Should we start a Forum about Urban Jewish Legends?

[b1sasam]

Should not we start a forum to collect all these items so that people hopefully will check them before they circulate them all over the place?

Here is an example followed by my rebuttal:

This message that was sent by Rabbi Plony, should inspire all of us to do teshubah without delay. B”H we all will have the zechout to greet Mashiach in 2009 because of Bircat HaHamah 2009 – The Blessing on the Sun – Once every 28 years. Since creation, there was only two times that Birkat HaHamah fell out on the 1st Day of Passover. The first was the year Hashem redeemed Israel form Egypt. The second was the year of Purim. This year Birkat HaHamah falls out on the 1st Day of Passover.

REBUTTAL

First of all, Birchas Hachamah is never the 1st day of Pesach in the fixed calendar since Pesach never starts on Wednesday.

Do they mean Erev Pesach 2009 (the correct date)? Well that happened as recently as 1925 (also April 8, of course, as well as all Birchas HaChamah in the Gregorian Calendar 1900-2100) and also in the Julian Calendar March 26 in 609, 693, 1309. As you can see it tends to happen in either in 84 or 616 year intervals.

Finally the year of the Exodus (according to Seder Olam) was 2448. Divide that by 28 and you do not get a remainder of 1 (the necessary criterion) or anything near 1 but a remainder of 12 (right in the middle almost!).

BTW the same propaganda (about the years of Pesach and Purim) was spread last year since 2008 had E”P on Shabbas in a Shemittah leap year.

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