Talmudic Take on the Sun

"...And God said, 

'let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to separate between the day and between the night, and they shall be for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years.' "

Our Rabbis taught: "He who sees the sun at its turning point, the moon in its power, the planets in their orbits and the signs of the zodiac in their orderly progress, should say:

Blessed be He who has wrought the work of creation. And when -- Abaye said: Every twenty-eight years when the cycle begins again and the Nisan equinox falls in Saturn on the evening of Tuesday, going into Wednesday."  TALMUD BAVLI, BRACHOS  59b

The Shulch Aruch Orach Chaim 229:2 codifies, “If one sees the sun at the beginning of its cycle, which happens at intervals of twenty-eight years, [pic: at the point of sunrise]

when the tekufah is at the beginning of the night of the fourth day, then, when he sees the sun of the fourth day in the morning he should say, ‘Baruch…oseh ma’aseih vereishit’.”

Rebbe Shmuel said "I am as familiar with the paths of heaven as with the streets of Nehardea." TALMUD BAVLI, BRACHOS 58b.

Rebbe Shmuel was the greatest Astronomer, and he decided on the 365 days, 6 hours as the Sun's yearly cycle ... "The duration of a season of the year is no longer than 91 days and 7 and one-half hours, and the beginning of one season is removed from that of the other by no more than one half of a planetary hour." TALMUD BAVLI, ERUVIN 56a.  

Are there other opinions?

"Before Adam's chet (sin), the planets moved extremely rapidly ... on the 4th day of Creation was the Nissan (spring) equinox ... and the 6th day after the chet was the Tishrei (Autumn) equinox" 

... therefore, 6 days was 6 months . . . 

which brings other theories to mind.

From this we see the machloket between Rebbi Eliezer (In Tishrei the world was created) and Rebbi Joshua (In Nissan the world was created). Talmud Bavli, Rosh HaShana 10b. 

Why do they differ?

If we divide 5769 by 28, we arrive at 5768. 

Why do we Bless the Sun in 5769?

Illumination of the above Part I on the Sun and much more can be viewed in an interesting video by Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson at his online Yeshiva. A fascinating journey into a once-in-a-28-year-experience, exploring the scientific, halachik, spiritual and psychological dimensions.

Sunday, April 5, 11 Nissan at 8:30 pm

An Evening of Song and Inspiration

Monday, April 6, 12 Nissan at 8:00 pm 

Part II of the Talmudic Discussion and the 

spiritual and psychological dimensions.