Sunday, January 28, 2007

Moment by Moment

Each day in the first blessing to the Shema we say: m’chdash b’chol yom tamid ma’aseh beraysheet, He renews each day, continuously, the work of creation. I have wondered, does this renewal take place every single millisecond, or every second, or some other unit of time, and if it takes place every second, does it take the whole second or just part of it?
Recently I came across the following passage that seemed to answer these questions.

During a discussion of the blessings that are said on rainfall the Yershalmi, Berachos, states:
Schottenstein ed., Talmud Yershalmi, Berachos, 91a:
R, Chanina said: Once every thirty days the deep rises and waters (this tree). And what is the basis for this statement? It is the following verse: I am Hashem, Who guards it; periodically, I will water it,….

The elucidation for this statement says:
Radal to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (Ch. 5:29, and Hagahos 4) proposes a brilliant explanation of how this verse demonstrates watering occurs once every thirty days. A verse states (Psalms 90:4) that G-d’s “day” is the equivalent of a thousand human years. Since a day is twelve hours long (see Radal ibid 7:55) this would mean that G-d’s “hour” is the equivalent of 83 1/3 human years (see Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer Ch. 48). The verse states that G-d waters these trees leregaleem, which we have rendered as “periodically,” but which translates more literally as “at each moment.” The term rega, a moment, refers to the smallest unit of time, which in halachah is the chelek, used in the reckoning of new moons and intercalation of years. There are 1080 chalakim in an hour; since G-d’s “hour” lasts 83 1/3 years, G-d’s chelek (which is 1/1080 of His hour) lasts a bit less that 30 days (28.1634 days, to be precise). The verse’s “moment” is measured in G-d’s time; it emerges that the watering takes place approximately once every thirty days.

Based upon this interpretation, it could be understood that although Hashem continuously sustains creation, He renews it (continually being understood as each and every moment) once every thirty days. The question then arises at which point in this period does the renewal take place. I am struck by the closeness of the 28.1634 figure and the 29.5, or so, days that are in the lunar cycle. Perhaps when Hashem stated: This renewal shall be for you the beginning.. (Shemot 12:2, as understood by Rashi) He was indicating that at the time of the monthly renewal of the moon all creation was also being renewed.

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