[Avodah] Not Making Kiddush Between 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

[Zev Sero]

Sholom Simon wrote:
> I understand the source from this is Shabbos 129b.

The source in Torah for the hourly system of planetary influence,
yes.  But the gemara doesn't mention anything about kiddush.   The
earliest source for not saying kiddush in the hour of Mars is the
Maharil, and it's explained at length in the Machtzis Hashekel.
This hourly system is found in goyishe astrology books as well.


> However -- it also shows other times where Ma'dim is influential -- 
> for example: Wednesdays between 10am and 11am (or Sundays from 
> noon-1pm).   So, suppose a Yom Tov is on a Wednesday (or Sunday), 
> would/does anybody refrain from kiddush between those hours?

No, there's no such minhag.  That gemara itself gives the explanation:
we only worry about the hour of Mars when it's customary to worry about
it, but if there's no custom we don't make one up just to be consistent.

PS: The original minhag as the Maharil brings it is to "hurry and
make kiddush under Jupiter and not under Mars".  So the main point of
the minhag was a positive one - to make kiddush before 6pm.  He
doesn't say that if one missed this time one should wait for 7 and
the hour of the Sun.  But as it's brought down in the Magen Avraham
and from there in the SA Harav it becomes a negative minhag, not to
make kiddush under Mars, and from there comes the L minhag of waiting
lechatichila until 7 before making kiddush, which seems to be missing
the point of the original Maharil.  It's odd.

PPS: I once went looking for this Maharil inside and couldn't find it.
But I only spent a short time on the search, and maybe I was looking
in the wrong place.


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Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas