[Avodah] Announcing the Molad

Micha Berger via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Mon May 18 13:31:48 PDT 2015


On Mon, May 18, 2015 at 02:24:32PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
: >Yes, that explans the length of the molad, but not the point in the
: >idealized cycle. How much moon must be visible for it to be a new
: >moon? [...] they make the fundamental error of discussing mean
: >conjunction -- no moon -- not the first sliver.
: 
: I don't think they made an error at all. The molad is the conjunction;
: the earliest time at which the moon can be seen is six hours after
: the molad.

How do you know this? The Rambam (Qiddush Levana 6:1) appears to say
it's the average of the first time the moon could be seen "kedei leida im
yeira'eh hayarei'ach of lo yeira'eh.... bemahalakhtam ha'emtza'i,
who haniqra 'molad'".

And my whole point was that we didn't know how big of a sliver is
"yeira'eh", but I'm willing to entertain the possibility that we announce
when it cannot be seen, as a way of knowing by deduction when it could. I
just can't see it as a given.

Combining not knowing how much -- if any -- after the conjunction
the molad is with not knowing which lattitude's clock is being used
was the not knowing what the molad really means. You could move
the lattitude by changing the size sliver.

As for why we announce the molad... The Yerei'im gives the answer Zev
did. The MA quotes the Yerei'im and says that mevorkhim hachodesh is
lezeikher the real qiddush hachodesh by Sanhedrin. Which is why we stand.
RMF (IM OC 1:142) says this is in imitation of the qehillah who
would stand when answering "Mequdash! Mequdash!"

I find the MA's answer more compelling, because it unlikely that it
is to know when Rosh Chodesh should be, when the one RC that most
depends on the molad isn't announced -- Tishrei.

It also adds resonence for me when saying "Mi sheAsah Nissim", that
before the chazan announces ther month, we ask for a return of the
qiddush hachodesh being commemorated. And if truly "chaverim kol
Yisrael" and we acted it, we would have a Sanhedrin.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 44th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        6 weeks and 2 days in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Gevurah sheb'Malchus: What type of justice
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            does unity demand?



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