Thoughtful Jews have speculated about the impact on Judaism’s religious outlook that would be made by man’s successful exploration of space. In a small way the answer began to emerge within hours of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing and exploration by Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Col. Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.
The word came from Israel where Gen. Shlomo Goren, the Armed Forces’ Chief Chaplain, issued instructions about a change in the prayer for the blessing of the new moon which is said each month. The old blessing was worded: “As I dance before you and cannot touch you, so my enemies will not be able to touch me.” It now reads: “As I dance against you and do not touch you, so others, if they dance against me to harm me, they will not touch me.” The new version of the prayer is actually an old one found in the Talmud in Masechet Soffrim, chapter 20.
I have never seen any Jewish prayer book that uses Rav Goren's changed language of Kiddush Levana.
אחר שסיים הברכה אשר במאמרו יאמר שלוש פעמים: סימן טוב סימן טוב סימן טוב לכל ישראל, ברוך יוצרך ברוך עשך ברוך קונך ברוך בוראך, ורוקד שלוש רקידות כנגדה ואומר שלוש פעמים: כשם שאני רוקד כנגדך ואיני נונע בך כך אם ירקדו אחרים כנגדי לא יגעו בי, תפול עליהם אימתה ופחד וכו' ולמפרע (פי' להיפך כאבן ידמו זרעך וכו) אמן סלה הללוי-ה. ואומר לחבירו שלוש פעמים: שלום! וילך לביתו בלב טוב.
Why do we use language that is apparently not true nowadays, as it is possible to touch the Moon?
I have seen three answers given. Rav Chaim Kanievsky said that it could mean that it is impossible to touch the Moon from Earth. Alternatively, it could mean that we are not permitted by Jewish law to go to the Moon as it is dangerous and we should not put ourselves unnecessarily in danger.
Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein has a different approach, saying that it means that we cannot touch the Moon without special equipment. He brings a proof from a law that if a man divorces his wife conditional on her being able to soar to the sky, the divorce is invalid because it is impossible. But the Midrash does describe elsewhere that Alexander the Great flew on the back of an eagle! The answer must be that when we talk about the impossibility of flight, we mean unaided. That is the meaning of Kiddush Levana.
But I have a more basic question: why do we use the language today of "cannot touch" when the very source for Kiddush Levana in Sofrim uses language of "does not touch?" The questions wouldn't even come up if we used the original language!
The first source I mentioned claims that the Vilna Gaon's prayerbook uses the original terminology, but the one I looked at online did not. I haven't found any other sources for the changed language.
Any ideas?
UPDATE: I've gone through all the online old Siddurim I can find and I see nothing like the Sofrim language.
כשם שאני רוקד כנגדך ואיני נוגע בך כך אם ירקדו אחרים
כנגדי להרע ולהזיק לי לא יוכלו להזיק לי וליגע
לי
This is the only mention I can find that someone should say something different than our nusach - it is Sofrim, plus asking not to be injured.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.
Jonathan Sacks: The Leader as Servant KORACH
-
[image: Jonathan Sacks: The Leader as Servant KORACH] Jonathan Sacks: The
Leader as Servant KORACH IsraelSeen.com
Jonathan Sacks: The Leader as Servant KOR...
Book review: By the Thames we wept for Babylon
-
Iraqi-Jewish culture is being lost, despite Samantha Ellis’s valiant
attempts to preserve it. But with her new book, Chopping onions on my
heart, she g...
Sink the Sinai, a classic Dry Bones Golden Oldie
-
Dry Bones Blog Golden Oldies, now coming to you by Sali, the LSW (Long
Suffering Wife)
I wish that Yaakov were here to give his wisdom. Here is a class...
Iran Air Defense Hacked Again, Rickrolled
-
Only to have the system speakers launch into the characteristic opening
drum sequence of Never Gonna Give You Up.
The post Iran Air Defense Hacked Again,...
Channel 4 News takes direction from Hamas
-
Exclusive: Channel 4 News won awards for its reporting covering the Gaza
conflict. So I went looking for an early Channel 4 news item to look more
closel...
President Trump Kept 30 Years of Broken Promises
-
“Iran’s appetite for acquiring and developing nuclear weapons and the
missiles to deliver them has only grown larger,” Bill Clinton claimed in
1995. “...
One Choice: Fight to Win
-
Yesterday Israel preempted a potentially disastrous attack by Hezbollah on
the center of the country. Thirty minutes before launch time, our aircraft
destr...
Closing Jews Down Under Website
-
With a heavyish heart I am closing down the website after ten years.
It is and it isn’t an easy decision after 10 years of constant work. The
past...
‘Test & Trace’ is a mirage
-
Lockdown II thoughts: Day 1 Opposition politicians have been banging on
about the need for a ‘working’ Test & Trace system even more loudly than
the govern...