Kiddush Levanah this week

Hi,

One should not recite Kiddush Levanah immediately after fasting, since this is a time of sadness as well as hunger. However, one may do so after he has had a chance to eat. After Tishah b'Av, one must don shoes as well as eat before performing Kiddush Levanah.

(Mishneh Berurah 426:11)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah through a window

Hi,

It is preferable to see the moon directly for Kiddush Levanah, and not through a window. However, it appears that one who is ill may do so through a window.

One certainly may recite Kiddush Levanah while wearing glasses.

(Birkei Yosef to Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:4; Shaarei Teshuvah Orach Chaim 426:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah under the stars

Hi,

Because Kiddush Levanah is viewed as a time to greet Gd, one should step outside to do this, making the extra effort, even if no obstacle prevents him from seeing the moon clearly from the spot where he is now. One should not remain under a roof or overhang, assuming that it is safe for him to be out in the open.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:4; Mishneh Berurah 426:21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Latest time for kiddush levanah

Hi,

Kiddush Levanah may be recited as long as the moon is in its growing phase - for 15 24-hour periods after the molad [the ceremonial time when the moon's new phase is said to begin].

(Mishneh Berurah 426:17-18)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Earliest time for kiddush levanah

Hi,

Kiddush Levanah is meant to be recited at the point in the month when the moon's growth is clear.

There is some debate as to how long one must wait before this point is reached, but the consensus is that one may recite Kiddush Levanah after 72 hours from the time of the molad (the ceremonial point at which we consider the moon to have begun its new cycle).

(Mishneh Berurah 426:20)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Dancing at Kiddush Levanah, Part II

Hi,

We have already discussed one type of dancing which takes place during Kiddush Levanah.

Additionally, we dance after kiddush levanah in the style of a wedding dance, because the blessing's call for the renewal of the Jewish people, and their reunion, like a wedding, with Gd.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah and the Davidic Dynasty

Hi,

As part of Kiddush Levanah, we recite, "David, King of Israel, is alive." This may be because the Davidic dynasty will be renewed, as the moon is renewed.

Perhaps related: The Talmud (Rosh haShanah 25a) records a situation in which a code message, "David, King of Israel, is alive," was used to convey news that the new month had been declared. Rashi there notes that King David is compared to the moon.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2; Biur Halachah Orach Chaim 426 ונוהגין)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

"One who performs truth, whose deeds are true"

Hi,

The berachah of Kiddush Levanah includes praise of "פועל אמת שפעולתו אמת, One who performs truth, whose deeds are true." The Avudraham offers two explanations for this passage:

1. It refers to Gd, and His deeds are true in that they are enduring. Alternatively, the "true deed" is the decision to shrink the moon from its original status as one of "two great luminaries" to "the minor luminary" (Bereishit 1:16).

2. It should read "פועלי אמת, performers of truth," and refer to the luminaries Gd created, who perform exactly what Gd instructs them to do, without variation.

(Avudraham, Birchat haRe'iyyah, haShevach v'haHodaah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Dancing at Kiddush Levanah

Hi,

There is a practice of dancing during (and after) kiddush levanah, and reciting the phrase, "Just as I dance opposite you [the Moon] and I cannot touch you, so my enemies should be unable to touch me, to harm me."

According to Avudraham, the term "dancing" is not specifically about joyous dance, but movement, and aggressive moment in particular. As he puts it, "So, too, if others dance against me to harm me, they should be unable to touch me."

(Avudraham, Birchat Re'iyyah, Shevach v'Hodaah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Baruch Yotzreich,Baruch Oseich, Baruch Koneich...

Hi,

During Kiddush Levanah we address the moon and say, "ברוך יוצרך, ברוך עושך, ברוך קונך, ברוך בוראך," which are all forms of blessing the moon's creator. This comes from Masechet Sofrim, Chapter 19. Avudraham explains that these words are used because the acronym of the titles used for Gd is יעקב [Jacob].

(Avudraham, Birchat haRe'iyyah, haShevach v'haHodaah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Shalom Aleichem at Kiddush Levanah

Hi,

As part of Kiddush Levanah, we appeal to Gd to frustrate our enemies and inspire fear in them. We then turn to each other and say, "Shalom Aleichem," "May you experience peace," to indicate our unity with those around us.

(Mishneh Berurah 426:16)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Aleinu after Kiddush Levanah

Hi,

Some suggest that the reason we recite Aleinu after performing Kiddush Levanah is to make it clear to onlookers that we are only using our sighting of the new moon as a means to pray to Gd, and that this is not meant to be moon-worship, Gd-forbid.

As we have noted, this is also why some turn away from the moon once they begin the berachah of Kiddush Levanah.

(Biur Halachah to Orach Chaim 426 ומברך)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Standing for Kiddush Levanah

Hi,

Because Kiddush Levanah is a time when we are considered to be greeting Gd as we witness the way the celestial bodies obey His commands, we recite it while standing.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2; Biur Halachah 426 ומברך)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Looking at the moon during Kiddush Levanah

Hi,

There is some debate as to whether one should look at the moon, and how much to do so, after beginning Kiddush Levanah. The concern seems to be for the appearance of moon-worship.

Certainly, one looks at the moon before beginning the berachah. After that, though, some continue to look, and others specifically look away. Consult your local rabbi to determine the custom of your community.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2; Mishneh Berurah 426:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah on Shabbos and Yom Tov

Hi,

We do not perform kiddush levanah on Friday night or on Yom Tov. Some attribute this to mystical considerations, others to legal considerations.

If the last opportunity for kiddush levanah is that night, one should recite kiddush levanah that night.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2; Mishneh Berurah 426:12; Shaar haTziyyun 426:12)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah for Mourners

Hi,

There is some debate as to what a mourner within shivah should do if his shivah will end after the 10th of the month, and he has yet to perform Kiddush Levanah. One should consult his rabbi to determine proper practice.

(Mishneh Berurah 426:11; Biur Halachah 426:Kodem; Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 426:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah after a fast

Hi,

One should not recite Kiddush Levanah immediately after fasting, since this is a time of sadness as well as hunger. However, one may do so after he has had a chance to eat. After Tishah b'Av, one must don shoes as well as eat before performing Kiddush Levanah.

After Yom Kippur one may recite Kiddush Levanah immediately, because of the joy of concluding the Divine judgment positively.

(Mishneh Berurah 426:11)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah before Yom Kippur

Hi,

Some say that one should not recite Kiddush Levanah during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, the days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, because those are days of fear and worry regarding the outcome of one's Judgment, and Kiddush Levanah is to be recited in joy.

Others disagree, because we want to accumulate mitzvot and because we are concerned that clouds might cause a person to miss Kiddush Levanah altogether because of the long delay.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2; Magen Avraham 426:5; Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 426:8; Mishneh Berurah 426:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah during the Nine Days

Hi,

We don't perform Kiddush Levanah during the nine day national mourning period leading up to Tishah b'Av, because of the sadness of those days.

Others disagree, because we want to accumulate mitzvot and because we are concerned that clouds might cause a person to miss Kiddush Levanah altogether because of the long delay.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2; Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 426:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Kiddush Levanah on Saturday night, Part II

Hi,

Although we have said that one should recite Kiddush Levanah on Motzaei Shabbat (Saturday night), one should not wait if there is a distinct possibility that the sky will be cloudy that night, and between then and the last night to recite Kiddush Levanah.

The normal standard is to wait for Motzaei Shabbat if four possible Kiddush Levanah nights would still remain afterward.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 426:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai