[Avodah] birchat hachama

[Eli Turkel]

The "return to location" I agree, but I'm not sure how you know that
they took it as an astronomical event. Again, looking at the beraisa,
that "location" is defined by the rule of Shabetai, which is decidedly
NOT an astronomical event.>

I dont think we are disagreeing. By an astromical event I mean the
length of the (mean)
 solar year. Certainly nothing special is happening in the heavens. In
fact I saw
one opinion that we dont say shehechiyanu precisely because nothing is really
happening.

My point was that early generations seem to have accepted that a
return to location
is happening even though they knew that Shmuel was not correct. In
fact Rambam indicates
that the shittah of Shmuel is not correct but still paskens the 28 years.

In modern times with a greater knowledge of astronomy or maybe more
familiarity with
the Gregorian calendar many more people recognize that no return to
location occurs and
so the increased emphasis on pedagogy or general recognition of G-d
governing the
heavens rather than a specific occasion.

However the fact that the beracha has to said by 3 hours or at least
noon seems to stress
some specific event is happening which is not true

kol tuv


-- 
Eli Turkel