TRAVERSE CITY -- On Wednesday morning, for the first time in 28 years, crowds of Jews will gather to bless the sun.
Birkat Hachamah celebrates the sun returning to the same position, on the same day of the week, where it was on the fourth day of creation, according to Genesis 1:14. It will be at 8:30 a.m. in this part of the world.
Because the alignment isn't very common, people tend to gather in crowds to recite the blessing.
In fact, it'll be the first time Seth Castleman, reb of Congregation Ahavat Shalom in Traverse City, has recited the blessing.
"It's a once-in-a-generation event," he said.
Castleman, who travels to Traverse City monthly to lead worship at Congregation Ahavat Shalom, is studying for ordination in Boston and will conduct the blessing there Wednesday morning.
He expects "a few hundred people."
He said the blessing in English says, "Blessed are you, God, creator of the universe, who makes all creation."
Castleman said Jewish blessings basically have three parts -- knowing what is happening, as in being aware of the food or the sun or whatever's being blessed; having gratitude for what is happening; and seeing God's presence in what is happening.
"There could be 100 blessings a day," he said about Jewish traditions. "There's a blessing for all sorts of things," such as going to the bathroom, seeing an old friend, wearing clothes, buying new clothes ...
"The main point (of a blessing) is to understand what's around, be thankful for it and be aware of God's presence in it," Castleman said.
This year's Birkat Hachamah has nothing to do with the start of Passover, even though it occurs right before Passover begins at sundown Wednesday. The timing is rare -- the last time Passover and Birkat Hachamah were together was in 1925, but the time before that was 1309.
Birkat Hachamah is tied to the spring equinox -- which was March 20, unless you take into account switching from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. (A Julian milennium has 7.81 more days than the solar millenium we use now.)
The equinox, of course, occurs every year, but it's on different days of the week and at different times of the day.
However, once every 28 years the sun is in the same place on a Wednesday, the fourth day of creation, according to Jewish tradition.
As far as astronomy is concerned, there's nothing special on April 8 -- no alignment of sun, moon or planets.
This is a spiritual celebration.
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