Birkat Hachama - A prayer 28 years in the making
In beachside cities like Tel Aviv and Eilat, sun worship is a yearly affair. In Jerusalem, though, it only happens once every 28 years. The day before Passover 2009, Jews worldwide will mount sunrise viewing vantage points to say a special prayer thanking God for the sun called Birkat Hachama. And while there are many prayer gatherings planned around Jerusalem, the biggest shebang will be right at the Western Wall.
The prayer is made to commemorate the creation of the sun, which tradition says happened on a Tuesday night / Wednesday morning some 5,769 years ago. Because of the way the earth shimmies around the sun, we only reach the exact same point every 28 years. And when that happens, what results is the closest thing there is to a Jewish Stonehenge (Steinhenge, perhaps?)
Because the prayer is all about the sun, it's supposed to be said within three hours of sunrise, meaning most gatherings will be around 6-6:30.
Thousands are expected at the Western Wall Wednesday morning. Egged is planning on providing special buses to the event and police will be shutting down streets in preparation for the walking throngs. The supplication is planned to commence at 6:30, following regular morning prayers.
Different gatherings are also planned at other places around town, including one by the envirojewish groups Nava Tehilla and Jewish Climate Initiative at the Goldman walkway in Armon Hanatziv overlooking the desert, at 6 a.m. Outside Jerusalem, favorite sunrise spot Masada will also host a celebration overlooking the Dead Sea.
The last time the prayer was said was 1981, but sages point out that this is only the 11th time since the actual event 3,300 years ago that the prayer will be recited on the eve of Passover. Mystics have connected the prayer to a harbinger of redemption (another Passover eve recitation happened during the Purim miracle) and since it is the last Passover eve sun prayer before the end of the 6,000 year messianic clock... Well we'll just have to wait and see.
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