true dignity is measured not by

our outward prestige, but through our service to the community. (For another perspective on this text, see Hafiz,The Sun Never Says, rendered by Daniel Ladinsky in his book The Gift[New York: Penguin Compass, 1999])

2.4 Although Rabbinic sources do not offer a systematic outline of their astronomical theories, their

approach bears a number of similarities to the system developed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy (83-168

CE). Like Ptolemy, the Rabbis imagined the earth at the center surrounded by concentric hemispheres.

The innermost sphere is perforated by three hundred sixty five windows of varying sizes (see below in the

text, 5.2A), which is probably an explanation for the seasonal variation in daylight.

The two systems differ in the details, however. The Rabbis imagined Gods placing all of the celestial

bodies in the second sphere (see below in the text, 5.2B, 5.7A), whereas Ptolemy envisioned each planet in its

own sphere.



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As a result, where Ptolemy described

planets set into a fixed position on a

moving sphere, the Rabbis appear to

believe that the heavenly bodies

moved along a fixed sphere even as

they confess uncertainty about the

mechanics of that movement (see belowin the text, 5.2C, 5.3B, 5.5B; for a moredetailed analysis of Rabbinic astronomy, see

Lasker and Lasker, 1981).

The Psalmist sees Gods hand in the

construction of the Heavenly spheres.

The suns limitless power courses

throughout the universe, energizing

the heavenly systems and illuminatingour world. How appropriate that our

generation now returns our attention

to the sun as a source of unbounded

energy and sustenance.

A medieval diagram of the Ptolemaic Spheres



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miryxe miwicviyily wxtdngd zkqnRighteous and Wicked Chapter Three Massekhet HaHammah

1:Lgi W n ip R h A d e midl d x EpP b n:r W xild A x E C n idl zi a A s tFY q d i Y x gA sl n LixvgA mFiaF h iM

:minz A mikl dl aF h rp ni`l ' d oYi cFak e og mid l 'd obnE W n W iM:KA ghA m c ix W zF a v 'd[bi-i ,ct mildz]

1 10 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed.11 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand; I had rather stand at the threshold

of the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.12 For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good

thing will God withhold from them that walk uprightly.13 O LORD of hosts, happy is the person that trusts in You. [Psalm 84.10-13]

2

dlilae meia leynle'ebe(gi ,` ziy`xa)xak `ld zexe`nd oiprl m` :`tli` 'x xn` ,

xn`p(fh ,` ziy`xa)meid zlynnl lecbd xe`nd z`xnel cenlz dne ,dlilae meia leynle?`cd ,dlila xi`dl `xapy dnae meia xi`dl `xapy dna oihley ody ,miwicvd el` `l`

aizkc èd(bi ,i ryedi)xtq lr daezk ìd `ld eiaie` ieb mewi cr cnr gxie ynyd mciexyidi`n .xyid xtqdil ixw i`nè .awrie wgvi mdxa` xtq ?xyid xtqaizkc ?xacna)

(i ,bkmixyi zen iytp zenz.[h ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

2 To rule over the day and over the night (Genesis 1.18), Rabbi Ilfa said: If this about the

Lights, it already said, The greater light to rule the day (Genesis 1.16), so what does the

verse add with To rule over the day and over the night? Rather, these are the Righteous, for

they rule over that which was created to light the day and over that which was createdto light the night, as it is written, And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the

nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of the Righteous?

(Joshua 10.13). What is the book of the Righteous? The book of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And why did they call it the book of the Righteous? As it is written, Let me die the death of

the righteous (Numbers 23.10). [Genesis Rabbah 6.9]

3(a-` ,g xacna)zexpd z` jzelrda eil` zxnè oxd` l` xac ,xn`l dyn l` 'ii xacie'ebegzt dcedi iax -(e ,hi mildz)eztegn `vei ozgk ède`ycewc l`xyic oediwleg d`kf :'ebe

yp xa cig` diac iigc `pli` heywc `ziixe` oedl adie oeda irxz` èd jixa(zixi `"q)

oiig dil zi` da cigè `ziixeà lczy`c o`n lkc .iz`c `nlrl oiige `nlr i`dl oiig(oiiga cig` `"q)oiba oiign yxtzn el`k `ziixe`n yxtzè `ziixe`c iln wiayc o`n lke ,

aizkc èd `cd ,oiig ieln lke oiig ìdc(ak ,c ilyn)md miig ikaizke ,'ebe(g ,b ilyn)ze`txjxyl idz.'ebe

ix`y ,dilic `xedp .`lkl xidpc `yny i`de `zzl `lirn cig` iigc `pli` ifg `z,mexcl cge oetvl cg :dia ocig` oixhq 'a xyin gxà ,`pli`c `teba hytzè `yixn



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.`l`ny cge `pini cg(oepiè)`teb èddn xnz`c dnk xidp `ynyc `zrya(`teb "q)lilkzè `l`ny xidp ditwezne ,ditweza xidpè `pinic `rexcl siwz` `pli`c

.dixedpa(e ,hi mildz)eztgn `vei ozgk èdeedi` `c ?eztg edi` o`n -(ì ,b mixiyd xiy)dxhr

ezpzg meia en` el dxhry.eztgn `vei`xwa xn` z`c dnk `xedp lkc `yix edi` `c ,dixza`c(f ,hi mildz)e`ven minyd dvwnixw`c `lkc `zexiy `c ,minyd dvwn.

.dl lawne ierexc yixte ieytpc `znigx dizlkl `rxr`l witp ck ynn ozgk witp oicke`peeb i`dkeztgn `vei ozgk èdeaxrnc oeik .axrn iabl hytzè `yny `lf` ,

xnz`c dnk dixzà dil biefe axrnl aixwe `zincwa dilawl xrz` oetv xhq aixwzàizkc(e ,a mixiyd xiy)iy`xl zgz el`nyaizkc `pini edi`c mexc xhq xzale .(my)epinie

ipwagzoick .(e ,hi mildz)gx` uexl xeabk yiyiifg `z .denweè `xdiq `xdp`l,g xacna)(azexpd z` jzelrda`yny on `cgk oixidp edlkc oi`lr oipivea oil`(o`k xqg).xdef]

[a"r gnw sc b"g ,jzelrda

3 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron, and say to him: When you light

the lamps etc. (Numbers 8.1-2) Rabbi Yehudah opened with [The sun] is like a bridegroom

coming out of his canopy etc. (Psalm 19.6): Happy is the portion of Israel, for the Holy

Blessed One delights in them and gives them the Torah, which ornaments the Tree of

Life, through which people unite with the life of this world and the life of the world to

come. For any person who strives with the Torah and unites with it possesses life, but

any person who abandons the words of Torah and separates from Torah, it is as if hehas separated from life since [the Torah] is Life and all its words are Life, as it is written,

For they are life etc. (Proverbs 4.22), and it is written, It shall be health for your navel etc.

(Proverbs 3.8).

Go see how the Tree of Life unites from above to below, and that is the Sun that

enlightens all. Its light, which points from the head and spreads through the body of

the Tree, two sides are directly united in it: one to the North and one to the South, one

Right and one Left. At the moment when the Sun enlightens as we have said the

Right limb of the Tree grows strong and shines in its strength, and from its strength the

Left shines and is crowned with its light.

He is like a bridegroom coming out of his canopy (Psalm 19.6) What is his canopy? It is the

crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his marriage (Song of Songs 3.11).

Coming out of his canopy, that is the beginning of all light, as it is said in the following

verse, His exit is from the end of the heaven (Psalm 19.7), that servant of the Bride who is

calledfrom the end of the heaven.



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And just as he comes out exactly like a bridegroom, so too he comes out at the

beckoning of the bride, the love of his soul, and he spreads his limbs to receive her. In

this manner He is like a bridegroom coming out of his canopy, the Sun goes and spreadstoward West. As West draws close, the side of North awakens to receive it with

anticipation, and draws close to West and couples with it in its place, as we have said as

it is written, Let his left hand be under my head (Song of Songs 2.6), and afterward the side of

South, which is Right, as it is written, and his right hand embrace me (ibid.). Thus he rejoices

like a strong man to run a race (Psalm 19.6), to light the moon and support it. Go see, When

you light the lamps (Numbers 8.2), these are the exalted lamps, that all shine as one from

the Sun. [Zohar Behaalotkha, 3:148b]

` 4F zx a b A W nX d z v M ei ad e 'd Li aiF lk E c aì oM[`l ,d mihtey]

awicv `xapy cr mlerd on xhtp wicv oi` :opgei iax xn` à` xa ìig iax xn`xn`py ,ezenk(d ,` zldw)ynyd àe ynyd gxfedgxf ilr ly eyny dzak `ly cr ,

iznxd lèny ly eyny(c-a '` lèny 'ir).[a"r gl `nei ilaa]

4 A So perish all Your enemies, O LORD; but they that love God are like the sun when

he goes forth in his might. [Judges 5.31]

B Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba quoted Rabbi Yohanan: No tzaddik departs from the world

until an equal tzaddik is created, as it says, The sun rises, and the sun sets (Ecclesiastes 1.5);

before Elis sun set, the sun of Samuel the Ramatite had risen (See 1 Samuel 2-4).

[Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 38b]

` 5'd i xileiptl oF xM f x t q a zMI e r n WI e 'd aW wI e Edr xl Wi 'd i xi E x A cp f ln gix W M m dilr i Yl ng e dNb q dUr ip xW mFIl zF a v 'd x n i l Eid e :F n W ia W glE:F car l xWl mi dl c ar oi A rWxl wiC v oiA m zi xEm Y a W e :F z c ard F p Alr Wi

'dx n ` A d mFI d m z h dl e W wdr W x dUrlk e mi cflk Eid e xEP Y M xrA ` A mFI d dP d i Mditp k A R x nE d wc v W n Wi n W i xi m kl dg xf e :spr e W xW mdl afri l xW zF a v

x W mFIA mkil b x zFR M z gY x t Ei diiM mi rW x m zFQr e :wA x n il b r M mY W tE mz`vie:zF a v 'd xn d Ur i p

i kp dP d :mi hR W nE mi T g l x UilMlra xg a F zF i zi E v x W iC a r dWn zxFY Ex k fal e mipAlrzFaal aiW d e :` xFPd e lF cB d 'd mFi `F A ip tl iaP d d Il z m kl glW

:m xg u x dz iziM d e Fa oR mzFa lr mipA[ck-fh ,b ik`ln]

adn .miryxd z` hdln èdy mei `l` mpdib oi` :oixn` oediiexz ,oerny 'xe i`pi iax?mrh(hi ,b ik`ln)xepzk xrea à mei dpd.'ebe



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xn`py mpdib yi :ixn` opax(h ,`l diryi)oeiva el xe` xy` 'd m`p[mlyexia el xepze].

miryx ly otebn z`vei `idy y` `l` ,mpdib `le ,mei `l :xne` i`rli` xa dcedi 'xaizkc ?mrh dn .mze` zhdlne(`i ,bl ediryi)mklk`z y` mkgex yw eclz yyg exdz.

[e ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

5 A 16 Then they that feared the LORD spoke one with another; and the LORD listened,

and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before God, for them that feared

the LORD, and that meditated upon Gods name. 17 And they shall be Mine, says the

LORD of hosts, in the day that I do make, My own treasure; and I will spare them, as a

man spares his own son that serves him. 18 Then shall you again discern between the

righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that does not serve

God.

19 For, behold, the day comes, it burns like a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work

wickedness, shall be straw; and the day that comes shall set them ablaze, says the

LORD of hosts, it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 20 But for you that fear My

name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and you shall go

forth, and relax as calves of the stall. 21 And you shall tread down the wicked; for they

shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I do make, says the LORD of

hosts.

22 Remember the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all

Israel, statutes and ordinances.23

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before thecoming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 24 And he shall turn the heart of the

fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and

smite the land with utter destruction. [Malakhi 3.16-24]

B Rabbi Yannai and Rabbi Shimon both said: Hell is merely a day which will

incinerate the wicked. What is the source? Behold, the day comes, it burns like a furnace ...

[and the day that comes shall set them ablaze] (Malakhi 3.19).

The Rabbis said: There is a Hell, as it says, Thus says the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, [and

Gods furnace in Jerusalem] (Isaiah 31.9).

Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilai said: It is not a day, nor an actual Hell, but a fire that emerges

from the bodies of the wicked and incinerates them. What is the source? As it is

written, You conceive chaff, you shall bring forth kindling; your breath is a fire that shall devour

you (Isaiah 33.11). [Genesis Rabbah 6.6]



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6:dncr rci Ep Y `l e iap cFroi Epi x`l Epi zFz:g vp l L n W aiF up i xv sxgi mi dl izncr

:dN k L wig a x T n Lpi nie L c i aiWz dOl:u x d a x w A zF rEWi lrR m c T n i Ml n mi dl`e:mi O dlr mipi P z iW`x Y xA W mi L Gr a Y xxFt dY

:miI vl mrl l k n EPp Y Y ozi el iW`x Y v S x dY :ozi zF xdp Y W aF d dY lgpe oi r n Y r wa dY

:W n We xF n zFpi kd dY d lil Lls mF i Ll[fh-h ,cr mildz]

6 9 We do not see our signs; there is no prophet any more; nor is there any among us

that knows how long.10 How long, O God, shall the adversary abuse? Shall the enemy defame Your name for

ever?11 Why do You withdraw Your hand, Your right hand? Draw it out of Your bosom and

consume them.12 Yet God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.13 You broke the sea in pieces by Your strength; You shattered the heads of the

sea-monsters in the waters.14 You crushed the heads of leviathan, You gave him as food to the folk inhabiting the

wilderness.15 You cleaved fountain and brook; You dried up ever-flowing rivers.16

Yours is the day, Yours also the night; You have established luminary and sun. [Psalm74.9-16]

Commentary

3.1 The Roman philosopher Plotinus (204-270 CE) taught that the world was created by emanations

from a perfect and unchangeable One. Some streams of Jewish thought in particular, the Zohar

adapted his philosophy, describing Gods emanation of spiritual matter into the world. Plotinus

describes these emanations by analogy to the way in which light and heat make their way from the sun to

earth. Centuries earlier, the Psalmist identified other ways in which the sun serves as a metaphor for

aspects of the Divine: God is the source of life, of sustenance, and of guidance. No good thing will God

withhold from them that walk uprightly.

3.2 Rabbi Ilfa teaches that the Righteous wield power over the heavenly lights. Unlike Joshua, we can

not force the sun to stand still in the sky. Nevertheless, solar power technology allows us to harness the

suns energy and tidal power generation promises to unlock the moons tidal energies. For our moment,

Rabbi Ilfas comment highlights the righteousness inherent in the search for sustainable, clean energy

sources.



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3.3 The Zohar calls us out of the intellectual space of the bet midrash, the study hall, and into the natural

world that surrounds us. The canopy of the sky overhead, the movement of the sun, the smallest leaves

sprouting on a tree we can not help but wonder at the world in all its grand splendor and tiny detail.

Humanity will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of

our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living. What we lack is not

a will to believe but a will to wonder (Adapted from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Man Is Not Alone).

The Zohar imagines all of these natural phenomena engaged in a beautiful dance. The masculine Sun

emerges in the East and moves toward union in the West the home of Shekhinah, the feminine

manifestation of God. Along the way, the Sun unites North Din, Judgment with its counterpart South

Hesed, Mercy and thus fulfills its role as Tiferet, Splendor, the perfect balance of Judgment and Mercy.

As the Groom, the Sun wraps the Bride, Shekhinah, in his arms, drawing her close with Hesed in the Right

arm and Din in the Left. The Suns light emerges from this union, and as the Sun unites Right and Left,

Hesed and Din, the Sun becomes the Tree of Life: roots in Heaven, branches spreading throughout our

world. Just as a trees branches carry sustenance out to each of the leaves, the Suns light infuses ourworld with the simple, innocent holiness of Bride and Groom standing under their canopy, the huppah.

With all of the pieces in harmony, we can look out at the natural world and appreciate its beauty just as

the Groom gazes with unbounded love into the eyes of his Bride.

3.4 Both the Biblical verse and the Talmud offer a clear analogy: Righteous people are like the sun (See

also 8.2 below in the text). The suns light illuminates the world, and the Righteous set an example, bringing

the light of compassion and redemption through their deeds.

3.5 The prophet Malakhi foresees an imminentgreat and terrible day of the LORD that will set the wicked

ablaze. We can understand Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilais midrash as a perspective on climate change: the fire

that will eventually consume the guilty ones emerges from the bodies of the wicked. In other words,

with climate change and all other forms of environmental degradation, our actions sow the seeds of ourown destruction. Unlike the Prophets visions, however, in this case the Fire that emerges from the

bodies of the wicked threatens to consume innocent and guilty alike.

3.6 Here, the Psalmist offers us a mirror image of Creation: God broke the sea in pieces ... cleaved

fountain and brook [and] dried up ever-flowing rivers. At the end of the violence and struggle,

however, God established luminary and sun. Conflict can lead to growth. In our time, we ask if rising

energy costs and the negative effects of pollution will provide powerful enough incentives to develop

alternatives to existing energy sources.



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o ehlye ynyiriax wxtdngd zkqnSun and Sovereignty Chapter Four Massekhet HaHammah

` 1dWn hI e :K W g Wni e mix v n u x lr K Wg i die mi nX dlrL c i dhp d Wnl 'd x n I eei g z Wi E x`l :mini z Wl W mix v n u x lk A dl t KW g i di e minX dlr F ciz

:mza WF n A xF d id l x Ui ip Alkl E mini z Wl W eiY g Y n Wi En w l e[bk-`k ,i zeny]a.ycg a"i oze` lk zelfnd eyny `l :opgei 'x xn`

.xkip oneyix did `ly `l` eyny :ozpei 'x el xn`

ezeayi `l(ak ,g ziy`xa):xn` xfril` iax .ryedi iaxe xfril` iax ,ezeayi `l`ly o`kn -:xne` ryedi iaxe .ezayezeayi `l.ezayy o`kn -[a ,dk dyxt dax ziy`xa]

1 A 21 And the LORD said to Moses: Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there

may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may be felt. 22 And Moses

stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the landof Egypt for three days; 23 they did not see one another or rise from under it for three

days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. [Exodus 10.21-23]

B Rabbi Yohanan said: The constellations did not serve during all twelve months [of

the Great Flood].

Rabbi Yonatan responded: They served, but their effect was not recognizable.

[As long as the earth remains... day and night] will not cease (Genesis 8.22), Rabbi Eliezer and

Rabbi Yehoshua explained the verse. Rabbi Eliezer said: Will not cease from this we can

infer that they did not cease [during the Great Flood]. But Rabbi Yehoshua says: Willnot cease from this we can infer that they did cease. [Genesis Rabbah 25.2]

` 2Wi klKlnzEn xiKln oF x a gKln m lWE xi Kl n i xn d i kl n z Wng E lrI e Et q I erWFdil oFr a b i Wp Egl WI e :dilr E ngNI e oF r a Blr EpgI e mdipgnlk e md o F l b rKln

i M Ep x fr eEpN driWFde d x d n Epil dlr Licarn Lici s xYl xn l d lBl B d dpgOdlF O rdngl O d mrlk e `E d lBl B do n r WFdi l rI e :xdd ia Wi ixn d ikl nlM Epi l Ev A wp

:lig d ixFAB lk e

mdil aI e :Lipt A md n Wi cnri`l miY zp L ci a iM m d n `xi Yl r WFdil 'd x n I eoFr a b A dlFc bdM n mMI e l x Ui ip tl 'd mO di e :lBl B do n dlr dli N dlM m z R rWFdi

cxFnA m d l x Ui ip R n mqp A i di e :d c T ncr e d wfrcr mMI e oxFgzia dlrn K xC m t C xI eip a AEznxW mi A x EznI e d wfrc r minX do n zFlc B mi pa m dilr Ki l W d 'd oxFgzi A

:a xg A l x Ui ip A E b xd xW n c xA d

W n W l x Ui ipi rl x n I e l x Ui ip A ip tl ixn dz 'd zY mFI A 'dl r WFdi xA ci f daEzk `id`ld ei ai iFB mTicr c nr g xi e W n X d mCI e :oFlI w nr A gxi e mF C oFr a b A



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Ed d mFI M did `l e :minY mFi M F a l u `l e mi nX d i vgAW n X d cnrI e xWI d x t qlr:l x Uil mglp ' i M Wi lFw A 'd rn Wl ei xg e eiptl[ci-d ,i ryedi]

aeilr dlbpy drya - ryedil oepbiq did dxez dpyn xtq :i`gei oa oerny 'x xn`:el xn` .ecia dxez dpyn xtqe ayei e`vn èd jexa yecwd(g-e ,` ryedi)wfgryediun`

ryedidfd dxezd xtq yeni `l`ly myk :el xn` ,dng lblbl eze` d`xde elhp .'ebecin ,iptln mec dz` s` dfn iznnec(bi ,i ryedi)cnr gxie ynyd mcie.

melga à` jze` d`x jk `l ?z` à`c `piaf `l ,`yia `car :dil xn` :wgvi 'x xn`(h ,fl ziy`xa)gxide ynyd dpdecin - 'ebegxie ynyd mecie.xnebe[h ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

2 A 5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of

Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered

themselves together, and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against

Gibeon, and made war against it. 6 And the men of Gibeon sent for Joshua to the camp

at Gilgal, saying: Slack not your hands from your servants; come up to us quickly, and

save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill-country are

gathered together against us. 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of

war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

8 And the LORD said to Joshua: Fear them not; for I have delivered them into your

hand; not a man of them shall stand against you. 9 Joshua therefore came upon them

suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal all night. 10 And the LORD disoriented them

before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon; and they chased them by

the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and to Makkedah.11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of

Beth-horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them to Azekah,

and they died; more died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew

with the sword.

12 Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites

before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel: Sun, be still upon

Gibeon; and you, Moon, in the valley of Ayalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the

moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is this not

written in the book of the Righteous? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and

did not hurry to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it

or after it, that the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.[Joshua 10.5-14]



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B Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai said: The Book of Deuteronomy was a sign of Joshua at

the moment when the Holy Blessed One was revealed to him, God found [Joshua]

sitting with the Book of Deuteronomy in his hands. God said to him: Be strong, Joshua,Be courageous, Joshua, This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth etc. (Joshua

1.6-8). [Joshua] lifted it up and displayed it to the orb of the sun, and said to it: Just as I

have never fallen silent from this, so you will fall silent before me; immediatelyAnd the

sun was still, and the moon stayed (Joshua 10.13).

Rabbi Yitzhak said: Joshua said to it: Presumptuous servant, are you not Fathers

possession? Did Father not see you thus in a dream: behold, the sun and the moon etc.

(Genesis 37.9)? Immediately the sun was still, and the moon etc. (Joshua 10.13). [GenesisRabbah 6.9]

` 3ip a n g TI e W n X d àiM mW olI e mFwO A rB tI :dpxg KlI e r aW x A n awri `vI eri B n FW x e dv x aS n mN q dP d e mlgI :Èdd mFwO A a M WI e eizW x n m UI e mFwO d

:FA mi c xi e milr mi dl ik l n dP d e dninX d[ai-i ,gk ziy`xa]

amixne` zxyd ik`ln ly olew rny :xn` oxetivc oipg iax mya qgpt 'xynyd à,ynyd àsqei xn`y drya ".`yniy `z` ,`yniy `z`" ,(h ,fl ziy`xa)ynyd dpde

gxide"?yny" inyy el dlib in :awri xn` ,[i ,gq dyxt (`plie) dax ziy`xa]

bei g E xI e :mi Q R zpz M Fl dUr e Fl È d mip w foaiM eipAlM ns qFiz ad l x Ui ecBI e mF lgs qFi mlgI e :mlWl F x A C El ki l e F z E p UIe ei g lM nm di a ad F zìM

Ep gp d P d e :i Y nlg xW dG d mFlgd `pEr n W mdil x nÌ e :F z p U cF r EtqFIe eig lm ki zOl dpi A q z dP d e daSpmb e izOl dn w dP d e d cV d KFz Ami Ol minN n

p U cFr EtqFIe EpA l W n Y lFWnm Epi lrKl n Y Klnd ei g Fl Ex n I e :izOll oiegY W Ye:ei xa Clr e eiznlglr F z

g xI d e W n X d dP d e cF r mFlg i Y nlg dP d x n I e eig l F z xR qi e x g mFlg cFr mlgI edn F l x n I e eia FAxr bI e eig l e ei a l x R qi e :il miegY W n mi akF MxUr cg e

eig F aE`p wi e :dv x Ll zFgY W dl Li g e L O ei p F ap `Fad Y nlg xW dG d mFlgd:xaC dz xnW eia e[ì-b ,fl ziy`xa]

cxg` melg cer melgie'ebe(h ,fl ziy`xa)sqei xn`y drya -(my)gxide ynyd dpde,"?yny" inyy el dlib in :awri xn`

jk `l ?z` à`c ditqka jzi zpiaf e`l ,`yia `car :ynyl ryedi xn` :wgvi 'x xn`melga jze` à` d`x(h ,fl ziy`xa)gxide ynyd dpdecin .iptln mec z` s` ?(bi ,i ryedi)

cnr gxide ynyd mecie.[ì ,ct dyxt dax ziy`xa]



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3 A 10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he arrived

at a place, and stayed there all night, because the sun was setting; and he took one of the

stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder was set in the earth, and the top of it reached to

heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. [Genesis 28.10-12]

B Rabbi Pinhas, quoting Rabbi Hanin of Tziporan, said: Jacob heard the voices of the

ministering angels saying, The sun has set, The sun has set, The sun has arrived, the sun

has arrived. At the moment when Joseph said behold, the sun and the moon (Genesis 37.9),

Jacob said: Who revealed to him that my name is Sun? [Genesis Rabbah 68.10]

C 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his

old age; and he made him a coat of many colors. 4 And when his brothers saw that their

father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak

peacefully to him. 5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and

they hated him even more. 6 And he said to them: Hear, I pray you, this dream which I

have dreamed: 7 for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and my sheaf arose,

and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and bowed down

to my sheaf. 8 And his brothers said to him: Will you indeed reign over us? or will

you indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him all the more for his dreams,

and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and

said: Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon

and eleven stars bowed down to me.10

And he told it to his father, and to his brothers;and his father rebuked him, and said to him: What is this dream that you have

dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to you

to the earth? 11 And his brothers envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.[Genesis 37.3-11]

D And he dreamed yet another dream etc. (Genesis 37.9) At the moment when Joseph said

behold, the sun and the moon, Jacob said: Who revealed to him that my name is Sun?

Rabbi Yitzhak said: Joshua said to the sun: Presumptuous servant! Were you not bought

with Fathers money? Did Father not see you in a dream: behold, the sun and the moon

(Genesis 37.9)? Even you must be still before me. Immediately the sun was still, and themoon stayed (Joshua 10.13). [Genesis Rabbah 84.11]



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Commentary

4.1 Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua disagree about how to understand the beginning of the verse,As

long as the earth remains. Rabbi Eliezer understands as follows: from the moment of Creation, and for aslong as the earth remains, day and night will not cease. Consequently, he and Rabbi Yonatan, a later sage,

believe that the constellations continued in their paths during the Great Flood.

Rabbi Yehoshua, however, understands the verse as Gods promise that from that moment, and for as

long as the earth remains, day and night will not cease. As a result, he and Rabbi Yohanan teach that the

constellations stopped their movements during the Great Flood.

Their debate goes beyond mere historical inquiry and forces us to consider a crucial question: do human

actions, and ultimately human survival, matter to the larger universe? Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yonatan

offer an answer that seems in accord with contemporary science. No matter how badly we mess up our

own planet, we have little if any ability to influence the planets and stars that lie beyond. Pollution

may obscure the sky, but somewhere beyond the smoky veil the sun and stars continue unperturbed. Wecould live in a modern-day Egypt, blanketed by a darkness which may be felt, but we can not disrupt the

laws of nature.

For Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Yohanan, however, our existence is essential. God did not create the world

in chaos; God formed it to be inhabited (Isaiah 45.18). If we destroy ourselves, of what use is the physical

universe to God? During the Great Flood, with human society destroyed and the barest remnant of life

cloistered on the Ark, the sun and stars had no purpose and did not serve. God has promised thatas long

as the earth remains, day and night will not cease but we must also work to uphold that promise.

4.2 Joshua exercises control over the sun, Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai imagines that his control depends on

his commitment to the Torah and its values. Joshua earns his power over the sun.

Rabbi Yitzhak offers a different perspective. Joshuas father in this passage is Joseph, who saw the sun,moon, and stars bow to him in a dream; Joshua asserts hereditary power of a master over a servant.

4.3 The Hebrew verb `a is used to describe the suns setting, but in other contexts means to come orarrive. Rabbi Pinhas plays with the double meaning of the word as he interprets Jacobs encounter with

the angels. Jacob sees the angels ascending and descending in the very place he has rested; Rabbi Pinhas

imagines their travels to and from Heaven as a frenzy of excitement at the arrival of the Sun inferring

that Sun is Jacobs secret name.

This text, in its identification of Jacob the figurehead of the Jewish people, Israel with the sun,

represents a variant tradition within Rabbinic literature. The dominant tradition identifies the Jewish

people with the Moon (see below in the text, 5.4, 7.4).



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ìny iwweyiying wxtdngd zkqnThe Fields of Heaven Chapter Five Massekhet HaHammah

1(d ,eh ziy`xa)dvegd eze` `veiemlerl uegn ike :iel iax mya oipkqc ryedi iax -aezkd xn`y ,eìveddvegd eze` `veiexn` z`c `nd ìny iwwey dil ieg` `l` ?ilyn)

(ek ,gzevege ux` dyr `l cr.[ai ,cn dyxt dax ziy`xa]1 And God brought him outside (Genesis 15.5) Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin quoted Rabbi

Levi: Could it be that God brought him out of the world, since the verse saysAnd God

brought him outside? Rather, God showed him the fields of Heaven, as you say, While as

yet God had not made the earth, nor the fields (Proverbs 8.26). [Genesis Rabbah 44.12]

` 2d`n :mlerd oda ynzyiy èd jexa yecwd `xa zepelg ynge miyye ze`n yly`vi epnny riwx ly ervnà zgè ,axrna mizye mipenye d`ne ,gxfna mizye mipenye

.ziy`xa dyrn zligzn[`"r gp ,c"d a"t dpyd y`x inlyexi]

axn`py ,ipyd riwxa ?mipezp dpale dngd lblb okid(fi ,` ziy`xa)midl` mze` ozieminyd riwxa.

:eze` eyxit dlecbd zqpk iypè ,èd `ln `xwn :xn` eda` iax mya qgpt iax,h dingp)(emàv lke minyd iny minyd z` ziyr dz` jcal 'd èd dz`èd okid - 'ebemàv lk

.minyd on dlrnl èdy riwxa ?mipezp

cr riwxne ,dpy w"z jldn riwx ly eiaere ,dpy ze`n 'd jldn riwxd cre ux`d one.deab èd dnk d`x - dpy w"z jldn riwxd[e ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

bmè ,riwxa oity mè ,xieà od oigxet m` oircei ep` oi` :i`gei oa oerny iax xn`.eilr cenrl zeixal xyt` iè ,c`n dyw xacd .okxck od oikldn[g ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

2 A The Holy Blessed One created three hundred sixty-five windows for the world to

use: one hundred eighty-two in the East, and one hundred eighty-two in the West, and

one in the center of the vault from which [the sun] emerged at the beginning of the

works of Bereshit [Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh HaShannah 2.4, 58a]

B Where are the orbs of the sun and moon located? In the second vault, as it says,And

God set them in the vault of the heaven (Genesis 1.17).

Rabbi Pinhas, quoting Rabbi Abahu, said: It is a full verse, and the Men of the GreatAssembly interpreted it: You are the LORD, You alone; You have made heaven, the heaven of

heavens, with all their hosts etc. (Nehemiah 9.6) Where are all their hosts located? In the

vault that is above the heavens.



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From the earth to the vault is the distance of five hundred years journey, and the

thickness of the vault is six hundred years journey, and from vault to vault is the

distance of six hundred years journey consider how high it is. [Genesis Rabbah 6.6]

C Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai said: We do not know if they fly through the air, if they

glide along the vault, or if they travel in the usual way. This matter is extremely

difficult, and it is impossible for people to fathom it. [Genesis Rabbah 6.8]

` 3lewe ,dng lblb lew :od elè ,eteq cre mlerd seqn oikled zelew yly :opax epz.sebd on d`veiy drya dnyp lewe ,inex ly dpend[a"r k `nei ilaa]

ampiè mizpia zeixade ,eteq cre mlerd seqn jled olew mixac 'b :iel iax xn`.sebd on z`vei ìdy drya ytpde ,minybde ,meid :od elè ,miyibxn

.ura xqep èdy dfd xqnk `l` epiè ,riwxa sy èdy xeaq z` :dcedi 'x xn` ?oipn meid

:iel iax xn` ?oipn minybd(g ,an mildz)lewl `xew medz l` medz.'ebe

jinc ied `ng x"a qgpt iaxc ieg` lèny iaxc ?oipn sebd on z`vei ìdy drya ytpdedeg`c diytp dnk :oedl xn` .oikgb oixye `zln zz` ,diab oiaizi dixag oiede ixetva

!oirci `le oekgb oiazi oezè ,zepli` `vvwne oifx` `vvwn `xab èddcdyxt dax ziy`xa][f ,e

binex ly dpend lew `lnlè ,inex ly dpend lew rnyp dng lblb `lnl` :opax epz

.dng lblb lew rnyp[a"r k `nei ilaa]3 A Our Rabbis taught: Three sounds travel from one end of the world to the other,

and they are: The sound of the orb of the sun, and the sound of the hubbub of Rome,

and the sound of the soul at the moment it leaves the body. [Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 20b]

B Rabbi Levi said: There are three things whose sound travels from one end of the

world to the other, and the creatures are in the midst of them but do not sense them,

and they are: the Day, and the Rains, and the Soul at the moment it leaves the body.

From where do we learn about the Day? Rabbi Yehudah said: You think that it glides

along the vault, but it is just like this saw that saws wood.From where do we learn about the Rains? Rabbi Levi said:Abyss calls to abyss at the

sound [of your pipes] (Psalm 42.8).

From where do we learn about the Soul at the moment it leaves the body? From Rabbi

Shmuel, the brother of Rabbi Pinhas bar Hama, who died in Tzippori and the friends

were sitting with [Rabbi Pinhas]; something happened and they burst into laughter.



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[Rabbi Pinhas] said to them: How the soul of this fellows brother chops cedars and cuts

down trees, and you are sitting and laughing and have no idea! [Genesis Rabbah 6.7]

C Our Rabbis taught: Were it not for the orb of the sun, the hubbub of Rome would be

audible, and were it not for the hubbub of Rome the sound of the orb of the sun would

be audible. [Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 20b]

` 4ly exe` rwy .mqxtzn ohw ly exe` oi` miiw lecb ly exe`y onf lk :xn` ongp ax,mqxtzn awri ly exe` oi` miiw eyr ly exe`y onf lk jk .ohw ly exe` mqxtzn ,lecb

aizkc èd `cd ,awri ly exe` mqxtzn eyr ly exe` rwy(a-` ,q diryi)à ik ixe` inewux` dqki jygd dpd ik ... jxe`.'ebe[b ,e dyxt dax ziy`xa]

ack ,dyn :èd jixa `ycew dil xn` .`rx`l d`lr`l `rae ,`yny ded dyn ifg `z

`yny `cgk oenewi jid ,`yny zp`c `zyd .dieeba `xdiq lilkz` `ynyc `xedp izì` ,liki zp` zil `zyd la` !`yny yipkz`c `zrya `l` `xdiq xidp `l ?`xdiqe

dpn rcpnl iraz(a ,bi xacna)miyp` jl gly.rcpnl oiba jnxbl- a"r epw sc b"g ,jl gly xdef][`"r fpw

4 A Rav Nahman said: So long as the light of the greater exists, the light of the lesser is

not well-known. When the light of the greater declines, the light of the lesser becomes

well-known. Therefore so long as the light of Esau exists, the light of Jacob is not

well-known; when the light of Esau declines, the light of Jacob will become well-known,

as is written,Arise, shine, for your light has come... For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth

etc. (Isaiah 60.1-2). [Genesis Rabbah 6.3]

B Go see that Moses was the Sun, and he wanted to enter the Land. The Holy Blessed

One said to him: Moses, when the light of the sun sets, the moon is crowned with its

light. Now that you are the sun, how can the sun and moon rise at once? The moon

only shines at a time when the sun has gone in! But now you can not; if you want to

know about [the Land], Send men for yourself(Numbers 13.2), to comfort you by knowing.[Zohar Shelakh Lekha, III:156b-157a]

` 5aizkc i`n :opgei iax xn`(a ,dk aei`)einexna mely dyr enr cgte lynd`l mlern ?,dzrc dylgc - dpal ly dznibt .zyw ly dznibt `le ,dpal ly dznibt dng dz`x

.ìicyn `w ixib :dngd icaer exnil `lc - zyw ly dznibt[a"r bk dpyd y`x ilaa]

aly `l` eiptly dn dèx riwxa oikldn ody elld zelfnd on cg` oi` :iel 'x xn`èd ip` :xne` lfne lfn lk `diy ick ,eixeg`l eipte mleqd lrn cxeid mc`k ,eixeg`

ied - oey`xd(a ,dk aei`)einexna mely dyer.[ai ,d dyxt dax mixac]



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bopi`e df mr df mixc ode y` ly miakekde min ly riwxdy itl :igei oa oerny 'x ipzjkitl ,df z` df oiwifn(a ,dk aei`)einexna mely dyer[`"r gp ,c"d a"t dpyd y`x inlyexi]

5 A Rabbi Yohanan said: What is meant by the verse, Dominion and fear are with God;

God makes peace in Gods high places (Job 25.2)? The sun never saw the back side of the

moon, nor the back side of the rainbow. The back side of the moon because [the sun]

would be disheartened; the back side of a rainbow so that sun-worshippers could not

say: It is shooting arrows [at non-believers]. [Babylonian Talmud, Rosh HaShannah 23b]

B Rabbi Levi said: None of these planets that move through the vault see what is in

front of them, but only what is behind them, like a person who descends a ladder with

his face turned backward, so that each and every planet will say: I am the first that is

God makes peace in Gods high places (Job 25.2). [Deuteronomy Rabbah 5.12]

C Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: Since the vault is made of water and the stars of fire and

they dwell with one another and do not injure one another, therefore God makes peace in

Gods high places (Job 25.2). [Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh HaShannah 2.4, 58a]

` 6on elek wtq ,meid on elek wtq ,dlild one meid on wtq zeynyd oia :opax epz.min

Documents

Massekhet HaHammah [The Blessing of the Sun] Compiled and translated with commentary by Abe Friedman