Upstate New York residents will ascend in hot air balloons to make a special blessing this coming Wednesday, April 8th. Birkat Hachamah, the blessing on the sun, is said once in 28 years. The unique blessing will be recited by Jews throughout the world on Wednesday morning, the day before Passover.
Some rabbis will go to the highest places not to be outdone. Probably the first time in history, Rabbi Hanoch Hecht of the Rhineland Jewish Center and Chabad of Dutchess County in upstate New York will lead his congregants in an uplifting prayer in hot air balloons at the James Baird Park, north of Poughkeepsie, New York. In the event of a cloudy day, the sighting of the sun from a hot air balloon will help one see the sun, which is a requirement for reciting the blessing with G-d’s Name.
Congregants who like to keep their feet on the ground, like Rebbetzin Tzivie Hecht, are assured that they could recite the blessing from the ground, weather permitting.
When the blessing is recited, the sun will be in the same position, on the same day of the week and the same approximate hour, as it was when it was created. This “starting position” actually occurs the previous evening, but we recite the blessing over the sun to mark this anniversary only when it is visible – that is, the next morning.
Judaism marks the event as the starting point of the creation of the sun. According to Jewish tradition, this year the blessing will be recited for the 206th time.
The special blessing – “Blessed are You… Who fashions the work of Creation” - acknowledges and honors the vast greatness of G-d’s Creation.
The last time this special blessing was recited, on April 8, 1981, special gatherings were held across the globe for the public recital of the prayer – including atop the then existing observation deck of the World Trade Center in New York.