Birkat ha-Chama

Birkat ha-Chama ( Hebrew בִּרְכַּת הַחַמָּה, German: "Blessing for the sun") is a rarely performed Jewish blessing .

description

The prayer is dedicated to the Creator, whom one thanks for creating the sun. The blessing is presented when the sun completes its cycle every 28 years. This is done at sunset on a Tuesday. Jewish tradition says that when the sun has completed its cycle , it returns to the historical position it was in at the moment of creation . Since the sun must be visible when the blessing is spoken, it will be postponed until the following Wednesday morning.

The 28-year solar cycle is also called "Machsor gadol" ( Hebrew מַחְזוֹר גָּדוֹל, German: "the great cycle") known. A solar year is 365.25 days. The “blessing of the sun” is recited at the beginning of the cycle.

Text and translation

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית.	"
- Siddûr tefillôt Yiśrāʾēl

"Blessed are you, God
our God, King of the world,
who created the work of the beginning."

literature

• Rabbi J. David Bleich: Bircas Hachammah, Blessing of the Sun: Renewal of the Creation: a Halachic Analysis and Anthology. Mesorah Publications, New York City, 1981, ISBN 0-89906-176-1
• Tracey R Rich: Birkat Hachamah . In: Judaism 101 . jewfaq.org. Retrieved January 26, 2014.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Vocalization for החַמָּה → החמה ha-Chama (literary) sun on morfix.co.il
2. ↑ Samson Raphael Hirsch : Siddûr tefillôt Yiśrāʾēl, Israel's prayers, Hebrew סִדּוּר תְּפִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל. I. Kauffmann, Frankfurt a. M. 1921, OCLC 18389019 , p. 721. ( online ).