Laws concerning the Blessing of the
New Moon
20. Upon sighting the New Moon one blesses
“Blessed are You G-d, our Lord, King of the Universe, who created the firmament
by his utterance, and created all the hosts of the heavens with the breath of
his mouth.” One does not bless Shechechiyanu
(“you have sustained us”) (ùäçééðå).
21. The Ashkenazim wait to bless the New
Moon until at least three twenty- four hour periods have passed since the molad,
in accordance with the opinion of the Talmud and of the medieval Torah
scholars (rishonim). The
Sephardim bless the New Moon only after seven twenty-four hour periods have
passed after the molad, in accordance with the kaballah. In the winter during the rainy
season, the Sephardim are lenient to wait only seven days even if they do not
comprise seven complete twenty-four hour periods after the molad. In places where it is constantly cloudy
or rainy, the Sephardim are more lenient and bless the New Moon according to
the custom of the Ashkenazim.
22. The blessing over the New Moon must be
said with enthusiasm and joy since blessing the New Moon is equivalent to
greeting the Divine Presence.
After the blessing, we read Psalms, verses from the Bible, and sayings
from the Talmud, all according to our customs.
23. Whenever possible, the blessing over
the New Moon should not be said while fasting.
24.
Righteous individuals and those who are scrupulous in their observance of the
commandments immerse in a mikvah the day before the blessing over the
New Moon will be said. This custom
is commendable and should be emulated whenever possible. However, one should not lose time from
Torah study in order to immerse.
25. Some have a custom to wear Sabbath
clothes when blessing the New Moon.
They should do so only when convenient, especially since we do not
usually practice this custom.
26. It is customary to bless the New Moon
after the conclusion of the Sabbath since we are still wearing our festive
Sabbath clothes and we still feel imbued with the sanctity of the Sabbath.
27.
The best time to bless the New Moon is after the conclusion of the Sabbath as
explained above. However, when
there is a compelling reason to bless the New Moon during the week, it should
be blessed at that time. This
applies especially during the winter or rainy season when cloudy skies often
obscure the moon.
28. It is best to bless the New Moon
together with a minyan (quorum of ten men). The reason for this is that we attempt to fill the precept
“The King is glorified by his entourage” (áøåá òí äãø
äîìê). However, when it is
inconvenient, one need not wait for a minyan to form.
29. The blessing over the New Moon should
be said while standing. However,
if it was said while sitting, it need not be repeated. This especially applies if one is too
old or too sick to stand.
30. If possible, the blessing over the New
Moon should be said only if the sky is clear of clouds. However it is permissible to say the
blessing if the moon can be clearly seen through a thin cloud cover. Whenever
possible, the Sephardim wait to say the blessing until the moon appears in a patch
of sky totally free of clouds. The
custom of the Ashkenazim is to make the blessing if the moon is clearly visible
through the clouds. However,
everyone agrees that the blessing cannot be said if the moon is obscured by
thick clouds.
31. If the congregation is blessing the New
Moon through a thinly clouded sky (since they are afraid that viewing
conditions will not improve later) one’s obligation can be fulfilled by
listening to their blessing with the following condition in mind: If a clear night will not be found
later, then it will be considered as though the blessing was already said. However, if a clear night will be found
later, then it will be considered that the blessing was not already said. It is best to avoid making such
conditions when possible.
32. If it is the last night that the
blessing can be made, then the blessing should be said even If the sky is
thinly clouded. However, the moon
must be bright enough to allow deciphering between an issar and pandion
(two different but similar coins).
33. One should not begin the blessing if it
is obvious that the moon will become obscured by clouds before the blessing can
be finished.
34. Since women caused the moon to wane,
the accepted custom is that women do not bless the New Moon. Even Ashkenazi women [who are
accustomed to make blessings before performing positive commandments that are
performed only during certain times (îöååä òùä ùäæîï
âøîà)] don’t bless the New
Moon.
35. It is questionable whether a blind
person can make the blessing on the New Moon. Therefore, he should listen to the blessing of the Prayer
Leader with the intention of fulfilling any obligation he might have.
36. It is not necessary to remove glasses
before making the blessing over the New Moon.
37. If a boy will have his bar mitzvah
before the 15th of the month, he should wait to make the blessing on
the New Moon until after his bar mitzvah. Even though we don’t generally wait to perform a
commandment, it is preferable to do so in this case (since performing a
commandment when truly obligated is preferable to performing while not truly
obligated).
38. It is doubtful whether the New Moon can
be blessed a second time for the sake of other people who can’t make their own
blessing. Therefore, one should
not say the blessing again.
39. It is necessary to look at the moon
before making the blessing. It
should not be looked at again while making the blessing.
40. We welcome the Divine Presence by
blessing the New Moon. Therefore,
it is not respectful to make the blessing under a roof. It is even better to make the blessing
while standing on a balcony (in order to have open air on both sides). In cases of need (e.g., when sick or
among non-Jews) it is permissible to bless the New Moon from an open window.
41. Some of the sages permit saying the
blessing on the New Moon under a tree.
42. Reading the shema is a Torah
commandment and takes precedence over the rabbinic injunction of blessing the
New Moon. Furthermore, we give
precedence to commandments that are performed more frequently. Therefore, the Evening Prayer (during
which the shema is read) should be finished before blessing the New
Moon. However if it will be
impossible to bless the New Moon at a later time or date, the blessing on the
New Moon can be said first.
Sometimes
it is permitted to interrupt the reading of the shema in order to say
the blessing on the New Moon: For
example, if the sky was cloudy before starting the shema, and it is
likely that the sky will become cloudy again after finishing the shema,
and it is the last night that the blessing can be said, then the blessing of
the New Moon should be said after reaching a paragraph break of the shema. If weather conditions do not permit
waiting for a paragraph break, then the shema can be interrupted in the
middle of a paragraph.
43. The blessing on the New Moon should
only be said after dark when the moon is bright. If weather conditions will not permit waiting until after
dark, the blessing can be said after sunset as long as there is sufficient
moonlight to derive benefit from it.
44. It is best not to bless the New Moon
after dawn. However, if it will be
impossible to bless the New Moon at a different time, the blessing can be said
before sunrise as long as the moon is still bright.
45. We are accustomed to wait until after Yom
Hakippurim and Tisha B’av to bless the New Moon. After Tisha B’av, the New Moon
can be blessed only after breaking the fast. The New Moon can be blessed
immediately after Yom Hakippurim since we feel happy on successfully
completing the fast. Others have
the custom to bless the New Moon before Yom Hakippurim in order to
accumulate more mitzvot.
Since both customs are valid, one can act according to either one. If the fast day of the 10th
of Tevet falls on a Sunday, the New Moon can be blessed on Saturday night since
we don’t delay making the blessing during the winter months.
46. A mourner should wait until after the
seven days of mourning to bless the New Moon. However, if it will be impossible to bless the New Moon
later, the New Moon should be blessed now (even if it is necessary to leave the
house in order to see the moon).
47. The
New Moon should not be blessed on the Sabbath or Yom Tov (Festival) as
long as the blessing can be said afterwards. If the blessing cannot be said afterwards (e.g., if Friday
night or the night of the Yom Tov begins the 15th day of the
Hebrew month, or if bad weather is anticipated afterwards and the Sabbath or Yom
Tov occur on the 13th or 14th day of the month) then
it should be said on Friday night or on the night of the Yom Tov.
48. The blessing of the New Moon can be
said throughout the entire night that commences the 15th day of the
Hebrew month. This is the case even though more than half of a mean synodic
period has passed since the molad (i.e., half of 29 days, 12 hours, 893
chalakim). Even though some sages
permit making the blessing on the 16th day of the Hebrew month, it
is doubtful whether we follow their ruling. We therefore do not say the blessing after the 15th
day. However, the words of the
blessing can be said as long as Hashem’s names are not used (áøëä áìé ùí åîìëåú). When calculating the last calendar date
to make the blessing, we only consider the local time zone and not the time
zone of Jerusalem.
49. After blessing the New Moon, some are
accustomed to shake the hem of their garments, especially the hem of the small talit
(èìéú ÷èï). Some have the
custom to check the garment and fringes of the small talit. Unmarried men should say the blessing
with great devotion and concentration since these actions bring special merit
in finding a wife. Saying the blessing properly is also a segula against
dying an unusual death during the month, G-d forbid.
50. One should try to look upon the face of
an individual called Isaac while saying the blessing over the New Moon. Similarly, one should try to look upon
the face of an individual called Abraham while blessing the sun. Some have the custom to look at a
silver tray after completing the blessing on the New Moon. There is also a custom to donate three
small coins to charity after blessing the New Moon. The Sephardim do not say
the prayer Alenu L'shabe’ach after blessing the New Moon. However, the Ashkenazim do say it.
51. We are accustomed to dance after blessing the New Moon, since the renewal of the Moon symbolizes the restoration of wedding vows between Hashem and the Jews. May Hashem, for the sake of His Great Name and with His infinite mercy, make us worthy of such happiness.