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Birkat Halevana: Difference between revisions

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# Kiddish Levana isn't said prior to Tisha BeAv or [[Yom Kippur]]. Rather it should be said the right after [[Yom Kippur]], and regarding Tisha BeAv, it shouldn't be said right after the fast but in the next few days. <ref> Rama 426:2 </ref>
# Kiddish Levana isn't said prior to Tisha BeAv or [[Yom Kippur]]. Rather it should be said the right after [[Yom Kippur]], and regarding Tisha BeAv, it shouldn't be said right after the fast but in the next few days. <ref> Rama 426:2 </ref>
# One may say Birkat HaLevana until 15 days after the molad, however, on the 16th day one should say it without Shem UMalchut. Some say that one may only say it until 14¾ days after the molad. <Ref> S"A 426:3 rules like the opinion of Nehardai in Gemara Sanhedrin 41b who say that one has 15 complete days. However, the Rama 426:3 writes that one may only say it up to half of 29 days, 12 hours, and 793 chalakim. Biur Halacha D”H VeLo writes that if one is in such a situation where half of 29 days, 12 hours, 793 chalakim passed and 15 days have not, there is what to rely on to say the Bracha. Biur Halacha adds that if it’s the 16th day one should say it without Shem UMalchut. Sh”t Yabea Omer 6:38 agrees with the Biur Halacha that on the 16th day one should say it without Shem UMalchut. </ref> A chart of the time of the upcoming molads is printed here (see note for calculation):  
# One may say Birkat HaLevana until 15 days after the molad, however, on the 16th day one should say it without Shem UMalchut. Some say that one may only say it until 14¾ days after the molad. <Ref> S"A 426:3 rules like the opinion of Nehardai in Gemara Sanhedrin 41b who say that one has 15 complete days. However, the Rama 426:3 writes that one may only say it up to half of 29 days, 12 hours, and 793 chalakim. Biur Halacha D”H VeLo writes that if one is in such a situation where half of 29 days, 12 hours, 793 chalakim passed and 15 days have not, there is what to rely on to say the Bracha. Biur Halacha adds that if it’s the 16th day one should say it without Shem UMalchut. Sh”t Yabea Omer 6:38 agrees with the Biur Halacha that on the 16th day one should say it without Shem UMalchut. </ref> A chart of the time of the upcoming molads is printed here (see note for calculation):  
{|
{|class="wikitable"
|Chodesh Elul  
|Chodesh Elul  
|Friday August 17, 2012  
|Friday August 17, 2012  
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|Sunday September 16, 2012  
|Sunday September 16, 2012  
|1:57AM + 8 chelakim
|1:57AM + 8 chelakim
|}
|}<ref>Rambam (Kiddush HaChodesh 6:3) writes that from one Molad (the astronomical time when the new moon can be seen) to another is 29 days, 12 hours, and 793 chelakim (and there's 1080 chelakim in an hour). The Rambam 6:8 also writes that the time with which to begin to calculate the Molads from the beginning of creation is the 2nd day, 5 hours, and 204 chelakim. To calculate the Molad of Rosh Chodesh Tishrei 5773, first let us calculate the number of months which passed from creation and then add the appropriate time for each month. Although there are 12 months in a regular year because there are 7 leap years in a 19 year cycle, there is an average of 12.3684 lunar months a year. By Tishrei 5773, 5772 complete years have passed, meaning that 71390 complete months have passed since creation. The chelakim for the molad of Tishrei 5773 should be 1034 (i.e. 204 + (71390 * 793) modulo 1080) which is equal to 57 minutes and 8 chelakim. Making similar calculations leads to conclude that the Molad for Tishrei 5773 is 1am (i.e. 5+12*71390+(204+71930*793-1034)/1080) mod 24 starting from 6pm) Sunday (i.e. 2+1*71390+(909103-37879)/24 mod 7). The other months can then be calculated from that starting point by either adding or subtracting the interval for each month (1 day, 12 hours, 793 chelakim. To confirm these calculations, one can check the [http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/216238/jewish/Molad-Times.htm Chabad.org page of Molad times].</ref>
<ref>Rambam (Kiddush HaChodesh 6:3) writes that from one Molad (the astronomical time when the new moon can be seen) to another is 29 days, 12 hours, and 793 chelakim (and there's 1080 chelakim in an hour). The Rambam 6:8 also writes that the time with which to begin to calculate the Molads from the beginning of creation is the 2nd day, 5 hours, and 204 chelakim. To calculate the Molad of Rosh Chodesh Tishrei 5773, first let us calculate the number of months which passed from creation and then add the appropriate time for each month. Although there are 12 months in a regular year because there are 7 leap years in a 19 year cycle, there is an average of 12.3684 lunar months a year. By Tishrei 5773, 5772 complete years have passed, meaning that 71390 complete months have passed since creation. The chelakim for the molad of Tishrei 5773 should be 1034 (i.e. 204 + (71390 * 793) modulo 1080) which is equal to 57 minutes and 8 chelakim. Making similar calculations leads to conclude that the Molad for Tishrei 5773 is 1am (i.e. 5+12*71390+(204+71930*793-1034)/1080) mod 24 starting from 6pm) Sunday (i.e. 2+1*71390+(909103-37879)/24 mod 7). The other months can then be calculated from that starting point by either adding or subtracting the interval for each month (1 day, 12 hours, 793 chelakim. To confirm these calculations, one can check the [http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/216238/jewish/Molad-Times.htm Chabad.org page of Molad times].</ref>
==Looking at the moon==
==Looking at the moon==
# One should look at the moon prior to saying the Bracha. Some hold that one should only look at the moon once and not look at it again, whereas others are lenient to allow looking at it anytime during the Seder of Birkat HaLevana except during the Bracha itself. <Ref>
# One should look at the moon prior to saying the Bracha. Some hold that one should only look at the moon once and not look at it again, whereas others are lenient to allow looking at it anytime during the Seder of Birkat HaLevana except during the Bracha itself. <Ref>