Tekufah

. Signs of the zodiac surround Helios, the central chariot of the Sun (a Greek motif), while the corners depict the 4 tekufot of the year, solstices and equinoxes, each named for the month in which it occurs-- Tishrei, Tevet, Nisan, Tamuz. An ancient superstition is connected with the tekufot. The origin of the superstition cannot be traced. Hai ben Sherira, in the 10th century, in reply to a question as to the prevalence of this custom in the "West" (i.e., west of Mesopotamia), said it was followed only so that the new season might be begun with a supply of fresh, sweet water. Ibn Ezra ridicules the fear that the tekufah water will cause swelling and ascribes the belief to the "gossip of old women." 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. Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin required that a new iron nail should be lowered using a string into the water used for baking matza during Tekufat Nisan. ==Notes==