Judaism: The Sun is Signing
Moshe Lerman writes from Enav, in northern Samaria. Enav is expanding; contact Moshe for contributions to the Building Fund.
Published: Thursday, April 28, 2005 7:42 PM
The relation between the Jewish equinox and the astronomical equinox is a fascinating subject and the key to many ancient secrets, among them the time of Redemption. The following is one aspect of this.
Every Jewish New Year (Rosh HaShanah), the first day of the month of Tishrei, we count one more year since the creation of Adam HaRishon. The time that went by before Adam existed is not included in the Jewish counting of the years, as the world was created only for Man. Nevertheless, the Torah does account for the time before Adam. He was created on the sixth day of Creation, after the rest of Nature. The Sun, for instance, was created on the fourth day and therefore has its "birthday" two days before Rosh HaShanah.
According to an ancient Jewish tradition, day and night were of equal length at the Sun's creation. In other words, the Sun was created at the equinox position. Thus, Elul 28, two days before the first day of Tishrei, could be coined the Jewish autumn equinox. The relation between the Jewish equinox and the astronomical equinox is a fascinating subject and the key to many ancient secrets, among them the time of Redemption. The following is one aspect of this.
A simple "astronomical" observation invites an intriguing question. Assuming, as our sages did (see Sanhedrin 13), that the interval between the autumn equinox and the spring equinox is 182 days (two solar seasons of 91 days, half a solar year), and that the intervening six months take 177 days (six times the average, 29.5), we derive that if Elul 28 is the autumn equinox, the subsequent spring equinox will be on Nissan 4.
If Nissan 4 is the Jewish spring equinox, perhaps the Sun was created at that time, and not in Elul? That is, perhaps the fourth of Nissan was the fourth day of Creation? Maybe the first week of Nissan, so parallel to the week of Creation, should then be the time to count the years?
The proposition is a valid one, and is recorded in the Talmud as the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua (Rosh HaShanah 10-11). Tishrei reflects the natural order of Creation; Nissan reflects a deeper, spiritual, order. Rabbi Yehoshua deduces that Nissan is the month of the future Redemption. In Nissan, we should indeed count the years also - not the years from the creation of Adam, but the years towards the coming of Moshiach.
The Sun is a sign for the coming Redemption, but it is not only that. It is also the symbol of idol worship, of arrogant behavior that ignores the Creator of the world, the G-d of Israel. The Talmud says in Berachot 7: "When the Sun rises and starts shining, and all the kings of the East and the West put their crowns on their heads and bow to the Sun, the Almighty becomes angry immediately."
The kings of the East and the West have become united in their approach to the Jews of the Land of Israel. The latter will have to be expelled from the land that they have settled. The king of the Sunday-morning worshippers of America, formerly a dissenter among the kings of the East and the West, will now even foot the bill for the expulsion of the Jews of Gaza and Samaria. So we learned in the week before Pesach, the holiday of Nissan, the month of Redemption.
President George Bush, reconsider your steps. You are inviting disaster to your nation. The international alliance against the faithful of Israel that you plan to lead will cause the divine anger to burn immediately.
Topic: Judaism: The Sun is Signing (Read 2135 times)