Why do we annually begin saying ותן טל ומטר on Dec. 4th or 5th when the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch say otherwise?
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Category: Celestial Sphere / Visible Sky
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 First Festival of Light
Chanukah is often referred to as the Festival of Light(s). But it is not the first Festival of Light in the world, as the Talmud tells us.
