Dear Friends:
With Purim past and Pesach coming, I would like to call your attention to an approaching religious event of astronomical significance – quite literally!! As I discussed with the Congregation on Rosh Ha-Shana, this year we will be celebrating the rarest of Jewish rituals: Birkat Ha-Chammah – the “Blessing of the Sun.” This beautiful and joyful celebration occurs just once every 28 years. (I was a college student last time I recited this blessing… and hope to retire long before my next opportunity!!) We will observe Birkat Ha-Chammah together this year on Wednesday morning, April 8… coinciding with the Erev Pesach – the morning before the first Seder. Members and clergy of Hollis Hills Jewish Center, Marathon Jewish Center, and Temple Torah will be joining LNJC for this rare liturgical opportunity.
The “Blessing of the Sun” marks the traditional anniversary of the creation of the sun, as the Rabbis of the Talmud understood the first chapter of Genesis. The ceremony gives us a rare opportunity to look back 28 years, ahead 28 years… and to “shed some light” on the direction of our lives. We will recite the blessing and its attendant liturgy – together with the singing of well chosen songs – at the Bayside Marina (along-side the Cross Island Expressway approaching the Throgs Neck Bridge) blessing the sun as it rises over the Long Island Sound. The Blessing rite will begin April 8 at 7:30 a.m. and last perhaps 45 minutes. Those who wish to attend morning minyan – especially first-born sons who wish to “observe” the customary fast – can join us a bit earlier – at 6:45 a.m.!! (Additional directions and information on parking will be provided shortly.)
It was my privilege to write the Conservative Movement’s prayerbook for this unusual service, published by the Rabbinical Assembly. Copies are available for $7 each in the LNJC office (or on-line – http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sun_blessing.html). Author signatures are free!! Such prayerbooks will not be readily available again until the next Blessing of the Sun – in 2037. Don’t wait another 28 years: get your copies now… and bring them with you on April 8. I look forward to celebrating with you on April 8!!
Every best wish,
Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser