Blessing the Sun... Jahruzalem Stylee

So Birkat Hachama (the blessing on the sun) is just once every 28 years - I was one the last time it took place. I caught it on the Tayelet overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. There were literally hundreds of people there with guitars and drums singing and dancing at 7:15 a.m. - quite a site to behold.

Here's a great article on the miscalculations over the actual date and the deep significance of the event nonetheless. Birkat Hachama is an event that the Common Sensorium particularly likes as there's no ideology involved and no hidden agenda - just a recognition of a natural, if slightly miscalculated, phenomenon without which life on earth would be utterly impossible.

This is the view we had from the tayelet, more or less, though about a kilometer further back.
Overlooking the sun-like dome of the mosque on the temple mount gave the event a special significance. It's sun-like features gave my prayers a point of reference - an earthly orb to face and mirror the heavenly one just to my right. I find it ironic that Muslims turn their back to the Dome of the Rock when praying.

Also, it occurred to me that our newly born daughter was named Zohara (shining - in the talmud (according to Jastrow) a variation is 'Zaharei Chama' meaning the 'rays of the sun') in part because she was born so close to this extremely rare ritual (Simone always says names are part prophecy).

Here's the playlist I'm listening to in honor of international 'sun day'. Note it has 28 tracks - one for each year of the cycle (plus the 29th track 'Here Comes the Night' as a nice epilogue).

click to enlarge

Enjoy and cherish the sun - in a few million (or is that billion) years, we won't have it anymore!