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During Kiddush Levanah, a brief prayer is recited:

וִיהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹקי וֵאלֹקי אֲבוֹתַי לְמַלֹּאת פְּגִימַת הַלְּבָנָה וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָּהּ שׁוּם מִעוּט.
וִיהִי אוֹר הַלְּבָנָה כְּאוֹר הַחַמָּה וּכְאוֹר שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי בְרֵאשִׁית כְּמו שֶׁהָיְתָה קוֹדֶם מִעוּטָהּ.

... that God "fill the defect of the moon, that there should be no more diminution thereof, and that the moon's light be like the sun's light and like the light of the Seven Days of Creation..." [trans. mine]

What does this mean? Are we really praying that the moon stop its phases and outshine the sun? And how will we be able to keep the calendar if there's never a "new moon"?

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2 Answers 2

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Yeshaya prophesied (Isa. 30:26):

"וְהָיָ֤ה אוֹר־הַלְּבָנָה֙ כְּא֣וֹר הַחַמָּ֔ה וְא֤וֹר הַֽחַמָּה֙ יִֽהְיֶ֣ה שִׁבְעָתַ֔יִם כְּא֖וֹר שִׁבְעַ֣ת הַיָּמִ֑ים בְּי֗וֹם חֲבֹ֤שׁ יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־שֶׁ֣בֶר עַמּ֔וֹ וּמַ֥חַץ מַכָּת֖וֹ יִרְפָּֽא"

"And the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times like the light of the seven days in a day which Hashem bandages the breakage of his people and the crush of his strike he heals."

The prayer is essentially for this day to come.

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    This passuk is what the OP is quoting - we say it in the section of Kiddush Levanah in question. The OP’s question seems to be what exactly this passuk means. This doesn’t address the question at all.
    – DonielF
    Apr 2, 2018 at 20:52
  • I don't see how it answers the questions. He asked how, not what's the source.
    – Al Berko
    Aug 21, 2019 at 8:07
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To your second question: the Gemmorah calls the Messianic era "יום שכולו ארוך" or "יום שכולו שבת" and states that all festivals will be canceled - so there will be no need in calendar - there will be no passage of time as there will be no visible changes in the luminaries, as you said (see my comment to Doniel).

To your first question, (I answered it here):

If I understand right what Abarbanel (c.1500) says (on Isaiah 30.26) - it is all metaphoric:

יהיה אור הלבנה המאור הקטן כאור החמה שהוא המאור הגדול
ואור החמה יהיה שבעתים ממה שהוא עתה
...
ואמר כל זה דרך משל לרבוי ההצלחה והשפע,
שלאותם יושבי ירושלם תהיה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר, כי כמו שהצרה היו ממשילים הנביאים בחשך, כמו שאמר "כי הנה החשך יכסה ארץ וערפל לאומים", כן הגאולה היו ממשילים באור, כמו שאמר "ועליך יזרח ה'" שפירשו מיד...:

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  • It’s not a Gemara; it’s a Zohar. Don’t have the source offhand, but I know for a fact it’s a Zohar that all the Yamim Tovim will be annulled in the future. Nevertheless Purim and Tisha B’av will remain as Yamim Tovim, so there goes your theory.
    – DonielF
    Aug 21, 2019 at 11:03
  • @DonielF No it doesn't. When I tried to reconcile it, the only solution is that that future constant day of Shabbos will have the Bchinot of Yom Kippur (לא אכילה ולא שתיה and no physical relations of course) and also the joyfulness of Purim. But it will be constant - always Shabbos and Y"K and Purim.
    – Al Berko
    Aug 21, 2019 at 11:28
  • A) Please put that in the post, not in comments. You know this - comments are designed to be deleted. B) Please clarify that this is your understanding based on the Zohar, not that this is what the Zohar says.
    – DonielF
    Aug 21, 2019 at 11:31

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