In the less well known Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer we find a less ominous, more astronomy focused talmudic take on eclipses…
Author: astrorav
Zachor and Shamor and the Wave-Particle Duality
There are differences between the texts of the Ten Commandments that seem analogous to a the Wave-Particle Duality, a principle of quantum physics…
Will the Real Equinox(+60) Please Stand Up?
Why do we annually begin saying ותן טל ומטר on Dec. 4th or 5th when the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch say otherwise?
Bilaam’s Star Prophecy
“A star shall come forth from Jacob”. Let the meaning hidden in this verse shine forth better with modern astronomy…
The Lights of Kislev
The light of the Menorah is a symbol, but of what? There are surprising similarities to… a rainbow…?
Abraham and the First Planetarium
In Parshat Lech Lecha, we find Genesis 15:5, a great verse for astronomical commentaries and homiletics, for fairly obvious reasons: וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃ He took him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count…
The Astronomers’ Blessing
The morning blessing Yotzer Or, “Who creates light”: “The Astronomers’ Blessing”. It focuses on things near and dear to astronomers, light and more…
Creating the World… Again…
The Holy One Blessed be He was building worlds and destroying them, creating worlds and destroying them, until He created these…
Machar Chodesh: What’s Hiding in the Haftarah
“Machar Chodesh” is one of my favorite haftarot… but what’s hiding within this awesome haftarah episode from David’s adventures?
Midrash & the Making of the Moon
Shemot Rabbah on Parshat Hachodesh and Barchi Nafshi helps explain difficulty on the Moon in Genesis…
The First Mitzvah, The First Month
Astronomy is a prerequisite for the first mitzvah, which we read about in Parshat Hachodesh…
The Shining Faces of Moshe & the Moon
An astronomical analogy on Moshe’s face shining like the Moon in Parshat Ki Tisa…
