I know it's a bit after the fact, and it won't really be relevant again for another 28 years, but this recently came up in a newsletter I received, and I simply had to say something about it. The Blessing of the Sun (Birkat Hachamah) is a blessing recited once every 28 years, commemorating the work of Creation, and specifically the creation of the sun. It was observed this year, 5769, on the morning of April 8, 2009. Now, many have noticed that the year number 5769 is not evenly divisible by 28. Dividing 5769 by 28 leaves a remainder of 1. One explanation that has been offered for the discrepancy, which appears to be a traditional explanation, says: The Sages have already explained to us that during the year of the Flood, the natural order of the world was suspended. That may be so, but it has absolutely nothing to do with why the division leaves a remainder of one. A better explanation is simple mathematics, and should be familiar to anyone who remembers the whole
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Question - have you heard that you should keep the etrog and lulav until Pesach? I just heard that but could not find anything on the net (yet) to substantiate it or to say why or what you do with it on Pesach.
Any ideas?
It has long been customary to save the lulav until Pesach for use as kindling. In times when people made their own matzah, rabbis suggested using the lulav to fuel the fire for baking matzah. Today, it is more commonly used to fuel the fire for burning chametz before Pesach. But you can also use it to fuel and ordinary fire --after a few months, it makes good kindling.
The etrog can be eaten. The peel is good for any candied citrus peel recipe. There isn't much pulp inside an etrog (ever wonder why it's so light relative to its size? It's all rind!), but the pulp can be used in place of lemon juice in recipes. A few years ago, I tried planting the seeds, and one of them took root -- I now have a 6-foot high etrog tree in my living room! I'll have to post some pictures.
But Rosh Hashanah, though more solemn than American New Year, is still a joyous holiday. It is conceived of as the annual renewal of the coronation of the Divine as Sovereign of the Universe, and the coronation of a sovereign is always a time for joy. But once the coronation is over, the King settles down to business and metes out justice. That's where Yom Kippur comes into play: the Divine's judgment, and our prayers and repentence to reduce the sentence, if you will. Once justice has been done, it's time for celebration once again, and that's Sukkot! As I write this, it is the last day of Sukkot.
Hag = Festival
Sameah = Joyous, happy, etc.
It's more commonly spelled chag sameach because the "h" in each of the words is the Hebrew letter Chet, which is pronounced like a throat-clearing noise, as in the German "Ach!" or the Scottish "Loch" or Mad Magazine's "Yechhhh!", but it's the same letter that begins the word "Chanukkah," which is often spelled "Hanukkah" (or dozens of other ways...)
How's that for a segue into the next Jewish holiday?
My husband and I agreed to drop the "chet" sound in favor of an "Americanized" "ah". I hope that doesn't affect the meaning.
Thank you again, you have found a faithful reader for life.