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<P><BR>RMB:<BR>>><BR>I noticed the following correspondences between the start of the year,<BR>and the start of the day.<BR><BR>The Jewish chol year starts in the fall, just as it starts getting<BR>darker, and our day starts at sunset.<BR><BR>The sacred year starts in Nissan, and for avodas hamiqdash, the day<BR>starts at sunrise.<BR><BR><snip><BR>There seems to be a constant thread about the year and the day<BR>starting at corresponding points in the day-night cycle.<BR><BR>>><BR>See RSRH's commentary to Shmot 12:1-2, at the end (p.129 in the Levy translation):<BR>" And actually thereby we do get a double cycle of time: a "world year" beginning in Tishrei.. and a Jewish year which is henceforth to begin in Nissan, the month of redemption from Egypt...<BR></P>
<P>"So we get two beginnings of the year, just as we know two beginnings of the day. We have a year which begins in autumn, and although it knows spring and summer, ends again in autumn. And we have a year which begins in spring,and although it knows autumn and winter, always ends in spring again. Similarly we have a day which begins at night, and although it rises to morn and midday, ends again in night; and we have a day that begins in the morn, and although it sinks to eve and night, ends again with a fresh morn.<BR></P>
<P>"Outside the sanctuary the day begins and ends with night, inside the sanctuary the day begins and ends with morn.<BR></P>
<P>"The year of the earth... is reckoned from autumn to autumn; Israel's years ... count from spring to spring. Here we have an exhortation to our double nature, worked into the log-book of our lives. Everything pertaining to the earth is born bare and without blossom..., and although it rises to the brightness of midday and the riches of blossom and fruit, sinks bare and blossom-less to the night of its grave. Everything holy and Jewish has its origin in light and life, and even though it has to meet and contend, in running its course, with night and death, out of darkness and death it struggles back to light and life, and what which was born out of morn and spring ends again at dawn, rejuvenated to a new spring." </P>
<P>Ad kan lashon RSRH</P>
<P>I really like this passage, although, b'chilat kvod torato, I find the Kohelet-like description at the end of the futility and barrenness of worldly endeavors discouraging, even depressing.<BR></P>
<P>Saul Mashbaum<BR><BR></P></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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