December 13, 2003 D'var TorahDear BSO Congregant, This coming Shabbat, December 12-13, 2003 - Kislev 18, 5764, we will
read Parshat Va-Yishlah (annual cycle - Genesis 32:4 - 36:43; triennial
cycle Our Friday night service will begin at 7:30 PM. This service will emphasize prayer for healing and there will be keyboard accompaniment for portions of the service. Candle lighting time is 4:26 PM. In the D’var Torah I sent to you last week I included the following information:
“This week and next are the earliest candle lighting times of the year. If December 21 is the shortest day of the year, why are the earliest candle lighting times now and not later in the month?”
Well, as of Thursday, December 11 at 9:30 PM, not one person either answered the question or asked me the answer to the question. So, whether you want to know the answer or not, here it is:
December 21 is the day on which there is the least amount of daylight. However, it is not the day on which the sun sets earliest. The earliest sunset actually occurs around December 8 and sunset stays at virtually the same time for several days following December 8. This means that the earliest candle lighting time is often the same for two of the earlier Sabbaths in December.
While the sun does not set any earlier than it does on December 8, sunrise continues to occur a little later for many days after December 8. That is why the days get “shorter” (there is less daylight) after December 8, at least until around December 21.
Last Sunday, just two days after you received last week’s e-mail with this incredibly important question presented to you, I read the following letter to the editor in the Washington Post. The letter was written by George Brown of Washington and it even had a title – “Forcast: Sunnier Days Ahead.” I share with you the contents of this letter because it explains why candle lighting time is earliest in early December despite the fact that the winter solstice occurs on December 21. My thanks to George Brown, whoever he is, for helping to clarify this quandary which has interested me for decades. For that reason, you have to read about it in this D’var Torah.
Here is the content of George Brown’s letter:
“Buck up! Despite the weekend’s wintry weather, there is hope.
Many people know that the start of winter and shortest day of the year is the winter solstice, usually December 21 (it slips a day some years). Not widely recognized is that even though the 21st has the shortest day, it does not have the earliest sunset. The earliest sunset of the year is tomorrow, December 8.
From here on out the afternoons get longer, and we can begin to revel in additional, growing light to guide our homeward commutes. This quirk results because the latest sunrise on the calendar is about January 4, but the earliest sunset is about December 8. The winter solstice of December 21 is midway between these two dates.
So, no need to wait for December 21 to herald the start of `longer’ days.”
Our service on Shabbat morning, December 13 will begin at 9:00 AM. During this service we will the Bar Mitzvah of Geremy Muldoon. Mazel Tov! Following the service there will be a Kiddush Konversation. Our Shabbat Minha/Ma-Ariv Havdalah service will begin at 4:30 PM. Our service on Sunday morning, December 14 will begin at 8:45 AM. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Philip Pohl
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