Ask the Rabbi: The sanctification of the moon
By SHLOMO BRODY
10 Marzo 2008
Q The ritual of blessing the new moon confuses me. Are we praying to the moon?- Jon L., Toronto
A The ritual blessing of the new moon, colloquially known as kiddush levana (although more properly named birkat levana), developed over many centuries, thereby accruing different layers of rituals that embellish its meaning but sometimes confuse its message. The ritual originates in talmudic times, with the sages declaring, "Anyone who blesses the new moon in the proper time, it is as if he greeted the Divine Presence" (Sanhedrin 42a).
Far from being moon-worship, the ritual serves as one of the many blessings we recite to acknowledge God's continual control over nature. As the blessing itself extols, "Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, who by His word created the heavens, and by His breath all their host. He set for them laws …
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