Laws of Kiddush Levanah - Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchok Frank shlita

00:02 Speaker 1 You’re listening to “Lema’an Yishme’u,” a podcast of Machon Halacha Chabad.

00:09 Speaker 2 We want to talk about one of the mitzvos in the Torah that we encounter: the blessing over the moon. It comes around once a month, and we’ll discuss its halachic aspects and explain what it involves. Why is it so important to talk about? Because in a Dvar Malchus sicha on Shabbos Parshas Noach, the Rebbe shlita Melech HaMoshiach spoke about the importance of the blessing over the moon. In that sicha, the Rebbe explains that Shabbos Parshas Noach is a very important Shabbos. After all the work of the month of Tishrei, after everything the Jewish people have gone through during a month filled with festivals and holidays, the year begins. Parshas Noach is really the beginning of our work in the world. The Rebbe discusses how Parshas Noach touches on the most important point of our service of Hashem in the world. What is a Jew’s task in the world? To reveal Hakadosh Boruch Hu in the world. After Shabbos Bereishis, when it says, “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth,” and creation was through the name Elokim, we come to Parshas Noach. Already at the end of Parshas Bereishis it says, “And Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem”—that is, the name Havayah. So we connect the name Elokim with the name Havayah: “Hashem is G-d, Hashem is G-d.” And so, when Parshas Noach begins—a new parsha, the beginning of our work in the world—it is time to make an honest accounting of our work, especially of the purpose and goal of all creation: to bring about the days of Moshiach, the Geulah. That honest accounting requires us to ask why, after the entire month of Tishrei, we are still beginning the year in exile. The Rebbe suggests that perhaps we need to be more meticulous in observing a very important mitzvah called Birkas Halevanah, or Kiddush Levanah, because it is connected with the Geulah in almost every detail. The goal is to strengthen our observance of this mitzvah, with greater care in

03:00 Speaker 2 observing it. If some people don’t do it quite as meticulously as they could, this is an opportunity to make an honest accounting so that we recite Birkas Halevanah properly. To that end, we’ll discuss all the halachic details of Birkas Halevanah and, of course, its Chassidic dimension—the message, meaning, and depth of this blessing. So first, let’s understand what Birkas Halevanah is. Generally speaking, as the Rambam rules, blessings fall into three categories. There are blessings over mitzvos: we say, “Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to put on tefillin,” or “to sound the shofar.” Then there are blessings over things we enjoy. A person benefits from the world, and it is forbidden to benefit from the world without a blessing. So we bless Hakadosh Boruch Hu for those things: “Everything came into being through His word,” “Who brings forth bread from the earth,” “Who creates the fruit of the tree,” and so on. Those are blessings over enjoyment. Then there are blessings of praise, in which we praise Hakadosh Boruch Hu for things in the world. Our Sages established that one must not benefit from anything in the world without making a blessing, offering praise and thanks. What kind of blessing is Birkas Halevanah? Is it a blessing over a mitzvah, over enjoyment, or of praise? Each possibility has halachic implications. If it is a blessing over a mitzvah, then those who are eager perform mitzvos at the earliest opportunity, so perhaps we should hurry to recite Birkas Halevanah as soon as possible. On the other hand, if it is a blessing over enjoyment, then we really need to wait until we benefit from the moonlight. If it is a blessing of praise, the question is whether I have to go outside and look for the moon, or whether I need to make the blessing only if I happen to see it. With a blessing over enjoyment, I would make it when the situation arises; but if it is a blessing of praise, I need to go out, look for the moon, and make the blessing over it. There are, in fact, sharply differing opinions among the halachic authorities. In practice, we hold that it is a blessing

05:19 Speaker 2 of praise, but that one must also benefit from the moonlight. So with Birkas Halevanah, on the one hand, you must benefit from the moon’s light; you can’t skip that requirement. On the other hand, we try to ensure that nothing obstructs our view of the moon. Although our Sages consider Birkas Halevanah a relatively easy mitzvah, they nevertheless gave it tremendous weight. They tell us that it is like meriting to greet the Divine Presence. And if we merit to greet the Divine Presence once a month, that is enough—that is how our Sages put it. So once a month we recite this blessing with joy, enthusiasm, holiness, purity, and great anticipation. It’s interesting that, of all the heavenly bodies that give us light and contribute to our well-being—the sun, which benefits our health, or the moon, which benefits plants—why was the moon chosen as so important that we bless it once a month? We make the blessing over the sun once every twenty-eight years, but over the moon every month. So, simply put, why was the moon chosen from among all the heavenly bodies? It isn’t even so large; the stars are far bigger. The simple explanation is that the moon has a special quality. So much so that our Sages say the Jewish people resemble the moon and count by the moon. Our year is measured by the moon. But because a lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, every few years we add a leap month to bring the lunar and solar calendars into alignment, as in this year, when we have two Adars, Adar I and Adar II. The purpose is simply to ensure that Pesach is always celebrated in the spring.

08:10 Speaker 2 That is why we add another month to the year. We count by the moon, and we are very much like the moon, because of all the heavenly bodies, it has a special quality. First of all, it goes against the current. All the stars and constellations follow their set paths; the stars move along fixed courses. The moon goes against the current, which is very fitting for the Jewish people. More than that, you might think it’s a bit hyperactive, because it keeps changing its position. At the beginning of the month it’s here; at the end of the month it’s there. At the beginning of the night it’s here, and later in the night it moves. That, too, is very fitting for the Jewish people—this hyperactivity, going against the current and not staying in one place. More than that, its appearance changes from our perspective—not in itself, but as it appears to us. Sometimes it is small, and sometimes it grows. That reflects the Jewish people, who are sometimes up and sometimes down—and may they always be up. Most importantly, in the end, it has no light of its own. It receives light from the sun and passes it on. That is very much like the Jewish people, who have nothing of their own. Everything they are comes from what Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives them, and we are a light to the whole world, a light to the nations, through the light we receive from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Now let’s address two important things. First, we said that we need to see the moon and its appearance, and it is very desirable for it to appear clear and unobscured by clouds. At the same time, nothing should obstruct the viewer’s sight either. So, halachically, as we said, this is a blessing of praise, and we need to benefit from its light. We praise Hakadosh Boruch Hu for giving us this wonderful thing called the moon, which gives us light and abundance and helps plants grow. We

10:31 Speaker 2 We bless and thank Hakadosh Boruch Hu, but we also need to benefit from the moon’s light. So, there are two very important things. First, the moon must be clearly visible—that’s the main thing. We’ll talk shortly about whether [unclear][?], and about where the person saying the blessing stands. More generally, there’s a significant principle here. Our Sages taught that there are three things we should not look at for too long: just a glance, and that’s it, without gazing or contemplating them at length. With one of them, we don’t look at all. There are three such things. For example, during Birkas Kohanim, we don’t look at the kohanim while they are giving the blessing. The kohanim cover themselves; whether their fingers are covered depends on the custom, but in any case we don’t look at them during the blessing. Our Sages also said that with a rainbow, you take a brief look so you can say the blessing, but you don’t gaze at it. And with Birkas Halevanah, there’s no reason to stand there gazing at the moon. We need to see it, see its light, benefit from that light, and say the blessing, but after that we don’t keep looking at it. The reason for all three is that they each have a profound connection to greeting the Divine Presence. The kohanim convey Hashem’s blessing to us in a deeply personal way. The verse says, “Thus shall you bless”—“thus,” in precisely this wording—“shall you bless the Children of Israel,” and “I will bless them.” Through your blessing, I will bless you. I will bless the kohanim who bless the people, because at that moment there is a unity between the kohanim and the Divine Presence. So don’t gaze; don’t look. A rainbow, too, is seemingly associated with the sins of the Jewish people. That is why our Sages said there were generations of tzaddikim in whose days no rainbow appeared, such as the days of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Nevertheless, the rainbow reveals Hakadosh Boruch Hu

13:16 Speaker 2 in the world: “My rainbow”—My own rainbow—“I have placed in the cloud.” There is a revelation of the Divine Presence in it. That’s why we look only briefly, for the purpose of saying the blessing. The same is true of the moon: we greet the Divine Presence and come to bless Hakadosh Boruch Hu for His greatness and His revelation in the moon. The Rebbe explains several times in Dvar Malchus that at Rosh Chodesh, the new moon is a tiny point containing all the immense potential of the coming month. On the other hand, we mustn’t forget that in the middle of the month, “when the moon is full,” there is also tremendous strength and power. And the Jewish people are compared to the moon: it is born, grows, wanes, and so on. All of this relates to the presence of the Shechinah. So we try not to gaze at the moon for too long. We must look at it in order to say the blessing, but afterward we turn our eyes to the siddur and read the blessing from there. The Alter Rebbe writes the same thing in his siddur: one looks at the moon before the blessing, and afterward does not look at it at all. Now, as for the moon’s appearance: ideally, it should be completely clear, with no clouds or anything else obscuring it. If a thin, small cloud partly covers it but doesn’t completely hide it or dim its light, one can certainly say the blessing if necessary. In fact, as a matter of halachah, even if someone didn’t look at the moon at all but said the blessing relying on others who had seen it and said the blessing, that is also acceptable after the fact. So a thin cloud needn’t be too much of an obstacle. But if heavy clouds obscure the moon’s light, we do not say the blessing at all.

16:07 Speaker 2 What if we began while the moon was clear, but a large, thick cloud came and covered it before we could finish the entire blessing? If we’re up to the verses after the blessing, that’s perfectly fine. We can finish them even after the moon has become hidden by clouds. At least the blessing itself—the few lines of the blessing—should be said while the moon is clearly visible. If someone knows he won’t have time to finish the blessing while it is clear, ideally he shouldn’t begin; but if he has already begun, that’s fine. The person saying the blessing should also be outside, under the open sky, not indoors. We’ll explain the reasons for that shortly. So, as we said earlier, the moon should be clearly visible. The person looking at it, too, should in principle stand under the open sky. The custom is to go outside the house to say Kiddush Levanah. Usually, after Maariv, the whole congregation goes out of the shul and says Kiddush Levanah outside. By the way, this gave rise to an expression: in some shuls there weren’t enough siddurim, so they put the entire text of Birkas Halevanah on an outside wall for people to read. It isn’t always very bright, since the moon is still fairly new, so they made the letters large. That became the expression “Kiddush Levanah letters,” meaning large letters that can be read even in the dark, when the light is faint. We do indeed go outside, and there are many reasons for it. It’s like going out to greet the Divine Presence: you go out to welcome an important guest. It’s also similar to a wedding. We’ll talk more about how this relates to weddings. Just as a wedding takes place under

18:42 Speaker 2 the open sky, Birkas Halevanah is also said under the open sky. Halachic authorities give many reasons for going outside, but it isn’t obligatory; it’s an enhancement of the mitzvah. So if someone can’t go out—because the place outside isn’t clean enough for a blessing, or because the weather is very harsh and he isn’t well, or he has a cold—he can say it inside. Preferably, he should at least open the window and put his head outside, so that he is under the open sky. To perform the mitzvah in the best way, he should be outside, with even the branches of nearby trees not shading him, but fully under the open sky. If there are non-Jews outside, or perhaps, G-d forbid, [unclear] and he cannot go out, he can remain inside, put his head out, and say the blessing. And if he is flying on a plane, under the plane’s roof, and the time for saying the blessing is about to pass—this is his only opportunity—he can say it inside the plane without putting his head outside, as long as he can see the moonlight through the window. In other words, there are two considerations: going outside, and being able to see the moon without any obstruction. Going outside is an act of honor toward Hakadosh Boruch Hu. We go out, as if to greet the Divine Presence, and say Birkas Halevanah there. At shul, we usually say Birkas Halevanah on Motzaei Shabbos, and we’ll explain later why specifically then. In any case, so as not to trouble the congregation by having everyone go outside and then come back in, they daven Maariv in the shul. If there is someone leading Havdalah inside the shul

21:17 Speaker 2 He makes Havdalah before Kiddush Levanah, and afterward everyone goes outside for Kiddush Levanah. That could also have a halachic explanation: when you have two mitzvos, one more frequent and one less frequent, the more frequent one comes first. So Havdalah would come before Kiddush Levanah, since Kiddush Levanah is once a month, while Havdalah is every week. But in any case, the reason is that we don’t want to trouble the congregation by having them go outside, come back in for Havdalah, and then go home. So Havdalah is done first in shul. But if someone is alone at home on Motzaei Shabbos and wants to recite Kiddush Levanah, then immediately after Maariv he should recite Kiddush Levanah first, and afterward make Havdalah, because the concern about troubling the congregation doesn’t apply. And although the more frequent mitzvah generally comes first, here we put Kiddush Levanah first, because accompanying the Shechinah and greeting the Shechinah are much more important than Havdalah. So when someone is at home alone, ill or unable to go out for some other reason, he first recites Kiddush Levanah after Maariv on Motzaei Shabbos, and then makes Havdalah. We said that Kiddush Levanah is recited once a month. But let’s try to understand: from when until when can it be recited? First of all, it must be recited specifically at night, because at night the moonlight is visible on the earth; you can see the moon shining and benefit from its light. So, within a given day, we recite it specifically at night. There is a halachic question about whether it may be recited during bein hashmashos, between sunset and the appearance of the stars—that is, after the day has ended but before night has fully begun. There is room to say that it can, and the source is very interesting. The Midrash says that Moshe Rabbeinu had difficulty

24:02 Speaker 2 understanding exactly what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted in several matters, and one of them was the sanctification of the new moon. When the Beis Hamikdash stood and there was a beis din, they would sanctify the month based on the sighting of the moon at the very beginning of its renewal. Moshe Rabbeinu had difficulty knowing what the moon should look like, and the Midrash says that Hakadosh Boruch Hu showed it to him and said, “See it like this and sanctify it.” This is the appearance of the new moon; this is how you should sanctify the month. Now, on the one hand, it had to be night for the moon to be visible. On the other hand, our Sages explicitly tell us that Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not speak with Moshe at night. Hakadosh Boruch Hu didn’t need to come speak with Moshe Rabbeinu like a thief who comes in the darkness, when no one can see. Hakadosh Boruch Hu spoke with Moshe by day, not by night. So we must say that this happened during bein hashmashos, when it was partly day and partly night, between sunset and the appearance of the stars. Nevertheless, despite this reason—despite the fact that Hakadosh Boruch Hu showed Moshe Rabbeinu the moon then and said, “See it like this and sanctify it”—we do not recite Kiddush Levanah at that time initially. Instead, we wait until it is certainly night, when the stars have appeared, and then we can recite it. Some have written that care should be taken to recite Kiddush Levanah before midnight, not later. That is an enhancement of the mitzvah. As a matter of halachah, we have an explicit example from the Rebbe Rashab. In one of his letters, he describes arriving by train after midnight and going out to recite Kiddush Levanah about two hours after midnight, because it was the last night

26:19 Speaker 2 before the end of the time for reciting it. So we see that it can be done after midnight too. What about the time between dawn and sunrise? Seemingly, it is like bein hashmashos. So although it is still night, as a stringency we treat it as day and do not recite Kiddush Levanah then. Rather, we recite it from the appearance of the stars until the first light of dawn. We said that it is recited once a month, because of the holiness of greeting the Shechinah. Accordingly, once a month is enough: we have the privilege of reciting Kiddush Levanah once a month. From when? When do we begin—at the molad, on the first day? Since we also need to benefit from the moonlight, at the moment of the molad its light is still very faint, and we cannot benefit from it. There are poskim, though—the Rambam, Rashi, and the Semag—who write that it can be recited from the moment of the molad. That is the custom of Yemenite Jews: they recite it from the molad, meaning that Kiddush Levanah can already be recited on the first day. Most poskim, and Ashkenazim as well, follow the practice of waiting at least until its light has become appreciable, so that we have some ability to benefit from it. Therefore, they wait three days. Three days after Rosh Chodesh, after the molad, Kiddush Levanah can already be recited, because its light is visible. That is the halachah. According to Kabbalah, we wait at least seven days, and there are many reasons for this. Since the days correspond to the sefiros, we wait for the sefirah of Malchus. The moon and Malchus are very closely connected: just as a king has nothing of his own, but receives what the people give him and gives what he has to the people, so too Malchus “has nothing of its own.” It has nothing of its own, only what it is given. The sun gives the moon light, and it shines.

29:00 Speaker 2 Therefore, according to Kabbalah, we wait a week—seven days—before reciting Kiddush Levanah. From this we need to understand that there is a preference: although according to halachah three days suffice, or seven days according to Kabbalah, it is preferable to recite Kiddush Levanah specifically on Motzaei Shabbos. There are many reasons for this. One is that, just as we escort the Queen, we then recite the blessing connected with greeting the Shechinah. Another reason, given in the Midrash, is that the moon was diminished on Motzaei Shabbos. The moon complained that two kings cannot share one crown, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu told it, “Go and diminish yourself.” That happened on Motzaei Shabbos, so Kiddush Levanah is recited specifically then. There are many, many reasons, but chiefly, as Shabbos ends we are still in our Shabbos clothes and in an atmosphere of holiness. That is the time to go out and recite Kiddush Levanah. But there is a problem: what if the seventh day of the month falls on Sunday? Say the sixth was Shabbos and the seventh is Sunday. If we wait until the following Motzaei Shabbos, it will already be the thirteenth. We may have only a day or two left before the time for Kiddush Levanah ends. And in winter, when clouds cover the sky, there is no guarantee at all that I’ll see the moon clearly on Motzaei Shabbos, with its light visible on the earth. It might be completely covered. So one may follow the halachah and recite Kiddush Levanah after three days. Indeed, there are countries where winter is very harsh, and people do not wait. The Tzemach Tzedek rules that one waits seven days only if possible, and waiting for Motzaei Shabbos is also only if possible. But generally, at times and in places where there is a serious concern that the entire…

31:26 Speaker 2 The month, and we won’t—won’t manage. Half the month will pass, sorry, to be precise, and we won’t manage to say Kiddush Levanah. So it is better to do it as early as possible, once three days have passed, fulfill the halachic obligation, and not wait for the reasons given in Kabbalah. A little story, since we’ve mentioned this. The Rebbe once went outside for Kiddush Levanah in New York, and the sky was covered with clouds. They looked for the moon but couldn’t find it. They couldn’t see where it was at all. The Rebbe told the following story. He said that once, the Rebbe Rashab told chassidim about a similar situation, when they went outside in Lubavitch and couldn’t see the moon. The Rebbe Rashab related that several generations earlier, Reb Meir of Premishlan, one of the great chassidic leaders descended from the disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch, once went outside for Kiddush Levanah, and the sky was covered with clouds. Reb Meir of Premishlan said that when the Jewish people were in the desert, there were Clouds of Glory. So how did they say Kiddush Levanah? He said that Moshe Rabbeinu would move the clouds: he would make a gesture, and the clouds would move to either side, so the Jewish people could bless the moon when it was clearly visible, without clouds. As he told the story, Reb Meir of Premishlan took a handkerchief out of his pocket and showed how it was done. He demonstrated with the handkerchief how the clouds were moved to either side. When the Rebbe Rashab told this story, he did the same thing with his handkerchief. The clouds dispersed, and they were able to say Kiddush Levanah. When the Rebbe told the story, he concluded, apparently out of his humility, by saying to the chassidim: “If there is someone among you who knows how to move the clouds with a handkerchief like that, let him do it so we can say Kiddush Levanah.” One of the chassidim said, “Surely the Rebbe

33:54 Speaker 2 knows how to do it.” The Rebbe said, “It’s enough that I told the story.” He announced to the crowd, “I’m going into my room for a few minutes to meet with someone, to take care of something, and I’ll be back. I hope the skies will clear.” Without moving the clouds with a handkerchief, when the Rebbe returned a little later for Kiddush Levanah, the sky was clear, the clouds had dispersed, and everyone was able to say Kiddush Levanah. We said that, preferably, we wait seven days and until after Shabbos. There are two months of the year when we don’t follow the usual practice of waiting seven days or until after Shabbos, but wait longer. In the month of Menachem Av, we say Kiddush Levanah only after Tisha B’Av. The reason is the words “they are destined to be renewed like it.” After the great descent of Tisha B’Av, we have good news for the Jewish people. This is the opportunity to tell the Jewish people: look, we are destined to be renewed like the moon. That is why we say Kiddush Levanah specifically after Tisha B’Av. Of course, because Kiddush Levanah should be said in a fitting manner and in respectable clothing, as we’ll discuss later, we say it after Tisha B’Av only once we’ve changed our shoes and dressed appropriately for Kiddush Levanah. Although we’ll say the blessing “She’asah li kol tzorki” only tomorrow morning—because we didn’t have shoes on and have now put them on, but we won’t say the blessing today; we’ll say it tomorrow. So we say Kiddush Levanah after Tisha B’Av. Usually, by then more than seven days have passed; it’s already the ninth of the month. Why don’t we do it earlier? Because Kiddush Levanah should be said with joy, and the Nine Days are days of mourning. So we don’t say Kiddush Levanah during those days of mourning when we can postpone the blessing to a joyful time, when we hear the good news that we are destined to be renewed like the moon. There is another interesting month in the year: the month of

36:35 Speaker 2 Tishrei. Here there is a major disagreement among the halachic authorities. Some say it is better to accumulate merits and say Kiddush Levanah before Yom Kippur, so that we come to Yom Kippur with the additional merit of Kiddush Levanah, along with the other merits we’ve gathered along the way. In practice, because these are days of Selichos, or days of fasting and affliction, we say Kiddush Levanah only after Yom Kippur. On the night following the tenth of the month, after Yom Kippur, we leave the prayers and the shul and go to bless the moon with joy and gladness of heart. That is a time of great joy, so much so that at that time a proclamation is made in Heaven: “Go, eat your bread with joy, for Hashem has already accepted your deeds.” The Jewish people have been granted atonement on this special day of the year. That is why the time to say Kiddush Levanah is specifically after Yom Kippur. By the way, some say that although we try to wait seven days, in the month of Adar there is a problem with waiting until after the seventh day, meaning the night of the eighth. The seventh is the day on which Moshe Rabbeinu passed away. Granted, it is also the day on which Moshe Rabbeinu was born. Moreover, the Rebbe says in Dvar Malchus that the day of birth atones for the day of passing. In other words, there is a great merit here. Nevertheless, some question whether Kiddush Levanah should be said on the night after 7 Adar, because “the face of Moshe was like the face of the sun, and the face of Yehoshua was like the face of the moon.” They say that immediately after the birthday and day of passing of Moshe Rabbeinu is not the time to bless the moon, since the day associated with Yehoshua has begun. So there are opinions both ways. Still, we have guidance from the Rebbe in two instances. In 5746, 6 Adar I fell on Shabbos. Nevertheless, the Rebbe said

39:10 Speaker 2 on Shabbos that Kiddush Levanah could be said after Shabbos. The same happened the following year: 6 Adar, in the regular Adar of 5747, fell on Shabbos, and the Rebbe likewise instructed that Kiddush Levanah be said after Shabbos. So the main exceptions are only Menachem Av and Tishrei, when we say it after Yom Kippur. Until when can we say the blessing? Until the midpoint of the month, when the moon reaches its fullness. Immediately afterward, its light begins to diminish and it wanes, and that is no longer the time for the blessing. In other words, we need to say it before the midpoint of the month. There is discussion about how to calculate this. Some hold that we need to calculate half the lunar month. Since a lunar month is twenty-nine days, twelve hours, and 793 chalakim—which is forty-four minutes and one chelek—we would need to take half of that period. But generally, we don’t go by the molad listed on the calendar. We go by the midpoint of the month, through the fifteenth of the month. That means we try to make the fourteenth the last day, perhaps even doing it a bit earlier, so as not to get into questions about half of 793 chalakim from the molad. In practice, suppose there is a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse can occur only at the midpoint of the month, when the moon is full. So if there was a lunar eclipse, say, on the fourteenth of the month, it would be clear to you that by that evening you were already past the midpoint of the lunar month. We don’t take that into account. We say Kiddush Levanah that night; it may be said after the lunar eclipse. In the same way, we don’t take a solar eclipse into account. A solar eclipse can occur only at the beginning of the month, at the molad. If Rosh Chodesh was yesterday or will be tomorrow, we don’t take the eclipse into account. Our calculations begin from the day established as Rosh Chodesh, even if the solar eclipse was yesterday or will be the following day.

41:55 Speaker 2 To sum up, what happens if the time has passed anyway? There is a suggestion for this, and a precedent from the Rebbe on one occasion as well: one can simply recite the blessing from the Gemara. That way, it is as though you are studying the words of the Gemara, and you have not made a blessing in vain. If someone is concerned about this, he can recite the blessing over the moon without Hashem’s name and kingship. He should not say Hashem’s name, so as not to enter into a case of doubt about blessings, since in cases of doubt about blessings, we are lenient. Who is obligated to recite the blessing? Every Jew who sees the moon. Even if he has seen the moon and wants to wait to recite the blessing so that it can be done with a large crowd—in the multitude of people is the King’s glory—even though he has already become obligated and delaying it presents a problem, it is nevertheless permissible to delay the mitzvah to recite it with a large crowd. We do the same with a bris milah. Although it says, “Avraham rose early in the morning,” and those who are eager perform mitzvos early, so we should get up in the morning and perform the bris milah on the eighth day, we nevertheless prefer to have the bris milah with a large crowd, when more people can be present in the afternoon. In Eretz Yisroel, people generally go to work early and are in a rush in the morning, while they are much more relaxed at midday or in the afternoon. So that is our basis for delaying the mitzvah, despite the principle that those who are eager perform mitzvos early. The principle of “in the multitude of people is the King’s glory” takes precedence over performing mitzvos early. So every Jew needs to recite the blessing over the moon. Even if you saw the moon on the first or second day and are waiting until the seventh day, that is fine. What is the law for a blind person, someone who cannot see? Generally, according to halachah, a blind person can recite “Who forms light and creates darkness,” because he can certainly thank Hakadosh Boruch Hu that there are people who can see and guide him, preventing him from stumbling over wood or stone. In other words, he certainly benefits.

44:17 Speaker 2 But here, the halachah says “one who sees the moon in its renewal”—meaning that one must actually see it to begin with. Therefore, a blind person does not recite the blessing. However, if he is the only adult in the area and needs to fulfill the congregation’s obligation for them, he can do so even though he is not obligated himself, because with this blessing, someone who is not obligated can still fulfill others’ obligation. Women do not recite the blessing over the moon. The Shelah Hakadosh even writes that women keep their distance from it. Women stay away from the blessing over the moon. Why? Many reasons and explanations have been given. One reason is that the diminishing of the moon began with the sin of Chavah, our mother, and so it is not appropriate for women to recite the blessing until the moon reaches its full state; then they can join in the blessing. Some say that it is because people go outside, whereas “the honor of the king’s daughter is within”: a woman’s place should be private and modest, inside the home. So women do not go out into the street for singing and dancing. Some explain that the blessing over the moon must be recited in clean clothes, with joy and happiness, not in a state of mourning [?]. Since one of the things decreed upon Chavah was that she would be wrapped like a mourner, women refrain. In practice, women who want to join in the joy of the occasion may stand to the side modestly and listen to the blessing, but they do not recite it. Women do not recite the blessing over the moon. As for a person who is in mourning, G-d forbid, not among us, it very much depends. If his mourning will end while there is still time to recite the blessing over the moon, there is no problem: he can recite it after the mourning period. If

47:02 Speaker 2 it will not end, and he will still be in mourning when the time comes, what does he do? Some say he should remain at home and put his head outside, because, first of all, he does not go out; he needs to sit in his home, so he does not go outside for the blessing over the moon. Beyond that, he does not recite it in the presence of others, only alone, because he cannot say “Shalom aleichem” and “Aleichem shalom”: a mourner does not initiate a greeting. People do not greet him, and he does not return a greeting. Therefore, he cannot recite the blessing over the moon with a large crowd, only alone. If his mourning will not end before the last opportunity to recite the blessing, and he might miss it, he recites it alone, at home. As for a child who will become bar mitzvah a few days after the blessing over the moon is recited on Motzaei Shabbos, while there will still be time to recite it after his bar mitzvah: he does not need to wait. He does not need to wait until he is thirteen years and one day old to become obligated, because he is obligated now, too, through chinuch. He is already obligated to recite the blessing over the moon. So there is no reason for him to wait until after he turns thirteen years and one day old. He should certainly recite it at the proper time together with everyone else. This is our opportunity to talk about how the blessing is recited. According to the teachings of our Sages, first of all, the blessing over the moon is recited standing, not sitting. The entire blessing is said standing. And not only standing: one straightens his legs and places his feet together, as in the Amidah, Shemoneh Esrei. He positions his feet that way when he recites the blessing standing.

49:27 Speaker 2 After all, we are greeting a King. We are receiving the presence of the Shechinah. Our feet should be straight. One looks at the moon, but does not recite the blessing facing the moon; rather, one faces east. We saw this in the Rebbe’s conduct: he always positioned himself to pray facing east, not facing the moon. This is apparently to distance ourselves from any possibility that, G-d forbid, people might think we worship the stars or constellations. We do not worship the stars or constellations. We are Jews praying to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, receiving the presence of the Shechinah when we recite the blessing over the moon. We do not pray to the moon. Some were even more stringent, taking care not to bend their knees while hopping, lest it look as though they were bowing to the moon. But all of that is avoided when we face east, not the moon. The moon is off to one side, and he prays to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It is written that one should wear nice clothes. This is receiving the presence of the Shechinah, so one’s clothes should be presentable for the blessing over the moon. Motzaei Shabbos is the best time for that, because people are usually wearing their Shabbos clothes. It is an opportunity to recite the blessing over the moon in nice clothes. We said that we try to do it with a large crowd, and therefore delay the mitzvah. So it is preferable to recite the blessing over the moon with a large crowd—in the multitude of people is the King’s glory. As many people as possible gather and recite it together. That is why, in shuls, they do it together immediately after davening. Not one person reciting it here, another there, and someone else running off, but with a large crowd. The blessing is recited from the siddur. There is an emphasis on reciting it from the siddur, unhurriedly, also because it is a prayer said once a month. Prayers that a person says every day and knows by heart may be recited from memory. But a prayer that comes once a month, one

51:49 Speaker 2 All the more so with prayers that come only once a year: you certainly should not recite them by heart. Even if you know them well, you must recite the blessing from the siddur, unhurriedly, out of respect for this important blessing, the blessing over the moon. We do it with joy, because we are destined to be renewed like the moon. This tells us that even when the Jewish people experience a decline, an ascent follows. It is a descent for the sake of an ascent. We, too, will be renewed like the moon, even though we are now in exile and do not have the Beis Hamikdash—may it be rebuilt speedily. We receive the good news that we are destined to be renewed like the moon, and that is why we do this with joy. The Rebbe noted that it is worthwhile to connect this with tzedakah, even though it takes place at night and, seemingly, we try not to give tzedakah at night; for reasons given in Kabbalah, tzedakah is given during the day. In any case, it is worthwhile to connect this at least with tzedakah—with a commitment, with the intention that, G-d willing, we will give tzedakah. We begin the blessing. First, before the blessing, in the Alter Rebbe’s siddur it says “Order of Kiddush Levanah,” not “Order of the Renewal of the Moon,” but “Kiddush Levanah.” Incidentally, I wrote a halachic book on this subject, and I called it “Order of Kiddush Levanah,” just as the Alter Rebbe was careful to call it, because I happened to find that “Order of Kiddush Levanah” has a gematria of 770 when you include the kollel. Among Jews, one extra letter is never simply disregarded. So it is actually 771, but with the kollel it is 770. All right. What is the order of Kiddush Levanah? So, first we open with the first six verses of chapter 148 of Tehillim, which speak of the heavenly bodies praising Hakadosh Boruch Hu: “Praise Hashem from the heavens; praise Him in the heights. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him,

53:59 Speaker 2 all His hosts. Sun and moon, all stars of light ... He established them forever and ever; He gave a decree that shall not be transgressed.” He gave them a decree, and they do not move right or left. They faithfully maintain their place and fulfill their blessing and their prayer for as long as Hakadosh Boruch Hu created them to do so. Now, after we have looked at the moon and seen it, we move on to the blessing. The blessing has changed somewhat: the Gemara gives its conclusion, and over the course of Jewish history several details were added. Today, this is the precise wording of the blessing. Let’s understand the words and pay attention to what we say. “Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who by His word created the heavens.” “The heavens” here is a term for the heavenly realms. There are two views in halachah, in the Gemara. One view says that there are seven firmaments, each with its own name, and one of them is called Shechakim. It is not the firmament where the stars are found; it is Shechakim, from the word for grinding, as in “grinding manna for the righteous.” But the second view, Rabbi Yehudah’s, is that there are the heavens and the heavens above the heavens—only two—and Shechakim is one of the levels where the heavenly bodies are found. “Who by His word created the heavens, and by the breath of His mouth all their hosts. He gave them a decree and an appointed time, that they should not change their task. Joyful and glad to do the will of their Creator.” And despite the wear and tear of 5,782 years since the creation of the world—night after night, day after day, twenty-four hours a day—they are constantly at work, doing their job. Still, they do not break down; they carry on with the same strength, “joyful and glad to do the will of their Creator.” They are glad and joyful in their task of carrying out their Creator’s will. “A worker of truth, Whose work is truth.” There are different versions. Some say, “Workers of truth, whose work is truth.” Others say, “A worker of truth, whose work is truth.” There are different opinions, but this is how the Alter Rebbe writes it: “A worker

56:29 Speaker 2 of truth, Whose work is truth.” This refers to Hakadosh Boruch Hu: He is a worker of truth, and His work is truth. Incidentally, truth is the sefirah of Tiferes, the middle attribute, and all Torah study is founded on the attribute of Tiferes. Among chassidim, when they wanted to describe the Rebbe Rashab, they would say, “A worker of truth, whose work is truth,” because he founded the yeshivah Tomchei Temimim. His work is truth—Tiferes, the study of Torah. But the blessing continues: “A worker of truth, Whose work is truth. And He told the moon to renew itself as a crown of glory for those borne from the womb, who are destined to be renewed like it and to glorify their Maker for the honor of His kingship. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who renews the months.” That is the heart of the blessing: “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who renews the months.” Someone who does not know the wording, or is not in a position to recite the entire blessing, can make do with just these words: “Blessed are You, Hashem, Who renews the months.” You are the One Who renews the months. Let’s continue through the blessing itself. Immediately afterward come the skips and jumps. What are these skips? They really have great power and significance, because a person needs to perform physical actions in order to awaken, appreciate, and understand the significance of what he is doing. That gives the act force in practice—what it actually accomplishes, as they say. By doing something, an action, a jump or a skip, he brings it about. We mention the four worlds: “Blessed is your Maker; blessed is your Fashioner; blessed is your Creator; blessed is your Acquirer.” There are different approaches. Some siddurim give them in order from above to below, beginning with Atzilus: “Blessed is your Acquirer; blessed is your Creator; blessed is your Fashioner; blessed is your Maker.” Others have another method, following the name Yaakov, who was the youngest of the Patriarchs: the letters stand for “your Fashioner,” “your Maker,” “your Acquirer,” and then they change the order for “your Creator.” But we follow the order from below to above. We start with Asiyah, Yetzirah,

58:53 Speaker 2 Beriah, and Atzilus. “Just as I dance before you and cannot touch you, so may none of my enemies be able to touch me to harm me.” Here we say the verse, “May terror and dread fall upon them.” We say half a verse, half a verse, forward and backward. Kabbalistic texts generally note that when something is said forward and backward, as with “Gad, a troop shall troop upon him” in Krias Shema, the forward order follows seder hishtalshelus, the order of the spiritual worlds, while the reverse goes beyond that order. So we begin with order and move to a kind of upheaval—the powerful upheaval we ask Hakadosh Boruch Hu to bring about. That is why we begin from below to above: “Blessed is your Maker; blessed is your Fashioner; blessed is your Creator; blessed is your Acquirer.” We ascend from below to above. But then we say, “May terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm they shall be still as a stone.” Now we reverse the order, so that it comes from beyond seder hishtalshelus. Right after that, we mention a phrase: “Dovid, King of Israel, lives and endures.” “Dovid, King of Israel, lives and endures.” Although they embalmed him and eulogized him, and there is a tombstone and a grave on Mount Zion, nevertheless, “Dovid, King of Israel, lives and endures.” In fact, the Gemara records this phrase as a secret code used to inform the public that Rosh Chodesh had been established. We say it, but mainly because we await Moshiach ben Dovid. “Dovid, King of Israel, lives and endures”: just as we are destined to be renewed like the moon, so too Dovid, King of Israel, the redeemer of Israel, will live and endure in full strength. Afterward, we do something very interesting and unique to the Jewish people. A person turns to his friend and says, “Shalom aleichem”—“Peace be upon you.” But a Jew has to turn it around. You said “Shalom aleichem” to me; I’ll say the reverse, “Aleichem shalom”—“Upon you be peace.” In other words, there has to be some reversal, an opposing argument. You said it one way; I’ll say it differently. But the real reason that we

1:00:59 Speaker 2 We say “Shalom Aleichem” after we have said, “May dread and fear fall upon them,” and “All Your enemies will know.” We make clear: not you—you are my friend standing beside me at Kiddush Levanah. Peace to you, peace to you, to you. We mean only peace: “Shalom Aleichem,” “Aleichem Shalom.” When something is said three times, it gains force and strength. One person says it, and the other answers him. Immediately afterward, again: “Siman tov u’mazal tov to all of Israel”—to us and to all of Israel, a good sign and good fortune. Mazal is something from Heaven, but a siman, a sign, is something we look for in order to find what we seek. We find it by its signs. So may the sign be good, and may the Jewish people find what they are seeking: the complete Geulah. Immediately afterward, of course, we allude to the coming of Moshiach: “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, skipping over the hills,” and “My beloved is like a gazelle”—the verses we say from Shir Hashirim, which are all connected to this. Right afterward, we say the chapter of Tehillim, “A song of ascents: I lift my eyes to the mountains.” We said that Moshiach skips over the hills and leaps over the mountains, so “I lift my eyes to the mountains. From where will my help come? My help comes from Hashem,” and so on. We also mention the last chapter of Tehillim, chapter 150: “Hallelujah! Praise G-d in His sanctuary; praise Him in the firmament of His strength.” The reason is that the word “praise” appears twelve times in that chapter, corresponding to the twelve months of the year in which we renew our blessing over the moon. Immediately afterward, we mention the Gemara, which says: “The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: Had Israel merited nothing other than this mitzvah of blessing the moon, it would have sufficed.” So saying it once a month is enough—and he said it standing. That is how we recite the blessing: standing. We continue with the verses, “Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?” We pray that the moon’s deficiency will be filled—

1:03:01 Speaker 2 the moon. Though we Jews are strange, yes? Instead of praying at this auspicious time for a livelihood, blessing, and good health, we do not ask for those things. We ask only that the moon’s deficiency be made whole. A Jew sets aside all his worries. He is confident that everything will be provided; he has no problem. He speaks only about the moon’s deficiency being made whole. When will it be made whole? In the future Geulah, of course. And so we conclude with the face of the moon, with Yehoshua, and with the prayer of Aleinu Leshabe’ach. Why? Because the initials spell Yehoshua’s name in reverse, as is known: Yehoshua composed this prayer, “It is our duty to praise the Master of all,” and so on. May we merit the complete Geulah. At the end, we shake the corners of the tallis katan. We do this twice: both at Tashlich and at Kiddush Levanah, we shake the corners of the tallis. Why? I found an explanation in a book by my grandfather, a”h, Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank, who was the chief rabbi of Jerusalem. He says that, in his opinion, we shake the tallis because we anticipate the Geulah. Today there is a time for day and a time for night. At night we see less, because the moon does not have the strength of the sun. That is why the mitzvah of tzitzis applies specifically by day: “And you shall see it”—at a time when one can see. But in the future, when the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, night will be as bright as day. It may be that, according to halachah, we will have to wrap ourselves in a tallis at night as well, and will be able to recite the blessing “to wrap oneself in a tallis” at night. So we shake the corners of the tallis to remind ourselves that we await the true and complete Geulah, immediately, right now. In closing, we have seen the great power of Kiddush Levanah. It has an additional benefit, an added value: it is a segulah for many things. Although we serve Hashem for His sake and do not bless the moon because of the segulos, we—

1:05:33 Speaker 2 serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu because that is what He wants, and we carry out His supreme will. But when our Sages took the trouble to tell us about these things, out of affection for the mitzvah, so that we would cherish it even more and appreciate its power, they told us that this mitzvah has many segulos. I do not expect to list them all, but I will mention a few interesting points that may encourage us to seek out this mitzvah and perform it beautifully—in fine clothes, with a large gathering, with joy, inspiration, enthusiasm, and holiness. One of the wonderful things written in the Shulchan Aruch is that someone who blesses the moon during the month merits to be saved from death. Some question whether this means being saved from death altogether, since there have been people who blessed the moon and nevertheless passed away that very month. So some halachic opinions qualify it as being saved from an unusual death. Indeed, one could point out that many tzaddikim we know of passed away at the beginning of the month, even before the seventh of the month, before the seven days had passed for Kiddush Levanah. But being saved from an unusual death is itself a great blessing. The Shulchan Aruch relates that robbers once captured a pious Jew and wanted to kill him. He asked to perform at least one mitzvah before they killed him, and it was time for Kiddush Levanah. The Shulchan Aruch relates that he began reciting Kiddush Levanah with great intensity. When he came to the jumps at “Blessed is your Maker, blessed is your Creator, blessed is your Acquirer,” those leaps carried him far away, and he was saved from death. So even if the blessing means being saved from an unusual death, that is still a great blessing. More than that, it is written that when a person wants to succeed in a particular undertaking, he should try to do it after Kiddush Levanah, because Kiddush Levanah brings blessing and success for journeys, business, and other endeavors. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov writes that someone who is hoping—

1:08:08 Speaker 2 for a good shidduch should be especially careful about Kiddush Levanah, because Kiddush Levanah is a segulah for a shidduch. The Pele Yoetz writes in the same spirit and says that he even found an allusion to it. Why? Because the Mishnah says, “A virgin is married on the fourth day.” According to halachah, that was the practice when the courts operated on a regular schedule: weddings were held then. Today, most people want to marry specifically on Tuesday, because Tuesday was marked by “it was good.” But in the time of the Mishnah, they tried to have unmarried people marry specifically on the fourth day: “A virgin is married on the fourth day.” The Hebrew initials of that phrase spell “levanah,” moon. So the Pele Yoetz says that young men who want to become engaged and find a good shidduch should take special care to perform Kiddush Levanah in fine clothes, with joy, and so on. Someone also wrote that if women are having fertility problems, it is worthwhile to regulate the menstrual cycle and to recite Kiddush Levanah. They alluded to this with the initials of the words “that they should not change their appointed task,” which spell “my wife.” “That they should not change their appointed task”—those initials spell “my wife,” as a thought and prayer for regulating the menstrual cycle. What we know from our Rebbeim is the following story: a chossid suffered greatly from toothaches, and the Rebbe Rashab told him to recite Kiddush Levanah. During Kiddush Levanah, when saying, “May dread and fear fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm, may they be still as stone,” he should pass his hand over his gums, and that would take away the toothaches. The Frierdiker Rebbe also told this to several people, and the Rebbe even mentioned it in Igros Kodesh to someone who suffered from tooth trouble, saying that he should surely be especially careful about Kiddush Levanah. It is written in the sefarim that it is very worthwhile to look at your face reflected in silver—not gold, silver. Why? Because the letters of the Hebrew word for gold decrease in value—

1:10:34 Speaker 2 starting with zayin, which is seven, going to hei, which is five, and ending with beis, which is two. By contrast, the letters of the Hebrew word for silver keep increasing: kaf is twenty, samech is sixty, and pei is eighty. So it is written that looking at your face reflected in silver during Kiddush Levanah is a great segulah. The Pele Yoetz also writes something whose reason is not explained: he says it is worthwhile to look at the face of a Jew named Yitzchak, a name associated with joy and laughter and bringing blessing into the world. There is no further explanation for it; I do not have one. But the main point, the most important point, is what we are waiting for: being especially careful to perform Kiddush Levanah beautifully is a segulah for the complete Geulah. This is not only at the beginning, with the moon’s renewal and the promise that we are destined to be renewed like it, but through the middle of the month, when “the moon stands in its fullness.” May our careful observance of Kiddush Levanah bring us the true and complete Geulah immediately, right now, through the Rebbe shlita, King Moshiach. Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach l’olam va’ed.