birkat hachamah,

Today I learned the birkat hachamah: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, Ruler of the Universe who makes the works of Creation."

These words are used every 28 years to bless the sun when it returns, according to orthodox tradition, to the position in the sky that it held at the moment of creation.

According to Wikipedia: "The same blessing is recited upon experiencing various natural phenomena, including lightning, comets, and meteor showers; as well as upon witnessing wondrous natural topography, such as great mountains, rivers and vast wilderness."

It strikes me that if we spent more time in pronouncing such blessings upon the world around us (whether in the name of Adonai or the universe itself), we would begin to take more care of that world. You can't truly bless something without being truly mindful of it.

Baruch hata Adonai.......