That's because yesterday was the 25th of Elul on the Jewish calendar (Creation Day One, which began on Friday evening). A big topic of discussion especially over these past few months in the Jewish end-of-days-themed blogs, has been the anticipation of a star appearing (born) on that date. Tied to the coming of the Messiah,
"Kochav Yaakov" in reference to the star in the Zohar and Bilaam's parables:
Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Bunch of stuff all thrown together here about it.
After spending a day walking through one of our synagogue’s cemeteries, a congregant came back to me with an observation: Why, she asked, does every gravestone include the date of the loved one’s death, but a great many stones do not include the date of birth?
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When space is limited, many choose to omit the birthdate and just include the date of death.
But, if one visits some of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Europe, and most of the cemeteries in Israel, it’s clear that limited space on the stone is not the driving factor.
The reality is that, for most of Jewish history, the date a person was born was significantly less important than the date one died. The celebration of birthdays was historically not such a significant day in people’s lives as it is today.
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A well-known passage from our rabbinical literature sharply draws the distinction in importance between one’s birthday and day of death, using the analogy of two ships: Two ships were once seen near land. One of them was leaving the harbor, and the other was coming into it. Everyone was cheering the outgoing ship, giving it a hearty send-off. But, the incoming ship was scarcely noticed.
A wise man standing nearby commented on the people’s reaction. “Rejoice not,” he said, “over the ship that is setting out to sea, for you know not what destiny awaits it. Rejoice rather over the ship that has reached port safely and brought back all its passengers in peace.”
Hebrew movie title:
כוכב נולד
Kochav nolad ("a star is born")
= 138, which is a rather Messianic number, even linked in with Chanukah.
Timing, as I've got a time stamp from 23 hours ago (KK's death not having been announced yet) for another reason entirely (Lebanon, meaning "white" = 138, and Beirut means wells and is a play on b'Rut, "in Ruth"), with a link to that page.
Release dates
December 18, 1976 (Mann Village Theater)
December 19, 1976 (United States)
Timing:
Sunday, December 19, 1976 (beginning sundown Dec 18th)
27 Kislev, 5737
Chanukah Day 3 27 Kislev, 5737
I should have included in the earlier post re the 25 Elul death date and “A Star is Born” (that phrase appearing in the news all of a sudden) that this star in Corona Borealis has been running in the news much more this past week, especially as the September prediction [as well as visibility] window is fast closing:
What’s Going On With The ‘Blaze Star’ — The Star That Won’t Explode (Sep 26, 2024):
Explosive ‘Blaze Star’ could finally be on brink of eruption — once-in-a-lifetime event will be visible from Earth (Sep 27, 2024):
A ‘new star’ was expected to appear this month: Where is it? (Sep 28, 2024):
Translated from Italian, from the 9/27 update (new one at the link today):
Magnitude of the recurrent nova about to shine, updated daily (updated to September 27)
The time window considered most likely is closing without any real hint of outburst. This Log, from now on, will be updated every 2-3 days...
https://aliveuniverse.today/rubriche/neo-log/8936-luminosita-di-t-coronae-borealis/