תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף נט עמוד ב תנו רבנן: הרואה חמה בתקופתה לבנה בגבורתה וכוכבים במסילותם ומזלות כסדרן אומר ברוך עושה בראשית Talmud Bavli, Brachot 59b The above baraita is the source of the halachah of Birkat HaChamah. The Gemara offers an explanation of the phrase "the sun in its equinox", but provides no explanation for the other points of the baraita. The Gemara there, as well as in the Yerushalmi, does mention Birkat HaLevanah (or Kiddush Levanah), which is a blessing made monthly during the first half of the month, when the moon's visibility is on the upswing. The text of Birkat HaLevanah is given as different from "Maker of Creation", so it is obvious that the Gemara there is not explaining the baraita, but is bringing another tangentially related teaching. The sun's equinox, as is known from Birkat HaChamah, is part of the Great Cycle of the Sun, which is a 28 year cycle, based on a year length of 365.25 days. The moon has its own cycle, known as the Great Cycle of the Moon, which is a 19 year cycle, based on 235 lunar months being approximately equal to 19 solar years. When, then, is the strength of the moon? The "sun in its equinox" from the baraita is related to the time of Tekufat Nissan, the spring equinox. So let us then look at Pesach, the highlight of the month of Nissan, when examining the "moon in its strength". There is a single year out of the Great Cycle of the Moon in which Pesach is closest to the summer, which per Jewish teachings is a time of strength (due to the heat from the sun). This year is the one in which the moon is in its strength. Since the Great Cycle of the Moon is based on, in our times, a set cycle, it is easy to check which year in the cycle it is. At current, it is the 8th year of the cycle. Significant recent years in which the moon was in its strength are 5708 (1948) and 5727 (1967). Both are years in which the nation of Israel experienced great salvation. In certain contexts, the moon is a metaphor for the Partzuf of Malchut. The Zohar on parshat Behar identifies the Partzuf of Malchut with the idea of Shmitah. Therefore, on a certain non-halachic level, 5708 and 5727 were Shmitah years. |