BIRKAT HaLevana

Zarim = Principes (Zar), se amotinan los ministros contra su Rey (Dios).

Porque? Porque Dios a creado al pueblo de Israel, que son los herederos de la
Sabiduria Divina.
Insights into the inner teachings of a mysterious ritual.

I have reproduced below the halachot-laws as well as advice regarding Birkat

HaLevana [Blessing the New Moon] from compilation of the foremost Torah
Sage, Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Bagdad - the Ben Ish Chai, known for his teachings
on legal responsa as well as Kabbalah, with their translation. Afterwards, I present
some other related halachic items.
1

[We did not reproduce the text of the prayer or its translation because there are so
many different versions in use (even if the differences are not great). Please
consult your favorite prayerbook - KOL.]
*****
[22] You should recite Birkat HaLevana with joy and careful enunciation, for it is a
way of greeting the Shechinah. Pious men and Torah scholars have the custom to
immerse in a mikveh on the day prior to Birkat HaLevana and this is a good
custom, in particular if one had marital relations. If you were fasting during the
daytime you should taste something before reciting Birkat HaLevana. Do not recite
the blessing until it is totally nightfall and the light of the moon may be clearly
discerned on the ground.

You may recite the blessing all night long...

[23] Seven full days must elapse after the molad before reciting Birkat HaLevana;
these are counterparts of the sefirot-divine emanations keter-crown, chochmawisdom, bina-understanding, da'at-knowledge, chesed-lovingkindness, gevurarestraint,tiferet-harmony. If a cloud even thin is covering the moon do not recite
the blessing. You may recite the blessing all night long, even after chatzotmidnight. Keep your feet together, as when reciting the Amida prayer, and when
saying ki ereh shamecha [when I see Your heaven (Psalms 8:4)], raise your
eyes and look at the moon. However, from the moment that you start saying
the brachayou must not look at it again.

[24] A blind person should abstain from reciting the bracha for there
is halachicdebate on the subject which is not conclusive and whenever there is a
doubt as to the obligation to recite a bracha it is preferable to abstain. A blind man
should stand near the chazzan-prayer leader who is to recite the bracha, asking
thechazzan to have in mind that he is including him; he will thus fulfill his obligation
to say the bracha by hearing it. One who can only see with the help of glasses on
may say the bracha even though he is unable to see [the moon] without glasses.
It is necessary to say the bracha under the open sky and not under a roof. Only if a
person is unable to go outdoors, because of illness or any other reason, may he
say the bracha indoors under a roof. [When saying it outdoors] it is preferable to
stand over hollow ground [rather than on cement] if possible.
2

[25] You must say three times the formula keshem she anachnu merakdim-just like
we dance in the text of the Birkat HaLevana, and each of these three times make
three slight jumps as you are saying this. There a mystery behind this teaching
related to the ascent of the sefirot on which our intention is now focused. And here
in our city, Bagdad, it is the custom to make three small jumps when
saying besiman tov tehi lanu and I personally have adopted the local custom.
3

In addition, upon saying keshem sheanachnu merakdim, I make three jumps anew
and teach others to follow suit. Moreover, our custom here is to make three other
small jumps as we say David melech Israel chai vekayam
[26] In the text of the bracha, do not say she af hem, but rather she gam
hem(they also are destined to renew themselves like it) In the phrase siman tov
tehi lanu, you must say tehi lanu (May this be a propitious sign for us,) and
nottihyeh lanu (This will be a propitious sign for us).
4

If you are reciting the Birkat HaLevana on your own rather than together with the
congregation, you should say keshem she'ani meraked (just like I dance,
instead of keshem she anachnu merakdim just like we dance
It is taught in several manuscripts that when you say David, melech Israel, you
should have in mind the word David written in full, visualizing the letter yud after
the letter vav, and this is also my practice.
The main focus of this ritual requires that we say the words:

baruch yotzrich
baruch osich,
baruch konich,
baruch bor-ich

...the initial letter of each second word spells out the word Yaakov.
The words must be said in this order so that the initial letter of each second word
spells out the word Yaakov.
Furthermore, according to the inner wisdom of the Torah, the word yotzrich alludes
to the heavenly world of yetzira-formation, osich to that of asiyamaking, konich to atzilut-closeness, and bor-ich-to that of beriya-creation.
As I have written with the help of Heaven in the holy book Mekabbeziel, this
formula is counterpart of the Name of Havaya [whose four letters are combined in
twelve [different] permutations, counterpart of the twelve months of the year]. This
particular permutation [concealed in the formula we are discussing] is that whose
divine flow infuses Tishrei, the first month of the year in which the world was
created, and this was the time in which Adam started to appoint cycles of time
according to those of the moon. We thus say [at the end of Birkat HaLevana]
"shalom" as alluded to in the verse, vehaya ma'ase hatzedaka shalom. (Isaiah
32:17)
[...]
There are reasons why we do not say Birkat HaLevana on Shabbat or Yom Tovas
mentioned in the work Pachad Yitzchak but the one of most relevance is that in
order to say Birkat HaLevana we must arouse a sense of joy within, and on
Shabbat as on Yom Tov, we are already permeated with an inner joy which would
not be related to the special joy we are to feel at the birth of the new moon.
Furthermore, as I wrote in the holy work Mekabbeziel another reason is that in the
formula of Birkat HaLevana we are to curse our enemies as in the versetipol
aleihem emataand we may curse on Shabbat or Yom Tov just like on these days,
although we may not issue a ban of cherem-excommunication.
[27] After the small jumps, say the verse: lev tahor/a pure heart (Psalms
51:12) repeating it seven times, counterpart of the seven sefirot keter, chochma,
bina, daat, chesed, gevura, tiferet, followed by: shir hama'alot esa enai Song of
Ascents: I lift my eyes, (Psalm 121) as well as: Hallelu-yah, Hallelu El

bekodsho (Psalm 150) as indicated in the siddur of our master Rabbi Shalom
Sharabi-the RaShaSh z"l.
Furthermore, it is written in the manuscript work Keter Malchut that it is now
recommended to recite vehaya or halevana (Isaiah 30:26) The author does not
give any reason to explain the preceding but I have found an explanation [in the
teachings of the Arizl] at the end of the work Mavo She'arim (p. 125b and
126a) that this verse subsumes the essence of Birkat HaLevana [in a concealed
form]. [Rabbi Chaim Vital] explains all the kabalistic allusions concealed within this
verse, linking them to the text of Birkat HaLevana. Also may be consultedPri Etz
Chayim (p. 108, column 4) as well as the siddur of kabalistic kavanot-intentions
of Rabbenu haRaShaSh. It is thus recommended to recite this verse at this time.
*****
Based on the teaching of the Shulchan Aruch that it is important to wear festive
clothes for Birkat HaLevana, it became the custom to do this ritual on Motzai
Shabbat. Rabbi Chaim Vital writes in Mavo She'arim how careful we have to be to
recite this blessing on the new moon even in the middle of the week. Furthermore,
Rabbi Shemen Sasson reports the minhagim-customs of the famed kabbalist
Rabbi Shalom Sharabi (1720-1777), known as the Rashash,who would recite the
blessing immediately after the molad of the new moon.
In the siddur Kol Eliyahu of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ztl, it is noted by that men
who are single and would like to get married should be taught that they when
saying Birkat HaLevana with intent and together with a congregation they will be
drawing down to themselves a special Divine favor to fulfill their yearning. They
should strive not to miss a single opportunity to participate in the ritual of Birkat
HaLevana.
Rabbi Eliyahu also indicates that women do not recite Birkat HaLevana. As noted
in the translation of the halachot of the Ben Ish Chai: [Qanun al-Nas(chapter 43)]
When women see the moon for the first time at the beginning of the month, they
should say baruch mechadesh chodashim. Likewise, when the congregation
assembles to recite Birkat HaLevana, the women should also saybaruch
mechadesh chodashim and then siman tov tehi lanu ulechol Israel three times.
*****

[Dedicated to my son, Gabriel Pinchas BenYosef. May Hakadosh Baruch Hu bring

him and his family to Eretz Israel on eagles wings, with an easy means of
sustenance that will enable him to study Torah.]

Sanctification of the Moon

Kiddush Levanah, the blessing on the moon

o bless the new moon at the proper time is like greeting the Divine Presence.
Talmud, Sanhedrin 42a
There is something mystical about the moon. Despite its secondary status as a
luminary, people have always been fascinated by its silvery, luminous light and its
precise cycle of waxing and waning. Indeed, the months of the Jewish calendar
follow the phases of the moon.
The sages of the Talmud write that the renewal
of the moon each month reminds us of the
magnificent wonders of G-ds creation, as if the
Divine Presence in our world, so often hidden,
is coming out to greet us. Because the moon
has the most visible cycle of all the stars and
planets, we take the occasion of its renewal to
make a blessing in appreciation of the entire
masterpiece of celestial orchestration.
1

So, once a month, Jews open their prayerbooks

to speak of the moon. Upon seeing the soft,
mellow light of the moon born again in the night
sky, we recite a special blessing and verses of
praise called the Sanctification of the Moon,
orkiddush levanah (Heb. ) .
Here is the behind-the-scenes story.

When?
The Sanctification of the Moon is done at night, when the moon is waxing and is
bright enough that we can benefit from its light. Therefore, the ceremony may be
performed only between the third and the fifteenth days of the Jewish month. (Note
3

that the precise dates depend upon when the moon is reborn, which fluctuates
from month to month. See Molad Times).
5

One should not recite the Sanctification of the

Moon on a night when clouds are completely
covering the moon. But if there is only a thin
cloud cover, and the light of the moon is still
clearly visible, it is okay to do the ceremony. If
one begins the blessing and it suddenly
becomes cloudy, one should still complete the
service.
6

According to the Kabbalists, it is best to wait

until the seventh day of the month to sanctify
the moon. But if you suspect that it will be
cloudy for most of the month (as it sometimes is
in winter), you should perform the service at the
first opportunity.
9

10

The Sanctification of the Moon is truly a joyous occasion, and we make a point of
performing it in the best of moods. In the month of Tishrei (the period of the High
Holidays), when we spend the first ten days repenting for our wrongdoings during
the past year, we postpone the service to the night after Yom Kippur. The same
applies to the month of Av, whose first nine days are spent mourning the
destruction of the Holy Temple. We wait until the night after the Ninth of Avto
sanctify the moon.
11

12

Where?
We go outside to sanctify the moon, as though running eagerly to greet a king.
Nothing should come between us and the heavens, even if the moon can be
clearly seen from the shelter of a porch or the like. As befits a royal reception, the
place where the ceremony is done should be free from any strong stench.
13

14

We want to look our best on such an

occasion, and it is preferable to sanctify the
moon in a large group. Therefore, the very best
time is immediately after Shabbat (providing it
is prior to the tenth day of the Hebrew month),
outside of the synagogue, when we are all
together and dressed in our festive clothing.
15

16

17

What and How?

The formulation of the prayer is as follows:
We stand under the open sky, facing east and
looking into our prayerbooks.
18

We begin by reciting the first six verses

of Psalm 148, giving praise to G-d for the
moon, sun, stars and heavens, for He
commanded and they were created.

Next, we place our feet together, look at the moon and recite the blessing,
. . . He gave them a set law and time, so that they should not alter their
task . . . Blessed are You, L-rd, who renews the months.
19

After lifting our heels three times, we then address the moon, so to speak:
20

Blessed is your Maker; blessed is He who formed you . . . Just as I leap

toward you but cannot touch you, so may all my enemies be unable to touch
me harmfully . . . We emphasize these ideas by repeating this paragraph
(and some of the subsequent stanzas) three times. Each time we begin, we
lift ourselves to stand on our toes three times.

Next we address the deeper significance of the lunar cycle: David,

Kingof Israel, is living and enduring. The kingdom of David is compared to
the moon. Though it may have lost much of its former radiance, it will be
restored to its glory in messianic times.
21

Since we just finished speaking of our enemies, we make a point of wishing

peace to those who are peaceful. We turn to three of our fellow congregants

and wish them peace, shalom aleichem, and they wish us peace in
return, aleichem shalom.
22

Inspired by the joy of greeting the Divine Presence, we exclaim three times,
May this be a good sign and good fortune for us and the entire Jewish
nation. This is also why we greet those around us, since joy is always
greater when shared with others.
23

We then recite two verses from the Song of Songs (2:89) that describe G-d
looking through the windows, peering through the crevices, just as the light
of the moon does on a clear night.

G-ds omnipresent protection is described again in the next Psalm we say

(121): The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night The L-rd
will guard your going and coming from now and for all time.

We then repeat King Davids words (Psalm 150): Praise G-d in His
holiness, praise him in the firmament of His strength . . . Let every being that
has a soul praise the L-rd.

This is followed by a passage from the Talmud that describes the

Sanctification of the Moon: It was taught in the academy of Rabbi Yishmael:
Even if Israel merited no other privilege than to greet their Father in Heaven
once a month, it would be sufficient for them . . .

Next is a psalm (67) that was recited in the Holy Temple, describing how
G-ds miracles will cause the nations to recognize and praise Him: The
nations will extol You . . . The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will
judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on the earth forever.

We conclude with the Aleinu prayer, in which we say that the nations of the
world bow to vanity and nothingness. But we bend our knee, bow down,
and offer praise before the supreme King of Kings . . . This prayer
emphasizes that our blessing on the moon is in no way a form of idol
worship.
24

If there is a quorum of ten men, the mourners kaddish is recited.

Once we are done, we dance as at a wedding celebration.

25

Afterthought
One of the underlying themes of the Sanctification of the Moon is our gratitude to
G-d for all that He has given us. Like the moon, the fate of the Jewish nation has
waxed and waned throughout history. Yet we are still here to tell the tale.
Sanctifying the moon on its reappearance is a way of renewing our trust in G-ds
constant presence in our lives, and restoring our awareness that all He does is
ultimately for our good.
FOOTNOTES
1.

Commentary of Rabbi Jonah Gerondi on Rabbi Isaac Alfasis code, Berachot, end of ch. 4.

2.

See glosses of Rabbi Jacob Emden, the Yaavetz, to Talmud, Sanhedrin 42a.

3.

Glosses of Rabbi Moshe Isserles, the Rema, to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 426:1.

4.

Taz commentary (by Rabbi David Halevi) to Shulchan Aruch, ibid. 426:3. See Rabbi Jacob Emden, Siddur Yaavetz,
introduction to kiddush levanah.

5.

Shulchan Aruch, ibid. 426:3.

6.

Magen Avraham commentary (by Rabbi Avraham Abele HaLevi) to Shulchan Aruch, ibid. 426:1.

7.

Rabbi Abraham David of Buczacz, Eishel Avraham ad loc.

8.

Baer Heitev commentary (by Rabbi Yehudah ben Shimon Ashkenazi, 17301770) to Shulchan Aruch, ibid.

9.

Shulchan Aruch, ibid. 426:4. See Taz, ibid.; Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi in his prayerbook.

10 See Taz, ibid.; glosses of Rabbi Shalom Dovber Schneersohn, the Rebbe Rashab, in Siddur Torah Ohr (Kehot, 1987); Rabbi
.
Abraham David Lavut (18181890), Shaar Hakollel 33:3.
11. Rema ibid.
12 Magen Avraham, ibid. 426:6.
.
13 Taz, ibid. 426:14. Of course if one is not feeling well, it is okay to say the blessing while one is looking at the moon from
.
indoors.
14 This is true of other blessings too (Magen Avraham, ibid.). But since this is usually done in the street, where it is more common
.
to have this issue, it is noted here.
15 Rema, ibid. 426:2. See Mishnah Berurah (by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, the Chafetz Chaim) 118:7.
.
16 Magen Avraham, ibid. 426:10.
.
17 Shulchan Aruch, ibid.
.
18 See Mishnah Berurah 100:2.
.

19 The source for the blessings is in the Talmud, Sanhedrin 42a.

.
20 Talmud, Tractate Soferim 20:2; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 426:2.
.
21 Rema, ibid. 426:2.
.
22 Magen Avraham, ibid. 426:11.
.
23 Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe (15301612), Levush Hachur 426:1.
.
24 Rabbi Yisroel Friedman, Likkutei Maharich, vol. 2, end of Seder Rosh Chodesh. He quotes another reason: the author of this
.
prayer is Joshua and it is said of him (Talmud, Bava Batra 75a) that Joshuas face is like the face of the moon. Therefore we
say this prayer here, since there is a connection between Joshua and the moon.
25 Rema to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 426:2.
.

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The Phases of the Moon

From the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslev

Jewish mystics teach that judging others favorably is the true test of righteousness.
The moon and the sun were created equal, but the moon was jealous and complained that the
heavens and earth could not have two luminaries of equal size. Because of this, as well as the
fact that the moon had unlawfully intruded into the sphere of the sun (i.e. the moon is sometimes
visible by day), the moon was diminished. G-d then appeased the moon by surrounding it with
stars, like a viceroy is encircled by his assistants.(Bereishit Rabba 6:3, 4; Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer 6)

And the enlightened will shine in the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn the many to
righteousness will be like stars forever. (Daniel 12:3)

Periods when the Jewish people are on a low level spiritually can be seen
as times of the 'incomplete moon'.
After full moon, the moon begins waning and diminishes to the point where it becomes invisible. After the
old moon has disappeared, the slender crescent of the new moon becomes visible and the moon begins
to wax. Prior to the fixing of the Jewish calendar by Rabbi Hillel II in 4119 (358-9 C.E.), a new month was
only deemed to have begun after the Rabbinical Court had declared it "sanctified". The Rabbinical Court
could only do so on the testimony of two reliable witnesses who had seen the new moon itself (Rosh
Hashanah 24). Today we give thanks for the reappearance of the moon in the ceremony ofKiddush
Levanah, the Sanctification of the Moon, which is recited on seeing a clear moon between the third day
of its appearance and the fifteenth of the month (Orach Chaim 426:1-3). The Sages say, "Whoever
pronounces the benediction of the new moon in its due time welcomes, as it were, the presence of
the Shechinah. (Sanhedrin 42a; Sofrim 20:1)
Periods when the Jewish people are on a low level spiritually can be seen as times of the "incomplete
moon", a time when the moon stands accused. The incomplete moon is the source of all sins and
blemishes (Chullin 60). But when a Jew arouses himself and finds his good points, thereby returning to
G-d, this is the "restoration of the moon" from its blemish. It is then that the "sanctification of the moon"
takes place.
At the beginning of the month, when we look for the moon in order to sanctify it, the moon is very small
and fine - a mere point. This is the good point which is "black but comely".
When the moon reaches its ultimate diminution at the end of the month, it is then necessary for the entire
Jewish people to search for it, until two witnesses are found who testify to having seen a small point of
the new moon. The Rabbinical Court then proclaims the New Month, and the moon is thereby "restored".
This parallels the way in which the good point which we succeed in finding in ourselves, no matter how
infinitesimally small it may be, brings us from the scale of guilt to the scale of merit.
After receiving testimony from the witnesses who had seen the moon, the Beit Din and then all the
people proclaimed: "Sanctified, Sanctified". (Rosh HaShanah 24a)

We become sanctified through judging ourselves and others favorably.

Similarly, by finding merely a small good point, we become sanctified through judging ourselves and
others favorably. The moon had become diminished because of its complaint. It is again words - the
proclamation of "Sanctified, Sanctified" - which now elevate the moon from its blemish. The Sanctification
of the Moon depends upon the single point of light which was seen.

After its diminution, G-d gave the moon the stars as a consolation. The stars themselves allude to the
good points found in all Jews, through which they enter the scale of merit by being judged favorably. It is
written, "Those who turn the many to righteousness will be like the stars forever". (Daniel 12:3)
"Those who turn the many to righteousness" are the righteous of each generation, who judge all
favorably. Through this, even the sinners enter the scale of merit. "Like the stars forever" - because the
stars are the good points. Later on in the same passage it is written: "Many will be purified, whitened and
refined, while the wicked will do wickedly and not understand" -(Ibid. 12:10). It will be then that the
"enlightened will shineand those who turn the many to righteousness will be like the stars forever." The
reference is to the age of the Mashiach, at the End of Days, when the forces of evil will attack very
powerfully, as we find in the statements of the Sages. At that time, a great process of selection and
refinement will take place. "Many will be purified, whitened and refined.

The starsserve to rectify the blemishes of the moon.

The main rectification will then be brought about by turning many to righteousness. The most important
spiritual work of the righteous (tzadikim) will be to judge everyone favorably, finding the good points of
even the very lowly. It will be through this that the Final Redemption will take place with the coming of
Mashiach.
The Psalmist says, "Praise Him, all you stars of light". (Psalms 148:3) It is through the good points - the
light-giving stars - that we are able to give thanks and praise to G-d. "I shall sing to my G-d with the little
bit I have left." This explains why it was that the moon was given the stars as a consolation. The stars the good points - serve to rectify the blemishes of the moon.
This is why the very first commandment given to the Jewish nation was the Sanctification of the Moon.
Sighting even the smallest portion of the new moon - a modicum of good - is sufficient for proclaiming the
new month. Finding the modicum of good is what brought about the Egyptian redemption. And in the
future this will be the essence of the Final Redemption, when Israel's exiled will be gathered in from the
nations of the world.
[From "Azamra!"; reprinted with permission from the Breslov Research Institute]