Friday, February 20, 2015

Kiddush Levanah Advisory

The custom amongst most Ashkenazim is to wait at least 72 hours after the molad to recite kiddush levanah. The announced molad for Rosh Chodesh Adar was less than a minute before midnight, Wednesday night. It is once again important to make it clear that this is Yerushalayim (local) time. Therefore, in the Eastern time zone, the molad was really before 5 pm. Therefore, North American Ashkenazim should be able to say Kiddush levanah this Motzaei Shabbos, weather permitting. (Note: According to scientific data, the true new moon occurred at 6:47 pm. If one wishes to wait a full 72 hours from that moment, it might be a close call for cities further east.)