Astronomical Absurdity Or Spiritual Encounter?
Harvard Astronomer Howard Smith writes in the Jewish Week about Birkat HaChamah, Pessach, and Jewish ritual in the New York Jewish Week.
Cutting to the chase:
Another short piece about the astronomical details of this coming Wednesday morning can be found on Howard's website
Chag Sameach and don't forget to bless God for giving us the Sun!
(IY"H, I'll be doing it all in Madison, WI)
Harvard Astronomer Howard Smith writes in the Jewish Week about Birkat HaChamah, Pessach, and Jewish ritual in the New York Jewish Week.
Cutting to the chase:
But historicity is irrelevant. I do not celebrate Passover because I read in a book or learned from a teacher about a story some 2,500 years old. I celebrate Passover to internalize and propagate its covenantal meaning: that I am free by Divine redemption, part of an existential community of religious relationships, and commanded to respond to the human suffering in the world with empathy, compassion and charity.
Birkat HaChamah is an astronomical absurdity. But like the Passover holiday it inaugurates this year, its significance derives not from its physical character but rather from the meaning it conveys by focusing our attention on our own moral attitudes and ethical responsibilities.
Another short piece about the astronomical details of this coming Wednesday morning can be found on Howard's website
Chag Sameach and don't forget to bless God for giving us the Sun!
(IY"H, I'll be doing it all in Madison, WI)
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