Say Birkat HaChamah

From Laila

2009-04-12T21:22:00.001-04:00

Members of Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester gathered at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester at 7am. We are lucky enough to belong to a shul with an ocean view so our sense of gratitude for being able to mark this unusual 28 year cycle in our beautiful town was an added treat.

2009-04-08T17:52:00.003-04:00

Three amateur film-makers set out, wide-eyed, on what was, in the words of President Kennedy, "the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked." They did not know what they were getting into, but they soon found out. From the libraries to the luncheonettes, from the statues to the Smiths', these three auteurs dove deep into how the Sun, that great ball of fire, affects and influences our lives. What they returned with shall "shock and awe" audiences worldwide, and bring our eternal life-force its long overdue and well deserved respect.

Sun-Day
by joelnewb

Too bad it wasn't sunny; we promise, it wasn't our fault.

Special thanks to the Newton Public Library for so kindly acommodating our often disruptive film-making and to Johnny's Luncheonette for the French toast.

Special no-thanks to Whole Foods for banning cameras from their store...or at least trying to.

2009-04-08T13:31:00.010-04:00

Step 4: Hametz becoming like the dust of the Earth because of the awesome power of the newly blessed Sun!

Step 3: Rosenfeld's bag and hametz go up in flames--no match for the power of the newly blessed Sun!

Step 2: Magnifying glass harnesses the power of the newly blessed Sun to set match on fire!

Step 1: Hametz ready for burning using the power of the newly blessed Sun.

The Sun at 6ish. Not yet blessed.

If the Sun were the size of this koosh ball (15cm) the Earth would be the size of a mustard seed and be about 30 meters away!

Miasma of Gasma

2009-04-08T13:12:00.003-04:00

Newton Centre Minyan at Hebrew College

The renowned astronomer Howard Smith locates Hebrew College in the solar system.

It's actually pretty dark at this point; hence the blurry people. They're not THAT fast.

Chestnut Hill Reservoir

2009-04-08T12:43:00.005-04:00

Mr. Rosenberg and Rachel Silverman joined a group of other Brookline/Brighton people to say Birkat Hachamah at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

Where did you say it?

Name That Tune!

2009-04-01T23:07:00.003-04:00

For all your music buffs out there, here is a challenge. Here are some sun-related song clips. How many can you name?

Three things to note:
1. There are 18 song clips. That was on purpose. 18 = חי
2. The length of the clip is 56 seconds. Fifty-six divided by two...equals...28! Isn't that nifty?
3. The first 2 people to correctly identify all 18 songs will win a prize. I don't know what that prize will be - we'll all be surprised.

Two more things to note:
1. Are you impressed with the Wordle? Make your own here.
2. The clip ends with some good advice. Follow it and wear sunscreen!

Birkat HaChamah hits NYC!

2009-04-01T19:40:00.005-04:00

If the following story wasn't true, it would be the obvious headline for the April 8th, 2009 edition of The Onion. See what happened in 1897 when a group of Jews tried to bless the sun...and please, call the police and tell them what you're doing before you gather in public to say Birkat HaChamah!

2009-04-01T13:33:00.004-04:00

From time immemorial, the sun has played a central role in the lives of humans. From the vast numbers of societies for whom the sun has a religious significance, to modern day scientists who investigate its chemical composition and effects on our communications systems, the sun has always held a great deal of interest for humanity.

For most of human history, the sun was assumed to move around the earth (a doctrine called "geocentrism" which means "earth at the center." Sometimes it is also called "Ptolemaic" after its founder Ptolemy). Although today, we all take the sun's immobility for granted (our system is called "heliocentric" which means "sun at the center." Sometimes it is also called "Copernican" after its founder Copernicus), it is not hard to see how on first examination, the movement of the sun around the earth would be a natural assumption. The main piece of evidence for this position is that when you go outside, the sun appears to move across the sky.

But let's imagine for a moment that we DID'NT know that the earth moved around the sun, or let's say your skeptical friend demanded proof. He or she might say, "The sun looks like it moves, who are you to say different?" Well, when astronomers look at the night sky, they can identify where the other planets are. From night to night, they see the planets move relative to the background of more distant stars. If the earth were stationary, the planets should move in a straight line. However, the planets actually appear to move back and forth at random. To picture this, you might imagine being in a car on a highway. If you assume that you are not moving, the cars in the lane over from you appear to pass you, then reverse direction and then pass you again. However, if you realize that both your car and the others are moving, your observations become easy to explain!

Simliarly, a video simulation of the solar system designed from the assumption that the earth does not move, would require the planets to follow strange paths. But as soon as you allow the earth to move as well, the paths look much more normal. The reason we believe that the earth goes around the sun, is that the paths of the planets make more sense that way. Watch the video below and notice how for the first 25 seconds the sun (the bright spot) moves. At around 0:25, the whole picture shifts and becomes far more simple.

Here's another cool simulation of a Ptolemaic solar system:

Sun Facts

2009-03-29T16:33:00.001-04:00

From Benjamin G. (2011)

All substances made by the Sun are invisible.

The Sun spins around once every 27.4 days.

The Sun loses approximately 4 million tons every second, this is the amount of hydrogen gas that the Sun turns into energy.

Lightning bolts can sometimes be hotter than the sun.

Gann students visit the sun!

2009-03-28T21:47:00.005-04:00

Talia K., Haley K. and Danielle S. made an unprecedented visit TO THE SUN. Here is a photo of their journey. I wonder how they got there? (and more importantly, if they remembered to wear sunscreen???)

Professor Sting's Tribute to the Sun

2009-03-27T12:16:00.004-04:00

Many thanks to Mr. Rosenberg for sharing this clip. You may notice some similarities between this clip and one that Mr. Johnson posted earlier. We should consider it as another perspective in this very important makhloket.

The Contests

2009-03-27T11:35:00.004-04:00

Kudos to Mr. Johnson for a great Shir Clali this morning!

As a reminder, we are running FIVE contests:
1. Best informational post about the sun
2. Best artistic post
3. Best video
4. Best ritual (with pictures)
5. Best faculty post

All entries are due by April 10 - but the sooner you send them in, the sooner we can enjoy them!

If you want to post something to the blog, you have two options. Either email your post to me (rsilverman@gannacademy.org) and I will post it for you, OR, tell me that you want to be added as an author to the blog, I'll add you, and you can post it yourself.

28 years ago

2009-03-25T20:13:00.002-04:00

Last time we said Birkat HaChamah, it was 1981. What happens in 28 years?

* Since 1981, there have been 10,227 sunrises - and just as many sunsets.

* At the beginning of 1981, it cost $0.15 to mail a letter. Now it costs $0.42, but email is free.

* In March of 1981, AIDS was first diagnosed in the United States. At the end of 2006, an estimated 1,106,400 people were living in the US with AIDS.

* In 1981, the Red Sox were 23 years away from winning the World Series, but only 5 years away from the 1986, Buckner-ball-through-his-legs disaster. The wait seemed endless...and sometimes hopeless.

* Sandra Day O'Conner became the first woman on the Supreme Court in 1981. Twelve years later, Ruth Bader Ginsberg joined her.

* In 1981, the US Agriculture Department tried to make ketchup a school lunch vegetable. What would our dining hall staff say about that?

* MTV debuted on August 1, 1981 and consequently, video killed the radio star.

Some thoughts for you....Were your parents married in 1981? Did they know each other? Had they even graduated high school? Speaking of high school....how many of your teachers were alive in 1981?

Sun Quilt

2009-03-25T20:12:00.001-04:00

You may recognize this wall quilt by Mira, class of 2010. She made it during Exploration Week, and it has been hanging in the gallery on the 2nd floor.

Why Does The Sun Shine?

2009-03-24T17:44:00.005-04:00

There seems to be some debate about why the sun actually does what it does. Here to explain it are two music videos. The first is from a song by Hy Zaret and Lou Singer recorded in 1959.

This song was first covered by the famous rock duo, They Might Be Giants in 1987. Later, they came to reject the position that "the sun is a mass of incandescent gas" and created this song. You can see the lyrics here.

The debate continues!

The Beatles Were Very Frum.

2009-03-24T16:35:00.003-04:00

Everyone knows the Beatles (especially Ringo) were big big Kabbalists. If you listen carefully, this very lovely song actually represents the union between the Shekhina ("little darlin'") and Yesod (the sun). By stating that the sun is about to come, it indicates that the Beatles believed that the reign of the yezter hara would end ("it's been a long cold lonely winter), that blessings would rain down on all of humanity ("the smiles returning to the faces"), and the Messiah would usher in a new era of enlightenment for all people (" Sun, sun, sun, here it comes... ").

I will be singing this song with some of my best friends on the Golden Gate Bridge of San Fransico at sunrise. What are you going to do for Birkat HaChamah?

The Rebbe's Message

2009-03-24T13:01:00.004-04:00

Watch what the Rebbe had to say, 28 years ago:

(thanks to Lila Kagedan for pointing us to the video)

Say Birkat HaChamah

2009-03-24T12:33:00.005-04:00

Jewish tradition tell us that once every 28 years, the sun returns to the exact position it was in when the world was created. We say Birkat HaChamah at the beginning of each 28-year cycle. On April 8, 2009 (the 14th of Nissan 5769) we will begin a new cycle by saying the blessing:

"ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם עשה מעשה בראשית"

"Blessed are You, LORD, our God, Ruler of the Universe who makes the works of Creation."

To mark the end of the current cycle and the beginning of the new one, we will spend the next two weeks celebrating the sun. Each day new postings will be published on this site. Gann students' artwork, poetry, stories, and songs will be featured each day (we hope), as well as other interesting sun-related stories.

If you would like to contribute to the blog (and we hope you will) email your contribution or idea to either Rachel (rsilverman@gannacademy.org) or Mr. Johnson (zjohnson@gannacademy.org).