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Parshas Bo 5785

סנהדרין מב.

"כל המברך על החדש בזמנו כאילו מקבל פני השכינה"


Rav Yochanan says whoever makes a ברכה on the new moon בזמנו, is like he was מקבל פני השכינה.אביי says הלכך נימרינהו מעומד. Rashi explains, that since it’s considered כמקבל השכינה, theברכה must be said while standing. The שו"ע [או"ח תכו,ב] says when reciting the beracha, one should be"תולה עיניו ומישר רגליו" and then recite the beracha. The רמ"א adds the word "מעומד".       [או"ח ח"א, קמג] ר' משה addresses the fact that although no one argues withאביי , the מחבר doesn’t bring his halacha of מועמד. Only the רמ"א mentions it and so does the רמב"ם.ר' משה quotes the [ברכות פ"י,יז] רמב"ם: if one wasn’t מקדש לבנה בלילה הראשון, he has until the 16th . We see theרמב"ם holds thatלכתחילה Kiddush Levana should be said on the first night. ר' משה is מדייק in the רמב"ם that first he says it should be made מעומד because it’sכמקבל פני השכינה and then says one has up until the 16th. Since the רמב"ם mentions the halacha ofמעומד and כאילו מקבל השכינה before he discusses the 16th, ר' משה says it’sמשמע he holds that only the first night isכמקבל פני השכינה and needs מעומד. If said later, it’s not כמקבל פני השכינה anymore and doesn’t require מעומד. In reality, says ר' משה, the מחבר holds like the רמב"ם that the 1st night is theעיקר but sinceבזמן הזה we don’t know how to be מדקדק exactly, the מחבר says it’s better to wait until itsבמילוה which is after the 7th day. So, since we aren’t being מקדש on the first day, which is the only time it is considered כמקבל פני השכינה, the דין ofעמידה was not necessary for theמחבר to mention.

The [שם סי' ד] רמ"א says one should not say קידוש לבנה under a roof. The משנ"ב explains, since it is כקבלת פני השכינה, it is most appropriate to go out to the street and greet the king rather than stay under a roof. Based on the way ר' משה learns the רמב"ם, that only on the first day is כקבלת השכינה, that would be the only day one may not say ק"ל under a roof. The [ד"ה ומברך] באור הלכה brings the יד רמה that learns our Gemara that מרימר and מר זוטרא were too weak to stand on their own, so they leaned on their servants while reciting ק"ל. Theח"ח says we see regarding ק"ל, that if one can’t stand on his own, then סמיכה is permitted. He then quotes הגהות רע"א who brings the תורת חיים that one may not lean on his cane while reciting ק"ל. The ח"ח says this halacha is referring to one who can stand on his own, yet chooses to lean, he may not lean on his cane. Our halacha, is like in our Gemara where the person cannot stand on his own. In that case, leaning on a cane is כעומד דמי.       באר היטב [או"ח ס' תרב] brings a fascinating story where a Yid was attacked at night by bandits and asked as his last wish to be מקדש לבנה before they kill him. When he said "כשם שאני רוקד כנגדך", he lifted his feet 3 times as is our minhag, and the wind lifted him up and he was saved from his would-be killers. He concludes there, "ואני שמעתי" that whoever is מקדש לבנה need not worry that he will die in that same month. עיי"ש.

 
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