Molad, The

When blessing the new month in the synagogue on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, it is customary to announce the time that the molad (birth of the new moon) occurs in Jerusalem, so that it can be kept in mind while saying the blessing. Traditionally, the ...

Why is the Redemption, the moment of our consummate fulfillment, analogous to the moon's rebirth, a moment when it emits only a diminutive and weak crescent of light?

The Lunar Cycle The Jewish calendar is based on lunar cycles. The lunar cycle which the Jewish calendar follows is called a synodic month—not to be confused with the sidereal month, the amount of time it takes for the moon to complete an orbit around the ...

Shortly before sundown on the 29th of Adar, G-d commanded Moses regarding the mitzvah of sanctifying the crescent new moon and establishing a lunar calendar. This is the first mitzvah the Jews were given as a nation. Moses had difficulty envisaging the mo...

Why was the sanctification of the moon the first commandment to the Jewish Nation?

Expert on Medieval Hebrew manuscripts, Dr. Israel Sandman examines an obscure and cryptic passage of Talmud in light of a manuscript of 'Yesod Olam' by thirteenth century Jewish scholar and astronomer Isaac Israeli.

Jewish mystics teach that judging others favorably is the true test of righteousness.