“Blessing of the Sun” in Hebrew

Did you know that “Birkat Hachama” {ברכת החמה} (“Blessing of the Sun” in Hebrew) is the most rare blessing in Judaism?

According to the “Halakha” {הלכה} (the Jewish law) one should thank God for everything, by reciting a blessing. For example, one should thank God before and after eating or drinking – which means a blessing for daily things. The blessing of the sun, on the other hand, is being recited only once in 28 years! The blessing is recited when the sun completes its cycle (every 28 years). Jewish tradition says that when the Sun completes this cycle, it has returned to its position when the world was created.

That’s the reason why it will always take place on a Wednesday – the day God created the sun (and the moon)! The text of the blessing itself is as follows: “בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית”. “Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the Universe maker of the works of Creation.”