Thursday, April 9, 2009
Some religious holidays are celebrated only a few times in a lifetime. One such holiday is Birchat Hachama, the “Blessing of the Sun,” a Jewish holiday that occurs every 28 years.
Wednesday morning worshippers gathered in South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St., to celebrate the holiday and join in a rare ritual thanking God for the sun. The holiday falls on the day when the sun is supposed to return to the exact position in the sky where it believed to be created and is celebrated on the day before Passover begins. Following the celebration, Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel hosted a Passover dinner Wednesday night and will host another dinner tonight at the Chabad Jewish Center.
Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel leads members of the Lawrence Jewish community in celebraion of Birchat Hachama, a sun-blessing ritual that occurs once every 28 years. Tiechtel, leader of the KU Chabad Jewish Center, and about a a dozen Lawrence residents gathered in South Park for the celebration Wednesday morning.
Jason Oruch, Plano, Texas, senior, heard about the event from his roommate and decided to attend. He said that it had not occurred in his lifetime yet and that he wanted to go because of the rareness of the event. He said he hoped it would be a personal spiritual experience and that he was looking forward to going.
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Jewish and Christian residents are in the midst of religious holiday celebrations this week.
“I might never have a chance to go to this event again,” Oruch said.
Tiechtel, who is a co-director of the Chabad Jewish Center, led attendees in a special prayer, thanking God for the gift of the sun. He also led a prayer asking God to give people the blessing of the sun and to allow them to gather together again in another 28 years. The prayers were followed by a meditation to pause and reflect on the power of the light and warmth of the sun.
“We don’t worship the sun, but God has many messengers,” Tiechtel said. “The sun is not the source, but a conduit for God. We are praising God for the sun. “
Charles Goldberg, Chicago senior, participates in the Birchat Hachama ritual in South Park Wednesday morning with other members of the Lawrence Jewish community. The sun-blessing ritual occurs once every 28 years, when the sun is believed to be in the exact place where it was originally created.
Tiechtel said the holiday applied to anyone who appreciated the environment and the sun. He said Jews around the world, of many denominations, joined together for this one special occasion.
“This is a great way to express our appreciation for the environment. We take the sun for granted,” Tiechtel said. “It’s good to pause and thank God.”
Charles Goldberg, Chicago senior, said he heard that the last time the ritual took place, thousands of people filled a New York City street to join in.
“It’s a very important time and we want to take advantage and do as many mitzvahs as possible to elevate ourselves to a higher spiritual level,” Goldberg said. “It’s a very meaningful thing.”
Goldberg said he was 21 so he would be almost 50 years old the next time the ritual was performed. He said that several blessings were read specifically for this holiday that were never heard otherwise.
“You only get to do this mitzvah once every 28 years in your life,” Goldberg said. “It’s not something you do every day.”
— — Edited by Heather Melanson
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