15
votes
Accepted
Me'am Lo'ez on not beginning a new mesechta on Rosh Chodesh
Is the custom practiced today?
The רמ"א יו"ד סי' קע"ט סעיף ב [as understood by the פתחי תשובה יו"ד רמ"ה ס"ק ה] writes that our minhag is to start a new מסכת even on Rosh Chodesh.
Also, what does ...
- 6,183
11
votes
Accepted
Eidim Zomemim in a case of seeing a new moon
According to Rabbi Akiva Eiger, (Shu"t RA"E Mahadura Kama 176, cited here) they are not punished by the hand of man:
וגם משום מלקות, נראה דלא לקו, דלא שייך בזה 'לא תענה ברעך' דהא לא העידו ...
- 17.9k
9
votes
Accepted
Why is tefillas Hashlah recommended for Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan
This is indeed what the Shela (R Yeshaya Horowitz, 1565-1630) writes in his work Shnei Luchot Habrit with the exact words you quote in your question (h/t to @ba for identifying the exact source as ...
- 53.6k
8
votes
Are there any sages who have written about experiencing a total solar eclipse?
As the OP asked for “Rabbinic Sefarim” without designating a time period, I’d like to use this space to take note of the Chofetz Chaim’s response to a solar eclipse in Radin (I believe it was the ...
- 34.6k
8
votes
Accepted
May one shave/haircut on Friday, Rosh Chodesh Iyar
R' Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe OC 6, §36) is lenient in the above case. He posits that the prohibition of R' Yehuda HaChassid to shave on a Friday Rosh Chodesh applies only when it was possible to ...
- 10.7k
8
votes
Where in the rabbinic writings are there examples of the word "Elul" that mean or imply "harvest" and/or "search"?
For the first one: there's an Aramaic term עללתא, meaning "crop" or "harvest" (see Talmud, Nedarim 55a, and Targum Onkelos to Vayikra 25:3). Could be that the Akkadian cognate, if ...
- 9,903
8
votes
Accepted
Are blind men obligated in kiddush levana
Beur Halachah 426:2 cites a dispute among the poskim about this, with Maharshal (R. Shlomo Luria) saying that yes, he should say it (because even though he can't see the moon, others can, and that's ...
- 9,903
5
votes
How accurate is the Molad?
I would recommend having a look at this site. The maths is much too complicated for me, but the upshot is that our molad is two hours later than the molad when the calendar was formulated, and is ...
- 19k
5
votes
Why did the people have to respond twice "It is sanctified" when Sanhedrin declared Rosh Hodesh?
M'leches Sh'lomo to Sh'kalim 3:3 cites a R. Y'hosef as saying that that's simply how people speak:
כן הוא דרך הדבור שהשואל אומר הדבור פעם אחת והמשיב משיב לו שני פעמים וכדומה לזה מצינו גבי קדוש החדש ...
- 73.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Forgot Yaaleh V'Yavo by Mincha on Erev Shabbos
The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in סימן כא - דין מי שלא התפלל האיך ישלימנה says that since at night you will not say יַעֲלֶה וְיָבֹא (since it's no longer Rosh Chodesh) there's no point in repeating the ...
- 44.1k
5
votes
Musaf verses for Rosh Chodesh on Rosh Hashanah
What you're looking for is ruled in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 591:2. The Shulchan Aruch writes:
המנהג פשוט בכל בני ספרד שאין מזכירין פסוקי קרבן מוסף כלל
The widespread custom in all the Sefardic ...
- 20k
5
votes
Why would a malicious declaration of Rosh Hachodesh be legal (R"H 25a)?
The Rambam in Hilchos Kiddush Hachodesh Perek 2, leaves out the option of Meizid, however Tosfos on 22B clearly says that he had the words included in the Gemarah.
The Yaavitz in his commentary to ...
- 13.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Why is there no mention of Rosh Chodesh after the Haftara?
Shabbos 24a
אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי לְרַב יוֹסֵף: הָא דְּרַב הוּנָא וְרַב יְהוּדָה
דְּרַב הוּא. דְּאָמַר רַב גִּידֵּל אָמַר רַב: רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ שֶׁחָל
לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת —
הַמַּפְטִיר בַּנָּבִיא ...
- 140k
5
votes
Accepted
Is there a minhag to start blowing the shofar from the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul?
Mishna Berurah 581:3, there are some who have the custom to do it the first day, and some the second day.
מר"ח ואילך וכו' - יש מתחילין מיום ראשון דר"ח ויש מתחילין מיום שני דר"ח וכ"...
- 627
4
votes
Why do we mention the Rosh Chodesh korbanot in pesukei dezimra?
R' Eliezer ben Nathan (120) was asked this question. He answered that since Rosh Chodesh is a workday, not everyone will be present in synagogue to hear the Torah reading.
- 100k
4
votes
Accepted
Maleh month with Rosh Chodesh on Shabbos
Yes it does. Nisan, Av, Tishrei, Marcheshvan, Shevat or Adar I can be that way. (OC 428:2)
- 100k
4
votes
Why do we sometimes repeat shmoneh esrei when we forget yaaleh v'yavo and sometimes not?
The Talmud in Berachot 30b explains why we do not repeat Shemoneh Esrei on Rosh Chodesh evening:
אמר רב ענן אמר רב טעה ולא הזכיר של ר"ח ערבית אין מחזירין אותו לפי שאין בית דין מקדשין את החדש אלא ...
- 49.8k
4
votes
Accepted
What haftarah is read on Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Av
From an Ashkenazi perspective, Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 122:6 writes both customs exist
On the three Shabbosos between the seventeenth of Tammuz and Tishah
beAv, we read the "Three haftaros of ...
- 53.6k
4
votes
When did Rosh Hashanah begin?
In the days of the Talmud, witnesses would report to the Sanhedrin that they saw the new moon, and then the court would declare that the month started. Even if the court knew that the moon should be ...
- 9,334
4
votes
Accepted
Retroactive Kiddush Hachodesh according to Rambam
This question is asked by Ritva to Rosh HaShanah 25b, who writes that he doesn't know how to explain Rambam's words properly.
One answer (which I do not fully understand) is presented by R. Chaim ...
- 45.1k
3
votes
Accepted
How was Rosh Chodesh determined, if a New Moon Cannot be Seen?
Summary
The date of Rosh Chodesh was determined by testimony. However, it was also calculated. Since the calculations weren't binding in and of themselves, the testimony was made to align with the ...
- 25.2k
3
votes
Visiting the prophet on Shabbat and Rosh Hodesh
Radak does not say exactly what you said. Rather, he wrote (my own translation):
"Our Rabbis, za'l, deduced from this that a person (adam) is obligated to visit his teacher on Shabbat and the ...
- 21k
3
votes
forgot birkas hachodesh
The Rivivos Efraim (OC 4 Siman 53) writes that they should not say it later publicly on a weekday, but the individuals can say it on their own during the week if they did not say it on Shabbos.
- 338
3
votes
Why don't we say Hallel on Rosh Hashanah?
In the words of Rambam (Hilkhot Megillah 3:6), we do not recite Hallel on Rosh HaShana (or on Yom Kippur) since they are times of repentance, fear, and terror; not times for excessive joy.
אבל ראש ...
- 35.9k
3
votes
How accurate is the Molad?
Just because the "error" in the molad moment seems small doesn't mean that it is insignificant. The approximately +2h delay relative to the mean lunar conjunction moment currently causes the ...
3
votes
Do we, today, cause the Churban?
The potential of rebuilding the Temple is constantly present:
סנהדרין צח ע"א
ר' יהושע בן לוי אשכח לאליהו ... אמר ליה אימת אתי משיח אמר ליה זיל
שייליה לדידיה ... א"ל לאימת אתי מר א"ל היום אתא ...
3
votes
Why do we specifically skip Lo Lanu and Ahavti?
Elyah Rabbah 422:12 quotes from Binyamin Ze'ev 361 who suggests that we skip these pieces specifically because the paragraphs of Lo Lanu and Hashem Zecharanu contain the same themes for the most part, ...
- 45.1k
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