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MarFgired
PenWsaekiss HERE GOES THE SUN
Total solar eclipses don’t happen
every day. The last time a solar South Carolina on the Atlantic coast. officer, author of Charting the Sea of
eclipse brought complete dark- According to Rabbi Heber, this will be Talmud, and amateur astronomer –
ness to a swath of locations in the the first total solar eclipse visible from hopes not to miss the eclipse this time
continental United States was 38 coast to coast in over 99 years. The last
such event occurred in 5678/1918. around. On July 11, 1991, when Dr. Ury
was attending a conference in Japan, he
years ago, on erev Rosh Chodesh ◆◆◆ arranged to stop in Hawaii on his way
Adar 5739/1979. The next such Dr. Yisrael Ury – an applied physi- back to Los Angeles, so he could view
rare and amazing astronomical cist, former high-tech chief technology the total eclipse that was to pass
event will be visible in the Continental FUN TORAH FACTS
United States this coming erev Rosh
Chodesh Elul 5777, Monday, August 21,
2017. At least a million Americans are TO KNOW AND TELL ABOUT
expected to view it. Some will even trav- SOLAR ECLIPSES
el thousands of miles just to witness the
phenomenon in person and have
booked their tours, airline seats, and
lodging as long as two years ago!
“It is fascinating to see it get totally THE GEMARA (Sukkah 29a) says This number recorded in Chazal is
dark in the middle of the day,” notes that a total solar eclipse is a bad sign an amazingly accurate number that
Rabbi Dovid Heber, a Rav in Baltimore for idolaters because they base their is the basis of our calendar until this
and author and lecturer on astronomy calendar on the sun, and the sun is day.
in Jewish law. He is planning to view the being blotted out. (Our calendar is The first experimental verification
total eclipse in St. Joseph, Missouri, based on the moon.) of Einstein’s Theory of General
along with others on the “Kosher The eclipse occurs at the astro- Relativity occurred during an eclipse
Eclipse” tour, to whom he will lecture nomical molad – the exact moment in 1919. It was verified that starlight is
on various related Torah topics. of the new moon. The molad time bent by the curved lines of space
“Astronomy is the basis of the Jewish we announce every Shabbos around our massive sun. This pro-
calendar. When such monumental mevrochim is based on the average pelled Einstein’s theory to become
astronomical events occur, it is a great amount of time it takes for the the accepted theory of space and
opportunity to review the astronomy moon to go around the earth. The time, replacing Newton’s Laws. His
guidelines that form our calendar,” says molad of Tishrei is the basis of when theory makes sense out of the many
Rabbi Heber. “Since an eclipse occurs Rosh Hashanah occurs, which in things that we see in the universe.
around the time of the molad (the turn determines the entire calendar Many scientists believe that the accel-
exact moment of a new moon), as does for any given year. eration of the expansion of stars and
Rosh Chodesh, a solar eclipse will only On average, the length of the galaxies that we observe today is due
occur on or around Rosh Chodesh.” lunar month is 29 days, 12 hours, to space and time being continuous-
The total solar eclipse will first be and 793 chalakim. Each chelek ly created in the universe. As we say
visible in the United States in Oregon equals 3.33 seconds. There are 18 in davening, “Hamechadesh betuvo
on the Pacific coastline and will then chalakim in a minute, and 1080 bechol yom tamid maaseh breishis –
“travel” over a band of land that sweeps chalakim in an hour, so 793 cha- Hashem, every day, renews the act of
across numerous states until it ends in lakim is 44 minutes, 3.33 seconds. creation.”◆
80 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
MarFgired
PenWsaekiss HERE GOES THE SUN
Total solar eclipses don’t happen
every day. The last time a solar South Carolina on the Atlantic coast. officer, author of Charting the Sea of
eclipse brought complete dark- According to Rabbi Heber, this will be Talmud, and amateur astronomer –
ness to a swath of locations in the the first total solar eclipse visible from hopes not to miss the eclipse this time
continental United States was 38 coast to coast in over 99 years. The last
such event occurred in 5678/1918. around. On July 11, 1991, when Dr. Ury
was attending a conference in Japan, he
years ago, on erev Rosh Chodesh ◆◆◆ arranged to stop in Hawaii on his way
Adar 5739/1979. The next such Dr. Yisrael Ury – an applied physi- back to Los Angeles, so he could view
rare and amazing astronomical cist, former high-tech chief technology the total eclipse that was to pass
event will be visible in the Continental FUN TORAH FACTS
United States this coming erev Rosh
Chodesh Elul 5777, Monday, August 21,
2017. At least a million Americans are TO KNOW AND TELL ABOUT
expected to view it. Some will even trav- SOLAR ECLIPSES
el thousands of miles just to witness the
phenomenon in person and have
booked their tours, airline seats, and
lodging as long as two years ago!
“It is fascinating to see it get totally THE GEMARA (Sukkah 29a) says This number recorded in Chazal is
dark in the middle of the day,” notes that a total solar eclipse is a bad sign an amazingly accurate number that
Rabbi Dovid Heber, a Rav in Baltimore for idolaters because they base their is the basis of our calendar until this
and author and lecturer on astronomy calendar on the sun, and the sun is day.
in Jewish law. He is planning to view the being blotted out. (Our calendar is The first experimental verification
total eclipse in St. Joseph, Missouri, based on the moon.) of Einstein’s Theory of General
along with others on the “Kosher The eclipse occurs at the astro- Relativity occurred during an eclipse
Eclipse” tour, to whom he will lecture nomical molad – the exact moment in 1919. It was verified that starlight is
on various related Torah topics. of the new moon. The molad time bent by the curved lines of space
“Astronomy is the basis of the Jewish we announce every Shabbos around our massive sun. This pro-
calendar. When such monumental mevrochim is based on the average pelled Einstein’s theory to become
astronomical events occur, it is a great amount of time it takes for the the accepted theory of space and
opportunity to review the astronomy moon to go around the earth. The time, replacing Newton’s Laws. His
guidelines that form our calendar,” says molad of Tishrei is the basis of when theory makes sense out of the many
Rabbi Heber. “Since an eclipse occurs Rosh Hashanah occurs, which in things that we see in the universe.
around the time of the molad (the turn determines the entire calendar Many scientists believe that the accel-
exact moment of a new moon), as does for any given year. eration of the expansion of stars and
Rosh Chodesh, a solar eclipse will only On average, the length of the galaxies that we observe today is due
occur on or around Rosh Chodesh.” lunar month is 29 days, 12 hours, to space and time being continuous-
The total solar eclipse will first be and 793 chalakim. Each chelek ly created in the universe. As we say
visible in the United States in Oregon equals 3.33 seconds. There are 18 in davening, “Hamechadesh betuvo
on the Pacific coastline and will then chalakim in a minute, and 1080 bechol yom tamid maaseh breishis –
“travel” over a band of land that sweeps chalakim in an hour, so 793 cha- Hashem, every day, renews the act of
across numerous states until it ends in lakim is 44 minutes, 3.33 seconds. creation.”◆
80 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
