Blessing On The Sun

By Rabbi Jacob Ettlinger (Author of Aruch La-Ner)

(A sermon, preached at the Altona Synagogue, on the day of the Blessing on the Sun, the 16^th Nissan, 2^nd day of Pesach, 5601.) Adapted and translated by Mrs. E. Eisenberg.

“Thy handiwork, O Lord, is the day, Thy work is also the night, Thou hast installed the moon and the sun, Thou hast defined all the borders of the earth; Thou hast made summer and winter. Remember this, O God, when the enemy blasphemes, when base people defy Thee. Deliver not the soul of Thy dove to the beast of prey; let not the life of Thy afflicted one be forgotten altogether. Look upon the Covenant, for those dark regions of the earth are full of robbers’ dens.”

(Psalm 74, verses 16-20)

Permit me to base my thoughts concerning this eventful day upon the holy and momentous message implied in the above Psalm. Actually, our every step, our every breath, every glance of our eyes are witnesses to God’s infinite goodness and proclaimers of His Glory. Yet there are specific days and periods in the lives of men and nations which are particularly suited to elevate our spirits and which boldly herald the glorification of God’s majesty. Today is such an occasion, for it perpetuates three historic occurrences with their lasting impression upon the life of the Jewish nation. For it is today that the position of the earth in relation to the sun and moon in the cycle of constellations is exactly as it was – according to our Sages – on the fourth day of Creation, when these celestial lights were first set into the firmament of heaven in order to illuminate the earth. It was also today that the Omnipotent proclaimed His miraculous might by demolishing our ancestors’ shackles and redeeming them as the Chosen People in the joyous Exodus from Egyptian slavery. And finally, it was this day when, many generations later, God in His kindness foiled the evil designs of a Haman who had planned, and was already close to achieving, the utter destruction of the Jewish people.

All of these events teach us to recognize God the All Bountiful as the Creator of Nature, as the Ruler of Nature and as the Controller of Nature, and thereby evoke praise of His Holy Name.

We shall endeavor to elaborate on these concepts so that we may arouse our love and reverence for the lofty Protector of Israel and so that in scanning these events of past and present, we shall learn to trust in God’s infinite goodness and might and look forward confidently to a happy future.

It is part of the daily service of the observant Jew to praise and thank the Creator each morning for the daily renewal of Creation. This renewal is manifested in the passing of darkness and the night; and the rejuvenation of nature, resplendent amidst the bright morning sunlight.

This morning, however, deserves special devotion in our praise of the Creator of nature for it is today that the Creation returns to its starting point in the solar cycle.

According to one version of our Tradition, it was at the beginning of the month of Nissan, when the constellation Lamb (Aries), lights up the firmament, that the sun and the moon first appeared at the zenith of this constellation on the fourth day of Creation. It takes a rotation of 28 years for the sun and the earth to find themselves again in this position. Today was the beginning of such a cycle in the realm of the celestial bodies.

This is the reason for the unusually intent observation of the sun, this morning, by hundreds of thousands of observant Jews all over the world. It is the infrequency of this recurrence, rarely experienced even three times in a life-time, which gives it a distinctive charm, a special inspiration, connected with some earnest reflections.

“How much has this world changed since I pronounced this praise for His Creation 28 years ago, and how will it look another 28 years from now?” These are the thoughts of many of us. “How  many of our dear ones, now slumbering in the grave, stood with us at the last Birchas HaChama? And what about the end of the coming cycle; will I still be among the living?”

Instead of sentimentality, however, we should rather let intellect rule our thoughts, so that the past can serve as a lesson for the present and help determine the goals of the future. Today’s opportunity can, therefore, evoke more serious and solemn thoughts, particularly by helping us contemplate the Creation, and thereby the Creator Himself. The Master of Creation, as well as man’s lofty potential in the world of spirit, are often forgotten in the turmoil of day-to-day events. We should, therefore, take advantage of and appreciate, the historic moments which can lift us above the routine of daily life so that we may again be able humbly to perceive the greatness of our Father in Heaven. What can be more conducive to such recognition than our realization that He created the Universe out of nothing? And it is exactly this spectacle of sun, moon and celestial bodies in their original position, where they had first begun to proclaim the glory and majesty of the Creator, that must silence the blasphemy of atheists and put to shame “base people who defy Thee.” This majestic view of perfection and goodness can humble iniquity, and can also elevate virtue assuring us of God’s determination to protect goodness and perfection on earth. Thus the Jewish people, the “Dove of God,” should feel that He who upholds the world and protects It from destruction will not ultimately deliver His weak creature to the forces of evil, but rather shelter it under the wings of His Omnipotence. To revere the Creator in His unending Majesty, to praise His Might, to love virtue and thereby trust in Him – these are the devout feelings which this rare occasion should stimulate in our hearts.

II.

For us Jews particularly, reflection upon today’s events implies more than our recognition of Him as God and Creator. Israel’s destiny and future had already been part of the Divine plan at the time of Creation. The actualization of this plan is the second momentous occurrence of this day, when the Lord, leading Israel out of Egypt amidst signs and miracles, revealed Himself as the Ruler of Nature.

According to our Tradition, the position of the sun as it first began to light up the universe stood at the head of the constellation Aries the Lamb. Our prophets have likened the Jewish people to a lamb; how fitting! A modest, patient beast, content with sparse food and a corner in its master’s barn, furnishing him in return with its wool and cream. At times of outside danger, the flock forms tightly-knit rows of sheep clinging to one another, to be separated only by force. It is a gentle little animal which neither bites its tormentors nor kicks the shearers of its wool. And hasn’t the Jewish people in all its history been true to this image? On the other hand, if we would liken, so to speak, Almighty God with one of His creatures, the most fitting one would be the sun, this great powerful and majestic celestial being.

King David, in his Psalms, stated this comparison as “The Lord of Hosts is sun and shield.” The sight of the sun, facing the constellation Lamb for the first time at the onset of its shining history, is a true prototype of the momentous historic events of the Exodus which we commemorate today. It was a time of total spiritual and moral darkness; idolatry and God-denial were rampant. God then, in His wisdom and mercy, decided to reveal Himself as the Ruler of Nature in order to disperse the mists of falsehood with the light of true faith. And Israel was chosen to be the bearer of His revelation, to spread the light of His purpose throughout history. God Himself would stand at its vanguard, so to speak, at the miraculous Exodus from Egypt. “The first rays of the sun,” said the Lord, “did not appear at the constellation of the powerful Ox (Taurus), of the dangerous Scorpion (Scorpio), nor of the mighty Lion (Leo.) Thus shall I, the Sun-Of-All, stand at your head, My people, whom I have created in the image of the Lamb, shall be the first to be warmed by My love and enlightened by My faith.”

Every renewal of this phenomenon of the sun’s facing Aries recalls for us, therefore, all the acts of kindness and miracles which God performed when He revealed Himself as King and Leader of Israel.

The nocturnal wonder of the slaying of the firstborn, combined with all the other daytime miracles, proclaimed that “His is the night as well as the day.” And when the Egyptians were surrounded for three days by impenetrable darkness, while the abodes of the Hebrews were illuminated by the lights of Heaven, God proved that “He installed sun and moon,” and that these shine only according to His will. At His command, frogs arose from waters, savage beasts rushed out of the wilderness to destroy cities and their inhabitants. Water turned into blood and other supernatural judgements came upon the tyrants, returning again, at His bidding, to their natural limits. With this, the Lord made clear to “the blaspheming enemy” that it was He who has “set all the boundaries of nature” and can also change them at will. When unprecedented hailshowers mixed with flaming fires destroyed Egypt, the pillars of fire and cloud brought confusion to “base people who defied Him,” He manifested His power to mix cold and heat and that, therefore, heat and cold, summer and winter were created by Him.”

The purpose and result of these great wonders was the redemption of His suffering people from the claws of the tyrants, and this strengthens our conviction and trust that God, in His kindness, “will not deliver His dove to the beasts of prey; neither will He let his afflicted one be forgotten altogether.” Truly a joyous realization! The holiday commemorating God’s Rulership thus becomes Israel’s most glorious festival of hope.

III

Our Sages tell us that God reveals His Omnipotence by way of overt miracles only for the attainment of important goals; in other words, when, according to His Supreme Wisdom, the only way to achieve certain results is by manifestly changing the course of nature.

As long as idolatry prevailed amidst Israel and the recognition of the true and only God was not yet secured, God had to establish this recognition by miraculously revealing Himself as Ruler, and thereby as Creator of Nature.

After idolatry became obsolete with the destruction of the First Temple, Israel became cured of this illusion and returned to serve the only true God. Thus, open miracles were no longer necessary to strengthen Israel’s holy and lofty mission; namely to teach the nations the existence of God. Not the disruption of the order of nature, but rather its majestic course was henceforth to proclaim the Omnipotence of the Creator.

Only when the “Nation of Priests” was to have fulfilled its mission and attained its final goal, God, so the prophets foretold, would publicize this achievement to all the world by again demonstrating His might by occurrences similar to the miraculous Exodus from Egypt.

However, even though open miracles have ceased, latent wonders have always occurred and continue to operate in the life of the Jewish people. From now on, God was to be recognized not as the Ruler, but as the miraculously operating Controller of Nature. And what is more miraculous than the fact that for thousands of years Israel has, seemingly without Divine intervention, weathered all storms and still lifts its gray head like an indestructible rock withstanding the surging billows of world history?

An event of antiquity which occurred on today’s date bears striking proof of this concealed, wonderous Divine activity for the rescue of His people. We all know the story of the anti-semitic Haman who planned the total annihilation of our forefathers, but who, together with his followers, ended up in the very pit which he had dug for his innocent victims.

Actually, this rescue could very well be viewed as a natural process.

A beautiful queen sways her king to rescue her people from undeserved destruction by having him pour his wrath on the wicked aggressor.

Let us, however, relate this event to its true context:

Israel’s first rescue began on this very night, which according to Scriptures, was to become a night of rescue for Israel’s future generations. Furthermore, Israel’s salvation at the time of Esther and Haman took place on the third and last day of the general fast which had been ordained for repentance and return to God. Another point to consider is the fact – which Yithro had already realized as proof of God’s plan – that punishment is meted out commensurate with the gravity of the crime.

How could we then deny -  in the face of all these coincidences – that these events were guided by God’s Hand according to His eternal purpose?

We can thus conclude in the spirit of the Psalm: Whether bright of daylight or dark night symbolize Your people’s fate; be it surrounded by friendly summer days or grim winter nights – its destinies and situations are always a product of Your Providence. You, O All-Bountiful, rule amidst midnight darkness as well as in the bright light of the moon and the fiery rays of the sun. We therefore trust in You to remember Your covenant with our fathers and thus not to surrender Your little dove to the beasts of prey. Instead, You will strengthen it with hope and trust so that it may forever ascend towards You on wings of love and hope.

THE BLESSING

WHY:

A reminder of the Creation of the sun when it returns on the Vernal Equinox, where it started, on Wednesday of the Creation Week.

WHEN:

Wednesday (as always every 28 years)

14 Nisan 5769 – 8 April 2009

PLACE:

At sunrise, facing east – anywhere.

HOW:

One says the following blessing:

“Boruch Ata Hashem Elokanu Melech Ha-olam Oseh Ma’asei Bereishith” (depending on the custom, certain other Psalms are added.)