And where is the place of darkness,
בדף לימוד זה אני רוצה לחדש יום חג ישן, סימון "תקופת השנה" השמשית ומציעה להעניק ליום תחילת הקיץ את השם "יום חמה במילואה" - היום בו השמש במלוא תפארתה בשמים.
In this study sheet I'm offering a renewal of an old tradition celebrating the "t'kufot" of the solar year and naming the Summer Solstice - Yom Hamah b'miluah / The day of the Sun's fullness - the day in which the sun is at it's fullest glory in the sky. [I live in the N. hemisphere, but if you live in the S. hemisphere, this day will fall on the winter solstice].
(יד) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיּ֖וֹם וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃ (טו) וְהָי֤וּ לִמְאוֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהָאִ֖יר עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃ (טז) וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־שְׁנֵ֥י הַמְּאֹרֹ֖ת הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים אֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃ (יז) וַיִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛ם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם לְהָאִ֖יר עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (יח) וְלִמְשֹׁל֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם וּבַלַּ֔יְלָה וּֽלְהַבְדִּ֔יל בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֣ין הַחֹ֑שֶׁךְ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֽוֹב׃ (יט) וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם רְבִיעִֽי׃
(14) God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times—the days and the years; (15) and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. (16) God made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. (17) And God set them in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, (18) to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that this was good. (19) And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
קצת רקע אסטרונומי:
Some astronomical background:
Credit for the picture above: By Tauʻolunga - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=927625
וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים
they shall serve as signs for the set times—the days and the years
Some researchers think the following myth might refer to a a ring of fire solar eclipse
“Stand still, O sun, at Gibeon,
O moon, in the Valley of Aijalon!”
Question: Is this incident an indication of a shift in the perception of time? What is your relationship with the sun as a time-telling- tool?
In the following text, our ancestors use the sun in order to set the geographical boundaries.
Question: How do you use sun and shade to define your space?
בָּא לְרַבְּעָהּ — מְרַבְּעָהּ בְּרִיבּוּעַ עוֹלָם, נוֹתֵן צְפוֹנָהּ לִצְפוֹן עוֹלָם וּדְרוֹמָהּ לִדְרוֹם עוֹלָם, וְסִימָנָיךְ: עֲגָלָה בַּצָּפוֹן, וְעַקְרָב בַּדָּרוֹם. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: אִם אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לְרַבְּעָהּ בְּרִיבּוּעַ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, — מְרַבְּעָהּ כְּמִין הַתְּקוּפָה. כֵּיצַד? חַמָּה יוֹצְאָה בְּיוֹם אָרוֹךְ וְשׁוֹקַעַת בְּיוֹם אָרוֹךְ — זֶה הוּא פְּנֵי צָפוֹן. חַמָּה יוֹצְאָה בְּיוֹם קָצָר וְשׁוֹקַעַת בְּיוֹם קָצָר — זֶה הוּא פְּנֵי דָרוֹם. תְּקוּפַת נִיסָן וּתְקוּפַת תִּשְׁרֵי — חַמָּה יוֹצְאָה בַּחֲצִי מִזְרָח וְשׁוֹקַעַת בַּחֲצִי מַעֲרָב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הוֹלֵךְ אֶל דָּרוֹם וְסוֹבֵב אֶל צָפוֹן״, הוֹלֵךְ אֶל דָּרוֹם — בַּיּוֹם, וְסוֹבֵב אֶל צָפוֹן — בַּלַּיְלָה. ״סוֹבֵב סוֹבֵב הוֹלֵךְ הָרוּחַ״ — אֵלּוּ פְּנֵי מִזְרָח וּפְנֵי מַעֲרָב, פְּעָמִים מְהַלַּכְתָּן וּפְעָמִים מְסַבַּבְתָּן. אָמַר רַב מְשַׁרְשְׁיָא: לֵיתַנְהוּ לְהָנֵי כְּלָלֵי, דְּתַנְיָא: לֹא יָצְאָה חַמָּה מֵעוֹלָם מִקֶּרֶן מִזְרָחִית צְפוֹנִית וְשָׁקְעָה בְּקֶרֶן מַעֲרָבִית צְפוֹנִית, וְלֹא יָצְאָה חַמָּה מִקֶּרֶן מִזְרָחִית דְּרוֹמִית וְשָׁקְעָה בְּקֶרֶן מַעֲרָבִית דְּרוֹמִית. אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אֵין תְּקוּפַת נִיסָן נוֹפֶלֶת אֶלָּא בְּאַרְבָּעָה רִבְעֵי הַיּוֹם, אוֹ בִּתְחִלַּת הַיּוֹם אוֹ בִּתְחִלַּת הַלַּיְלָה, אוֹ בַּחֲצִי הַיּוֹם אוֹ בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. וְאֵין תְּקוּפַת תַּמּוּז נוֹפֶלֶת אֶלָּא אוֹ בְּאַחַת וּמֶחֱצָה, אוֹ בְּשֶׁבַע וּמֶחֱצָה, בֵּין בַּיּוֹם וּבֵין בַּלַּיְלָה. וְאֵין תְּקוּפַת תִּשְׁרֵי נוֹפֶלֶת אֶלָּא אוֹ בְּשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁעוֹת אוֹ בְּתֵשַׁע שָׁעוֹת, בֵּין בַּיּוֹם וּבֵין בַּלַּיְלָה. וְאֵין תְּקוּפַת טֵבֵת נוֹפֶלֶת אֶלָּא אוֹ בְּאַרְבַּע וּמֶחֱצָה אוֹ בְּעֶשֶׂר וּמֶחֱצָה, בֵּין בַּיּוֹם וּבֵין בַּלַּיְלָה. וְאֵין בֵּין תְּקוּפָה לִתְקוּפָה אֶלָּא תִּשְׁעִים וְאֶחָד יוֹם וְשֶׁבַע שָׁעוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה. וְאֵין תְּקוּפָה מוֹשֶׁכֶת מֵחֲבֶרְתָּהּ אֶלָּא חֲצִי שָׁעָה. וְאָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אֵין לְךָ תְּקוּפַת נִיסָן שֶׁנּוֹפֶלֶת בְּצֶדֶק, שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְשַׁבֶּרֶת אֶת הָאִילָנוֹת. וְאֵין לְךָ תְּקוּפַת טֵבֵת שֶׁנּוֹפֶלֶת בְּצֶדֶק, שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְיַיבֶּשֶׁת אֶת הַזְּרָעִים. וְהוּא, דְּאִיתְיְלִיד לְבָנָה אוֹ בִּלְבָנָה אוֹ בְּצֶדֶק.
With regard to the measurements of a city’s boundaries, the Sages taught the following baraita: If, in order to measure the Shabbat limit, one comes to square a city, i.e., to extend the city’s boundaries to include all of its protrusions within an imaginary square, he squares it so that the sides of the square align with the four directions of the world. He sets the northern side of the square to align with the north of the world, and its southern side to align with the south of the world. And your sign by which you can recognize the directions of the world is as follows: The constellation of Ursa Major is in the north and Scorpio is in the south. The directions of the city are determined by these constellations. Rabbi Yosei says: If one does not know how to square the city in alignment with the four directions of the world based upon the constellations, he should square it based upon the seasons, although this is less precise. How so? Where the sun rises and sets on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, this route of the sun is the face of the north. The sun rises in the northeast and sets in the northwest, and thus travels from east to west across the north side of the world. Conversely, where the sun rises and sets on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, this route of the sun is the face of the south. Whereas at the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox, when day and night are equal in length, the sun rises in the middle of the east and sets in the middle of the west. As it is stated: “One generation passes away and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever. The sun also rises and the sun goes down, and hastens to its place, where it rises again. It goes toward the south, and turns about to the north; round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns” (Ecclesiastes 1:4–6). The verse is understood as describing the sun’s movements, as follows: “It goes toward the south” during the day; “and turns about to the north,” on the other side of the earth, at night. “Round and round goes the wind [ruaḥ];” the word ruaḥ can also mean direction or side. Rabbi Yosei explains that these are the face of the east and the face of the west; sometimes the sun traverses them visibly, and sometimes it turns about them without being seen. Rav Mesharshiya said: There is no validity to these rules established by Rabbi Yosei, as it was taught in a baraita: The sun has never risen, even during the summer, at the northeastern corner of the sky and set in the northwestern corner, nor has the sun ever risen, even during the winter, at the southeastern corner and set in the southwestern corner. Therefore, one can establish the directions of the world according to the sun’s path only during the autumn and spring. On the topic of the previous discussion with regard to calculating the directions of the world based upon the seasons, Shmuel said: The vernal equinox occurs only at the beginning of one of the four quarters of a day: Either precisely at the beginning of the day, or precisely at the beginning of the night, or at midday, or at midnight. Similarly, the summer solstice occurs only at certain times of the day: Either at the conclusion of one and a half hours or seven and a half hours of the day or night. And the autumnal equinox occurs only at certain times: Either at the conclusion of three hours or nine hours of the day or night. And the winter solstice occurs only at certain times: Either at the conclusion of four and a half hours or ten and a half hours of the day or night. And all this is based on the principle that there are only ninety-one days and seven and a half hours between the beginning of one season and the next, as he assumed that a year is exactly 365¼ days. And similarly, each season begins precisely one-half planetary hour past the beginning of the previous season. There are seven heavenly bodies that are each ascendant for an hour at a time in a constant rotation: Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, and Venus. Each season begins half an hour later in this rotation than the previous season. And Shmuel said: There is no instance when the vernal equinox occurs in the planetary hour of Jupiter and it does not break the trees with its strong winds; and there is no instance when the winter solstice occurs in the planetary hour of Jupiter and it does not dry up the seeds. And this applies only where the new moon appeared either at the hour of the Moon or at the hour of Jupiter.
The Past and future of harnessing Solar power
feeding every creature to its heart’s content.
Art by Jessica Woulfe Art Competition winners: Solarpunk 2019 - Atomhawk
Nowadays, more than even, we need to explore ways in which to harness the sun's unending power not only for measuring time, but also for it's energy.
הצעות לתפילה וטקס ל "יום חמה במילואה"
Suggestions for ritual and prayer for Yom Hamah b'miluah
Practices in noticing:
1. Can you wake up at sunrise and remain awake until sundown on the Solstice day? (This gets harder the closer you are to the pole, and less distinct the closer you are to the equator).
2. Can you trace or notice the movement of the sun across the sky on this day?
3. Can you create a sundial to track the movement of the sun on this day?
4. Can you (safely!!! and when there is no fire-ban in place) practice lighting a fire by focusing the sun's rays?
The Presence of GOD has shone upon you!
The link below holds a suggestion for a Solstice meditation
(good for summer or winter):
https://gaianism.org/peak-energy-peak-inhalation/
The Earth Prays / by Trisha Arlin
Was•Is•Will Be,
The fruit fly lives a lifetime in a day and says its Shabbat prayers every half hour.
We get our three score and ten and we say those prayers once a week.
The sun goes on for billions of years and we say a Birkat Ha-Hammah on its behalf once every 28 years.
So when does the earth pray?
Once a year is the Summer Solstice, Tekufat Tammuz.
The Earth it tilts and bends its planetary knees,
It leans and shuckles toward the sun
And says an Earthly brakhah
And it’s a good one, a prayer of yearning and gratitude for light and warmth,
For the pleasures of summer and the magnificence of that tilt.
And as the planet davens, I will, too:
Was•Is•Will Be,
Before, Now and After,
This solstice morning I also gratefully bend to the sun
Precisely because it is not eternal.
It just looks that way to us fruit flies,
Whenever the Earth prays. Amen.
Appendix: Some rabbinic sources referring to the Summer Solstice.
What is the sun's spiritual power?
וּכְשֶׁנֶּאֶמְרוּ הַדְּבָרִים לִפְנֵי רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, הָיָה הוּא וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַכֹּהֵן מְהַלְּכִים בַּדֶּרֶךְ. אָמְרוּ: אַף אָנוּ נִדְרוֹשׁ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה מֶרְכָּבָה. פָּתַח רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְדָרַשׁ. וְאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם תְּקוּפַת תַּמּוּז הָיָה. נִתְקַשְּׁרוּ שָׁמַיִם בְּעָבִים וְנִרְאֶה כְּמִין קֶשֶׁת בֶּעָנָן, וְהָיוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מִתְקַבְּצִין וּבָאִין לִשְׁמוֹעַ, כִּבְנֵי אָדָם שֶׁמִּתְקַבְּצִין וּבָאִין לִרְאוֹת בְּמַזְמוּטֵי חָתָן וְכַלָּה.