Why do we annually begin saying ותן טל ומטר on Dec. 4th or 5th when the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch say otherwise?
Author: astrorav
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…
The Thirteenth Month and the Constellation Ophiuchus
The thirteenth month, Adar, and the thirteenth Zodiac constellation, Ophiuchus. what is the connection?
There’s a Bad Star on the Rise
In the course of the arguments of Moses and Aaron convincing Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, we find fascinating ideas that are illuminated by astronomy.
