The very first line of Pesachim focuses attention on one of astronomers’ favorite topics: light! Or does it?
Category: stars
The Menorah and Planets
Chanukah is an opportune time to share this interesting midrash about the Menorah and planets…
Bereishit and the Nobel Prize
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star” can help understand a midrash on Bereishit…
Bilaam’s Star Prophecy
“A star shall come forth from Jacob”. Let the meaning hidden in this verse shine forth better with modern astronomy…
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…
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…
Asarah B’Tevet: The (Babylonian) Empire Strikes Back & The Torah Awakens
A New Hope is followed by The Empire Strikes Back… and Chanukah is shortly after followed by Asarah B’Tevet. In these, the rebels/Jews are besieged – on Hoth or in Jerusalem…
The Torah Awakens
Torah and Star Wars!
AstroRav: Torah & Astronomy 