By R' Boruch Yonah Lipton
When we begin Sefer Bereshis on Simchas Torah, we will read about the creation of the heavens. Genesis 1:16 says, "And G-d made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars." Rashi comments on the fact that the Torah first refers to both sun and moon as "great," but then refers to the moon as "lesser....
By R' Boruch Yonah Lipton A recent scientific study (June 14, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) describes the formation of a complex structure responsible for the vivid colors of some butterflies from India, Brazil, and North America. The structure is formed when the cell membranes of butterfly scales go through a folding process, each cell deposits chitin (a type of...
By R' Boruch Yonah Lipton
The recent eruptions of Mount Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced AY-ya-fyat-la-yo-kult) in Iceland have provided us with a glimpse of one of Hashem's truly awe-inspiring wonders of creation. On March 20th, seismic activity caused a fissure to open on the side of the mountain, sending fountains of lava spurting into the air. A series of small earthquakes on April 13th cau...
By Boruch Yonah Lipton The Talmud (Tractate Berachos 59b) states: "Our rabbis taught: He who sees the sun at its turning point (tekufah) . . . should say, 'Blessed are You who makes creation.' And when (does this occur)? Abaye said: Every twenty-eight years when the cycle begins again and the Spring Equinox (Tekufas Nisan) falls in Saturn ('s hour of prominence) ...
By R' Boruch Yonah Lipton Among the mindless drivel I've stumbled upon while using the internet, I recently came across the following trash: "Ask a seismologist why there was a tsunami, don't ask a rabbi." This statement flies in the face of Judaism's understanding of G-d's conducting of the events in the world. Our tradition is replete with statements tha...
