Kiddush Levanah

The tradition & historical record

Kiddush levana, also known as Birkat halevana, is a Jewish ritual and prayer service, generally observed on the first or second Saturday night of each Hebrew month. The service includes a blessing to God for the appearance of the new moon and further readings depending on custom. In most communities, ritual elements include the shalom aleikhem greeting and jumping toward the moon, with some also incorporating kabbalistic practices. The oldest part of Kiddush levana, the blessing, is described by the Talmud. Other elements were introduced by Massechet Soferim in the 8th century, although their ultimate origin is obscure. In the years since, different Jewish communities have incorporated various quotations from the Bible and Talmud, liturgical compositions, and mystical customs into their version of the ritual. In the Ashkenazic rite it is an individual recitation, but a cantor may lead in Mizrahi communities. In Orthodox Judaism, it is almost exclusively reserved for men, but non-Orthodox Kiddush levana may involve men, women, or both. Kiddush levana has featured in popular artwork, poems, jokes, stories, and folklore. Tunes based on its liturgy, especially "David Melekh Yisrael Hai veKayyam" and "Siman Tov uMazel Tov Yehei Lanu ulkhol Yisrael", have spread far beyond the original ritual. ¹

The Talmud includes many blessings for the occasion of observing natural phenomena, but only the blessing over the moon has expanded into an elaborate service. Kiddush levana is generally understood to have resulted from the special importance provided to the moon by the rituals associated with declaring a new calendar month, which date back at least to the Second Temple period. Some scholars say that Kiddush levana evolved under their influence, while others say it was intended to replace these rituals, abandoned after the Hebrew calendar was fixed in the 4th century. A few argue that it was originally a device for secret communication during the Bar Kokhba revolt, but this is unlikely given its late date. According to Julius Eisenstein, Kiddush levana was instituted by the rabbis to comfort their flock in a time of oppression, as a protection against any harm that might come to them in that month. According to Leon Mandelshtam, it was intended as a substitute for regular observances in times of oppression, and maintained especially for marranos. Others say that it was instituted to protest Zoroastrian moon-worship or the Karaite calendar. Avram Arian calls it "primarily a redemptive rite", and Israel Zolli sees it as mostly penitential. However, many other scholars ascribe Kiddush levana a pagan origin. According to Jacob Reifmann, it was originally a magical practice to protect Jews from eclipses; Israel Drazin explains it as resulting from "ancient superstitious fear that the new moon might not return to its original fullness due to satanic interference". Others say it was borrowed from Zoroastrianism. Arthur A. ¹

The oldest part of the Kiddush levana ritual is the blessing. The Talmud describes both men and women reciting a special blessing when they see the new moon, recording several different liturgies and attributing them to 2nd and 3rd-century sages. According to Arian, the early attributions are false. The oldest form was a simple "Blessed be the Creator", but in time the version attributed to Judah bar Ezekiel (220–299) became canonical: ¹

Blessed art thou, Lord our God, King of the universe, who didst create the heavens by thy command, and all their host by thy mere word. Thou hast subjected them to fixed laws and time, so that they might not deviate from their set function. They are glad and happy to do the will of their Creator, the true Author, whose achievement is truth. He ordered the moon to renew itself as a glorious crown over those he sustained from birth, who likewise will be regenerated in the future, and will worship their Creator for his glorious majesty. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who renewst the months. Johanan bar Nappaha (d. 279) attempted to upgrade its status by comparing it to "welcoming the shekhinah". Abaye (d. 337) taught that the blessing should be recited while standing upright, but Maremar and Mar Zutra (d. 417) would recite it while being carried. In the Talmud, the blessing for the new moon is one of many recommended for the occasion of observing a natural wonder; liturgies are also given to mark the full moon, thunder, lightning, rainbows, mountains, and the changing of the seasons. Some Orthodox halakhists maintain that this blessing should be recited immediately upon seeing the new moon for the first time. However, in general practice the blessing has been uprooted from this context and remade into a special ritual. ¹

Massechet Soferim (c. 775) is the first text to describe a complex ritual, to be exclusively performed "at the conclusion of the Sabbath, when perfumed and beautifully attired". According to Soferim,One looks toward the moon with straightened legs and blesses "Who didst create the heavens by thy command..." and then one says three times "A good omen on all Israel! Blessed be your Creator..." Then one jumps three times toward the moon, and says three times "Just as I jump but do not reach you, so too if others jump at me, let them not reach me", and "Terror and dread falleth upon them, by the greatness of Thine arm they are still as a stone (Ex. 15:16)", and backwards, and "Amen amen selah hallelujah". Then one greets another person three times, and returns home in good cheer.Threefold repetition, reversal of Ex. 15:16, "A good omen on all Israel", and "Amen amen selah" are typical of medieval Jewish magic spells. The unique elements – addressing the moon with "Blessed be your Creator...", jumping towards it, and greeting others—are frequently understood as magical, but their origin is contested. The prayerbooks of Amram ben Sheshna (d. 875), Saadia ben Joseph (892–942), and Solomon ben Nathan (c. 1150), as well as early halakhic codes like Halakhot Gedolot (c. 750–900), the Rif (c. 1085), the Eshkol (c. 1150), and the Mishneh Torah (1180), incorporate only the Talmudic practice of reciting a blessing when one sees the new moon, rejecting the Saturday-night ritual described by Soferim. Nor do Rashi or the Tosafists mention anything beyond the Talmudic blessing. ¹

A tradition in the name of Judah of Regensburg (1150–1217), first recorded in the early 14th century, calls for reciting "The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills (Song of Songs 2:8)". Originally connected to the jumping component (even displacing it in MS Bod. 1103), this addition was later reinterpreted by Kabbalists, who also added 2:9. ¹

According to Arian,The growth of the kiddush levanah came slowly and unevenly. Some [customs] are popular and well-accepted. Others remain mysterious in origin and meaning... ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Kiddush levana”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Kiddush Levanah is Jewish ritual for blessing the Moon, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 4 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²