A Short Compendium of Customs and
Laws Pertaining to
The Blessing on the Sun
Collected from the writings of our Rabbi and Teacher,
Hagaon Rabbi Pinchas Zavichi, author of the Responsa “Ateret Paz”
1. The
Rabbis taught that when we see the sun at the beginning of its cycle we say
“Blessed are You G-d, our Lord, King of the Universe, who makes the acts of
Creation.” The sun’s cycle repeats itself every twenty eight years on Wednesday
night during the Hebrew month of Nisan, at the mazal (planet
zodiac) of Shabtai. During
the Creation, at this day and hour, the sun, moon, stars, and planets were
placed in the Heavens. The civil
date for this day is usually the eight of April.
2. The following is a list of the Hebrew years (and
dates) during the 6th millennium on which the sun’s cycle commenced
or will commence. On these years
the blessing on the sun was said or will be said. The Hebrew years and dates
are: 5013, 5041, 5069, 5097, 5125, 5153,
5181, 5209, 5237, 5265, 5293, 5321, 5349, 5377, 5405, 5433, 5461, 5489,
5517, 5545, 5573, 5601, 5629, 5657, 5685, 5713, 5741, 14th of
Nisan 5769, 23rd of Nisan 5797, 2nd of Nisan 5825, 12th
of Nisan 5853, 21st of Nisan 5881, 2nd of Nisan 5909, 11th
of Nisan 5937, 19th of Nisan, 5965, 1st of Nisan 5993. May it be Hashem’s will to show us
mercy and merit us to bless the sun at the right time with the righteous Mashiach;
may he come speedily in our days.
3. The
prevalent custom among the Jews is to say the blessing on the sun with Hashem’s
names (áùí åîìëåú) as given above.
4. The
blessing on the sun can be said from sunrise to the end of three proportional
hours (ùòåú æîðéåú). After this time
it can only be said without Hashem’s names as following: “Blessed is He that
makes the acts of Creation.”
5. The
custom of the Jews in the holy city of Jerusalem, as well as for many other
places, is to pray at sunrise and to say the blessing shortly thereafter. After the Kaddish Titkabel (which
is said after Ashrei and U'va L’tzion) the congregation exits to the
courtyard of the synagogue. At
this point the sun has risen high enough to be seen from almost any vantage
point in the city. The
congregation saids the blessing on the sun in unison with fervor and joy and
returns to the synagogue to finish the Morning Prayers.
6. It is
customary to say various Psalms that are pertinent to the blessing on the
sun. The Psalms typically said
are: “The Heavens declare the glory of G-d” (äùîéí
îñôøéí ëáåã àì) (Psalm 19),
“Praise Hashem, praise Him from the Heavens” (äììåéä
äììå àú ä' îï äùîéí) [Psalm
148 until the end of verse 6, “He made a decree which shall not be rescinded” (ç÷ ðúï åìà éòáåø)],
the great Hallel “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good” (äåãå ìä' ëé èåá)
(Psalm 136),. The congregation
ends with the liturgical poem “The Lord is the master over all the acts of
creation” (àì àãåï òì ëì äîòùéí) (found in the Shabbat Morning Prayers before kriat shma)
which describes the creation of the heavenly bodies, the liturgical poem
“Please with strength” (àðà áëç), and finally “For the leader with string music” (ìîðöç áðâéðåú). After the blessing is completed, the
congregation finishes the Morning Prayer by saying “House of Jacob, come, and
let us walk in the light of Hashem” (Isaiah, 2, 5) (áéú
éò÷á ìëå åðìëä áàåø ä'), etc.,
until the end of Alenu L'shabe’ach. It is customary for the congregants to bless one another at
the end of the Morning Prayers by saying “May you merit a long, pleasant, and
good life.”
Some have the custom of saying Alenu L'shabe’ach at
the time they make the blessing on the sun. They should be careful not to face the sun when saying “we
bow” (åàðçðå îùúçåéí). Our custom is to
say it only at the end of the Morning Prayer inside the synagogue.
7. The
blessing on the sun with Hashem’s names (áùí åîìëåú) can only be said if the sun is
visible. If the ball of the sun
can be discerned through a thin veil of clouds, the blessing can still be
said. However, if the sky is so
cloudy that the ball of the sun cannot be seen at all, the blessing cannot be
said. However, it is still
permissible to say the words “Blessed is He that makes the acts of Creation.”
8. If
the sky becomes clear later (before the end of the permissible period for
making the blessing) then the full blessing can be said even though the partial
blessing (see above) was already said.
9. It is
permissible to say the blessing on the sun at sunrise before starting the
Morning Prayer if it is likely that clouds will obscure the sun by the time the
Morning Prayers are completed.
10. If a
sudden break in the clouds allow the sun to be seen during the time when the
congregation is reading the shema and it is likely that the clouds will
obscure the sun afterwards, it is permissible to interrupt reading the shema
to say the blessing. If possible,
it is better to wait until a paragraph break in the shema is reached
before saying the blessing.
11. It
is customary to announce to the congregation, on the evening prior to the day
of the blessing, that Morning Prayers will be held at sunrise. In this way the congregration is
reminded to wake up early.
12. If
one woke up late on the day that the blessing is said and the sun is already
visible, then the blessing on the sun should be said immediately after making
the blessing over the Torah.
(Making the blessing over the Torah first allows one to say the verses
and Psalms that are customarily said after the blessing on the sun.)
13. The
blessing on the sun, if said during the month of Nisan, takes precedence
over the blessing of the trees (áøëú äàéìðåú).
However, a circumcision, that occurs on the day that the sun will be
blessed, should be performed first whenever possible.
14. Some
of the sages have the opinion that the commandment of burning the chametz
takes precedence over the blessing on the sun. Therefore, if the sun will be blessed on the day before
Passover (as will be the case in the Hebrew year 5769) extra effort should be
made to finish all the prayers associated with that blessing before the fourth
proportional hour. To expedite matters, the sun should not be blessed in
large public forums.
15. The
blessing Shechechiyanu (ùäçééðå) is not said over the blessing of the sun
even though the sun is blessed only once every twenty eight years. If possible,
Shechechiyanu should be said over a new garment or fruit while having
the blessing on the sun in mind.
16.
There are differing opinions among our sages whether women can make the
blessing on the sun. Women should
therefore be present during the public blessing of the sun. They should listen to the Prayer Leader
and have in mind to fulfill their obligation with his blessing.
17. It
is questionable whether a blind man can make the blessing on the sun. Therefore, he should listen carefully
to the Prayer Leader’s blessing with the intention of fulfilling any
obligation.
The Prayer Leader, in turn, must say the blessing in
a loud voice and have intention to make the blessing for himself, for the
women, and for any blind people.
18.
There are three valid customs concerning the blessing on the sun: Some have the custom of making
the blessing softly in unison with the loud blessing of the Prayer Leader. Others have the custom of listening to
the blessing of the Prayer Leader with the intention of fulfilling their
obligation (they should also answer Amen to his blessing). Finally, some have the custom to wait
for the Prayer Leader to finish his blessing, and then to make their own
blessing out loud (similar to our custom for counting the omer). When possible, the last custom listed
should be followed since it allows women and blind people to easily fulfill
their obligations.
19. A
child who is old enough to perform the commandments is required to make the
blessing on the sun.
20. It is customary for the Rabbi to give a public
sermon after the congregation blesses the sun. Some have the custom to give charity and to hold a festive
thanksgiving meal after blessing the sun.
In this way they thank Hashem for reaching this propitious occasion.
21. A
sick person can bless the sun while sitting or lying in bed as long as the sun
is visible through a window.
22. Each
place in the world has its own proper time for the blessing (starting at the
local sunrise and ending before the beginning of the fourth proportional hour
for that place).
23. An
airplane traveler can make the blessing from the plane if there will not be
enough time to make the blessing after the plane lands.
24. The
blessing on the sun can be said during a Yom Tov (Festival) without
hesitation.
25. A
mourner during the seven days of mourning is obligated to say the blessing on
the sun. He is also permitted to
leave his house for this purpose.
26.
Glasses need not be removed before saying the blessing. The blessing can also be made while
observing the sun with binoculars, telescopes, and other similar optical
devices.
27. The
sun cannot be blessed if only seen as a reflection (e.g., in a mirror or on the
ocean’s surface).
28. It is best to look at the face of a man called “Abraham” while making the blessing on the sun. (Similarly, one should look at the face of a man called “Isaac” while blessing the New Moon).