Image by GETTY IMAGES

‘You know, I have been waiting my entire life to witness an event of biblical proportions,” Stephen Colbert said on the April 8 episode of his Comedy Central show, “The Colbert Report,” referring to the recitation of Birkat Hachamah, the Blessing of the Sun. The event, which occurs every 28 years, was observed this year on the morning of April 8, which was also the Eve of Passover. It celebrates the sun’s return to its original place in the cosmos as when the world was created, according to tradition.

Image by GETTY IMAGES

Colbert, along with many Jewish bloggers and journalists, was under the impression, thanks to a wide-spread rumor, that the sun has returned to this location on the Eve of Passover, the 14th of Nisan, only twice before, both times preceding events of biblical importance: the Exodus from Egypt and the original miracle of Purim.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

But as Ben Dreyfus, a comedian and blogger on jewschool.com points out, the last time the event occurred on this date was in 1925, only three cycles ago. The rumor, according to Dreyfus, has been spreading on the Internet for the past few years. “I read that this [rumor] first appeared in 1925. It wasn’t true then, either!” Dreyfus told The Shmooze. Well, Mr. Colbert, sorry to disappoint, but it looks like you’ll just have to keep waiting with the rest of us for an event of truly biblical proportions.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount