The New Jew: A Field Guide

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pp. 526-527

Sanctification of the Moon

Kiddush HaLevanah

קִדּוּשׁ הַלְּבָנָה

Visible layers

Hebrew

גֻּדְלוֹ: הַלְלוּהוּ בְּתֵקַע שׁוֹפָר,
הַלְלוּהוּ בְּנֵבֶל וְכִנּוֹר:1 הַלְלוּהוּ בְתֹף
וּמָחוֹל, הַלְלוּהוּ בְּמִנִּים וְעֻגָב:
הַלְלוּהוּ בְּצִלְצְלֵי שָׁמַע, הַלְלוּהוּ
בְּצִלְצְלֵי תְרוּעָה: כֹּל הַנְּשָׁמָה
תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ הַלְלוּיָהּ:

Sephardi

gudlo: Halleluhu b'teka shofar,
Halleluhu b'nevel vechinor:1 Halleluhu v'tof
u'machol, Halleluhu b'minim v'ugav:
Halleluhu b'tziltzelei shama, Halleluhu
b'tziltzelei teru'ah: Kol haneshamah
tehallel Yah, Halleluyah:

English

in the way that His plentiful greatness should be praised—through music and song. Praise Him with the sounding of the shofar. Praise Him with musical instruments like the lyre and the harp.1 Praise Him by playing the drum and dancing. Praise Him with stringed instruments and the flute. Praise Him with the loud sound of cymbals. Praise Him with the clanging sound of cymbals. Every creation that has a soul should praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Blessing the new moon is a special occasion

Hebrew

תָּנָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל, אִלְמָלֵי
לֹא זָכוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא
לְהַקְבִּיל פְּנֵי אֲבִיהֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם
פַּעַם אַחַת בַּחֹדֶשׁ דַּיָּם. אָמַר
אַבַּיֵי: הַלְכָךְ נֵימְרִינְהוּ מְעֻמָּד.
מִי זֹאת עוֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר
מִתְרַפֶּקֶת עַל דּוֹדָהּ.

Sephardi

Tana d'vei Rabbi Yishmael, ilmalei
lo zachu Yisrael ela
l'hakbil p'nei avihem shebashamayim
pa'am achat bachodesh dayam. Amar
Abaye: Hilkach neimrinhu m'umad.
Mi zot olah min hamidbar
mitrapeket al dodah.

English

The Gemara says: It was taught in the academy of Rabbi Yishmael: Even if the Children of Israel had no merit other than greeting their Father in Heaven once a month by saying the blessing over the new moon, it would be enough for them. Abaye said: Therefore we must say it standing. In the Song of Songs it says: Who is this coming up from the desert, hanging on to her Beloved—the Divine Presence? It is the Children of Israel, who love God and look forward to greeting Him every month during the sanctification of the new moon.

May God make the moon shine like the sun

Hebrew

וִיהִי רָצוֹן
מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, יְיָ אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי,
לְמַלֹּאת פְּגִימַת הַלְּבָנָה, וְלֹא
יִהְיֶה בָּהּ שׁוּם מִעוּט, וִיהִי
אוֹר הַלְּבָנָה כְּאוֹר הַחַמָּה כְּאוֹר
שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי בְרֵאשִׁית, כְּמוֹ
שֶׁהָיְתָה קוֹדֶם מִעוּטָהּ,
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת שְׁנֵי
הַמְּאֹרֹת הַגְּדֹלִים. וְיִתְקַיֵּם בָּנוּ
מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב: וּבִקְשׁוּ אֶת יְיָ
אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֵת דָּוִיד מַלְכָּם,
אָמֵן:

Sephardi

Vihi ratzon
milfanekha, Adonai Elohai veilohei avotai,
l'malot p'gimat halevanah, v'lo
yihyeh bah shum mi'ut, vihi
or halevanah k'or hachamah k'or
shiv'at yemei vereishit, kemo
shehayetah kodem mi'utah,
shene'emar: Vaya'as Elohim et sh'nei
ham'orot hagedolim. V'yitkayem banu
mikra shekatuv: Uvikshu et Adonai
Eloheihem v'et David malkam,
Amen:

English

May it be Your will, Lord, my God and the God of my fathers, to fill the lack of light in the moon and make it as bright as the sun, so there will no longer be a decrease in the amount of light in it. May the light of the moon be as the light of the sun, as the great light that shone during the seven days of Creation, as it was before its light was decreased. As it says in the Torah: And God made the two great sources of light—the sun and the moon. Originally they were created with equal brightness, but God later made the moon less bright. May the following verse written in Hosea be fulfilled by us: The Jewish Nation will look for the Lord, their God, and David, their king. Amen.

Other nations will praise God

Hebrew

לַמְנַצֵּחַ בִּנְגִינַת מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר:
אֱלֹהִים יְחָנֵּנוּ וִיבָרְכֵנוּ,
יָאֵר פָּנָיו אִתָּנוּ סֶלָה: לָדַעַת בָּאָרֶץ
דַּרְכֶּךָ, בְּכָל גּוֹיִם יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ: יוֹדוּךָ
עַמִּים אֱלֹהִים, יוֹדוּךָ עַמִּים כֻּלָּם:
יִשְׂמְחוּ וִירַנְּנוּ לְאֻמִּים, כִּי תִשְׁפֹּט
עַמִּים מִישֹׁר, וּלְאֻמִּים בָּאָרֶץ
תַּנְחֵם סֶלָה: יוֹדוּךָ עַמִּים אֱלֹהִים,
יוֹדוּךָ עַמִּים כֻּלָּם: אֶרֶץ נָתְנָה
יְבוּלָהּ, יְבָרְכֵנוּ אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵינוּ:
יְבָרְכֵנוּ אֱלֹהִים, וְיִירְאוּ אֹתוֹ כָּל
אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ:

Sephardi

Lamnatzei'ach bingininat mizmor shir:
Elohim y'chanenu vivarcheinu,
Ya'er panav itanu selah: Lada'at ba'aretz
darkecha, bechol goyim yeshu'atecha: Yoducha
amim Elohim, yoducha amim kulam:
Yismechu viranenu le'umim, ki tishpot
amim mishor, ule'umim ba'aretz
tanchem selah: Yoducha amim Elohim,
yoducha amim kulam: Eretz natnah
yevulah, yevarechenu Elohim Eloheinu:
Yevarechenu Elohim, v'yiru oto kol
afsei aretz:

English

The following is a song composed for the choirmaster of the Levites, to be sung together with instruments in the Holy Temple: May God be gracious to us and bless us. May His face shine on us and bring us success in everything we do, forever. God, may You do this in order to let people on earth know Your ways and know that You are gracious to those who believe in You, and so that all nations will know that You save the Jewish Nation. When nations see that You reward those who believe in You, God, they will praise You. The nations will praise You. Nations will be happy and sing with joy, because they will realize that You judge nations fairly and that You will help and guide all the nations on earth forever. Nations will praise You, when they see that You are gracious to everyone. Nations will praise You—because the earth has given its produce, and for all the blessings that You, our God, will bless us. God will bless us because of our trust in Him. All nations—including those in the farthest corners of the earth—will fear Him. They will realize that only those who fear God are blessed.

We thank God for not making us like other nations, who serve worthless beings

Hebrew

עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל,
לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוֹצֵר
בְּרֵאשִׁית, שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂנוּ כְּגוֹיֵי
הָאֲרָצוֹת, וְלֹא שָׂמָנוּ כְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת
הָאֲדָמָה, שֶׁלֹּא שָׂם חֶלְקֵנוּ
כָּהֶם, וְגוֹרָלֵנוּ כְּכָל הֲמוֹנָם,
שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וָרִיק.
וַאֲנַחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים
וּמוֹדִים לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי
הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם וְיוֹסֵד

Sephardi

Aleinu l'shabeach la'adon hakol,
latet gedulah l'yotzer
b'reishit, shelo asanu k'goyei
ha'aratzot, v'lo samanu k'mishp'chot
ha'adamah, shelo sam chelkenu
kahem, v'goralenu k'khol hamonam,
shehem mishtachavim lahevel varik.
Va'anachnu kor'im umishtachavim
umodim lifnei melech malchei
hamelachim, hakadosh baruch hu.
Shehu noteh shamayim v'yosed

English

It is our duty to praise God, the Master of all things; to give greatness to the Creator of all existence. Praise Him because He has not made us like the other nations of the world. He has given each of us a soul that is part of Himself, and He has not put us to be like the other families of the earth, who do not have the Torah and its commandments. We should praise Him because He has not given us a portion like theirs; He has given us His Torah. He has not given us a share like all of their people; for they bow down to false gods—to emptiness and nothingness. But we