Tekufah
Encyclopedia
Tekufot are the four seasons of the year recognized by Talmud
writers. The four tekufot are:
Each tekufa, according to Samuel Yarḥinai, marks the beginning of a period of 91 days and 7½ hours. It will be noticed that the tekufot fall from fourteen to eighteen days later than the true solar equinox or solstice; this, however, does not interfere with the calendar, which follows the figures of R. Ada.
fights with Libra
and drops blood into the water. Another authority accounts for the drops of blood in the water at Tekufat Nisan
by pointing out that the waters in Egypt
turned to blood at that particular moment. At Tekufat Tammuz, Moses
smote the rock and caused drops of blood to flow from it. At Tekufat Tishrei
the knife which Abraham
held to slay Isaac
dropped blood. At Tekufat Tevet
, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter (Abudarham, Sha'ar ha-Tekufot, p. 122a, Venice, 1566).
The origin of the superstition cannot be traced. Hai Gaon
, in the 10th century, in reply to a question as to the prevalence of this custom in the "West" (i.e., west of Babylon
), said it was followed only in order that the new season might be begun with a supply of fresh, sweet water. Ibn Ezra
ridicules the fear that the tekufa water will cause swelling, and ascribes the belief to the "gossip of old women" (ib.). Hezekiah da Silva
, however, warns his co-religionists to pay no attention to ibn Ezra's remarks, asserting that in his own times many persons who drank water when the tekufa occurred fell ill and died in consequence. Da Silva says the principal danger lies in the first tekufa (Nisan), and a special announcement of its occurrence was made by the beadle of the congregation (Peri Ḥadash, on Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 428, end). The danger lurks only in unused water, not in water that has been boiled or used in salting or pickling. The danger in unused water may be avoided by putting in it a piece of iron or an iron vessel (Bet Yosef on the Tur
, and Isserles
' note to Shulḥan Aruk, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 455, 1; Be'er Hetev, to Yore De'a, 116, 5). R. Jacob Mölln required that a new iron nail should be lowered by means of a string into the water used for baking matsot
during Tekufat Nisan (Sefer Maharil, p. 6b, ed. Warsaw).
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
writers. The four tekufot are:
- Tekufat NisanNisanNisan is the first month of the ecclesiastical year and the seventh month of the civil year, on the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian; in the Torah it is called the month of the Aviv, referring to the month in which barley was ripe. It is a spring month of 30 days...
, the vernal equinox (March 21), when the sun enters AriesAries (constellation)Aries is one of the constellations of the zodiac, located between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Its name is Latin for ram, and its symbol is , representing a ram's horns...
; this is the beginning of spring, or "eit hazera" (seed-time), when day and night are equal. - Tekufat Tammuz, the summer solsticeSolsticeA solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
(June 21), when the sun enters CancerCancer (constellation)Cancer is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for crab and it is commonly represented as such. Its symbol is . Cancer is small and its stars are faint...
; this is the summer season, or "et ha-katsir" (harvest-time), when the day is the longest in the year. - Tekufat TishreiTishreiTishrei or Tishri , Tiberian: ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian. It is an autumn month of 30 days...
, the autumnal equinox (Sept. 23), when the sun enters LibraLibra (constellation)Libra is a constellation of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for weighing scales, and its symbol is . It is fairly faint, with no first magnitude stars, and lies between Virgo to the west and Scorpius to the east.-Notable features:]...
, and autumn, or "et ha-batsir" (vintage-time), begins, and when the day again equals the night. - Tekufat TevetTevetTebet is the fourth month of the civil year and the tenth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It follows Kislev and precedes Shevat. It is a winter month of 29 days...
, the winter solsticeWinter solsticeWinter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
(Dec. 22), when the sun enters CapricornusCapricornusCapricornus is one of the constellations of the zodiac; it is often called Capricorn, especially when referring to the corresponding astrological sign. Its name is Latin for "horned male goat" or "goat horn", and it is commonly represented in the form of a sea-goat: a mythical creature that is half...
; this is the beginning of winter, or "et ha-ḥoref" (winter-time), when the night is the longest during the year.
Each tekufa, according to Samuel Yarḥinai, marks the beginning of a period of 91 days and 7½ hours. It will be noticed that the tekufot fall from fourteen to eighteen days later than the true solar equinox or solstice; this, however, does not interfere with the calendar, which follows the figures of R. Ada.
Superstition
An ancient superstition is connected with the tekufot. All water that may be in the house or stored away in vessels in the first hour of the tekufa is thrown away in the belief that the water is then poisoned, and if drunk would cause swelling of the body, sickness, and sometimes death. Several reasons are advanced for this. Some say it is because the angels who protect the water change guard at the tekufa and leave it unwatched for a short time. Others say that CancerCancer (constellation)
Cancer is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for crab and it is commonly represented as such. Its symbol is . Cancer is small and its stars are faint...
fights with Libra
Libra (constellation)
Libra is a constellation of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for weighing scales, and its symbol is . It is fairly faint, with no first magnitude stars, and lies between Virgo to the west and Scorpius to the east.-Notable features:]...
and drops blood into the water. Another authority accounts for the drops of blood in the water at Tekufat Nisan
Nisan
Nisan is the first month of the ecclesiastical year and the seventh month of the civil year, on the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian; in the Torah it is called the month of the Aviv, referring to the month in which barley was ripe. It is a spring month of 30 days...
by pointing out that the waters in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
turned to blood at that particular moment. At Tekufat Tammuz, Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
smote the rock and caused drops of blood to flow from it. At Tekufat Tishrei
Tishrei
Tishrei or Tishri , Tiberian: ; from Akkadian "Beginning", from "To begin") is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian. It is an autumn month of 30 days...
the knife which Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
held to slay Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
dropped blood. At Tekufat Tevet
Tevet
Tebet is the fourth month of the civil year and the tenth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It follows Kislev and precedes Shevat. It is a winter month of 29 days...
, Jephthah sacrificed his daughter (Abudarham, Sha'ar ha-Tekufot, p. 122a, Venice, 1566).
The origin of the superstition cannot be traced. Hai Gaon
Hai Gaon
Hai ben Sherira , was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the early 11th century. He was born in 939 and died on March 28, 1038...
, in the 10th century, in reply to a question as to the prevalence of this custom in the "West" (i.e., west of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
), said it was followed only in order that the new season might be begun with a supply of fresh, sweet water. Ibn Ezra
Ibn Ezra
Ibn Ezra was a prominent Jewish family from Spain spanning many centuries.The name ibn Ezra may refer to:* Abraham ibn Ezra , a Rabbi who lived in the eleventh and twelfth centuries...
ridicules the fear that the tekufa water will cause swelling, and ascribes the belief to the "gossip of old women" (ib.). Hezekiah da Silva
Hezekiah da Silva
Hezekiah da Silva was a Jewish author born at Livorno, Italy, son-in-law of the dayan Mordecai Befael Malachi. About 1679 he left his native city for Jerusalem, Palestine, where he attended the yeshibah of Moses Galante, and ten years later he was sent to Europe to collect funds for Jerusalem...
, however, warns his co-religionists to pay no attention to ibn Ezra's remarks, asserting that in his own times many persons who drank water when the tekufa occurred fell ill and died in consequence. Da Silva says the principal danger lies in the first tekufa (Nisan), and a special announcement of its occurrence was made by the beadle of the congregation (Peri Ḥadash, on Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 428, end). The danger lurks only in unused water, not in water that has been boiled or used in salting or pickling. The danger in unused water may be avoided by putting in it a piece of iron or an iron vessel (Bet Yosef on the Tur
Tur
Tur or TUR can stand for:* Arba'ah Turim, a work of Jewish law, also known as the Tur* Jacob ben Asher, its author, also known as the Tur or the Baal Haturim* Tur * Turkish language...
, and Isserles
Isserles
Isserles, or Isserlis:* Rabbi Moses Isserles * Leon Isserlis , a Jewish Ukrainian-British statistician** Isserlis’ theorem, in probability theory* Steven Isserlis, CBE , a British cellist...
' note to Shulḥan Aruk, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, 455, 1; Be'er Hetev, to Yore De'a, 116, 5). R. Jacob Mölln required that a new iron nail should be lowered by means of a string into the water used for baking matsot
Matzo
Matzo or matzah is an unleavened bread traditionally eaten by Jews during the week-long Passover holiday, when eating chametz—bread and other food which is made with leavened grain—is forbidden according to Jewish law. Currently, the most ubiquitous type of Matzo is the traditional Ashkenazic...
during Tekufat Nisan (Sefer Maharil, p. 6b, ed. Warsaw).
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia article for Tekufah, by Joseph JacobsJoseph JacobsJoseph Jacobs was a folklorist, literary critic and historian. His works included contributions to the Jewish Encyclopaedia, translations of European works, and critical editions of early English literature...
and Judah David Eisenstein.