Diary Entry

Welcome to my first posting in a new weekly Diary blog, as Rabbi of Muswell Hill Synagogue where you will get to hear about my Rabbinic week. In fact this past week was one of firsts - and not just the first time in decades that Fulham beat Manchester United at the Cottage! On Wednesday evening I hosted the Whisky club and about 16 whisky lovers converged on the Rabbinic home for an evening of great whisky and interesting halachic thought - can one dring whisky that has matured in a sherry cask...and we somehow found ourselves talking about when one would celebrate Shabbat in space!
The other first was my first venture into Fortismere Senior School to lead a Jewish Society meeting. I brought in Pizza, chips and drinks for the children, sponsored by Tribe, and we had a really interesting discussion on different concepts of Liberty, which of course connects in to Pesach, the festival of Liberty. I discussed with them Isaiah Berlin's famous 'Essay on Liberty'and the difference between positive freedom and negative freedom. Is freedom simply to be free to do what one wants, or being freed from our negative and destructive desire. They found this very interesting, and I will hopefully be going in once every month...with the pizza of course.
Shabbat saw the longest parasha for quite a time - and the first double portion since September 2007.
At Cheder, we are preparing for a Cheder Seder Experience this coming Sunday, and are proud that we sent packages of mishloach manot to children in Rovno, our twin community. Thanks to Jacqui Waltz for sending this, and to the Cheder children for packing them. We received mishloah manot from Rovno and consumed them last week in Cheder.

This year sees the reciting of a blessing that is only recited every 28 years - the blessing of the sun. The basis for the blessing is that the sun began its 'revolution' as seen from earth on the beginning of the fourth day of creation (Tuesday evening) and will return to this beginning point in time every 28 years. This year the time for reciting this blessing will be after Morning service on Wednesday April 8th, which will be erev Pesach. It is best to say this blessing with a minyan, so you may want to come to Shul for the service that will be held erev Pesach.
Here are two web links which give some good information on the sources for this blessing and the astronomy background to it:
http://www.kehillaton.com/en/articles_birkat_hachama.asp?c=1
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2009/03/hachama-betkufata-overview-of-birkat.html

I have also written a piece about another blessing that is said annually - the blessing over trees. I will post that as a separate article on this blog.

FACEBOOK GROUP - If you are on Facebook then you are welcome to join my group Ask Rabbi David Mason where you can ask me questions and where I will post articles and links of Jewish interest.

Have a great week!