Special Features
for Parshat B'reishit

This week's issue of Torah Tidbits comes with a Pull-Out section called Between Haftara & Musaf. It includes Rosh Chodesh Benching 5759

We ordered extra copies from the printer, which are available to you upon request - on a first come first served basis. The texts necessary to go from the after the Haftara
until Musaf are included in the Pull-Out. Some of the material is presented below.

ROSH CHODESH BENCHING

We bench Rosh Chodesh as a commemoration of the practice in the time of the Sanhedrin (past AND future) of proclaiming Rosh Chodesh based on the testimony of eye-witnesses who saw the first "sliver of light" of the new moon. We pray for a good month, announce the Molad (instance of the new moon), and announce the day(s) of the upcoming Rosh Chodesh. The introductory passage is modified for its monthly use from a prayer composed by RAV, as mentioned in the Gemara, originally intended for daily use.

The Tradition is to announce the Molad in Jerusalem Solar Time. This time is used by Jews all over the world, without adjusting for time zones or daylight savings time. To convert to local Israeli time (known as European time or Cairo's horizon), we subtract 21 minutes in the winter and add 39 minutes when we have Summer Time. To adjust the Molad to your time zone (remember that the announcement uses the left column without adjustment), use the middle column and add or subtract the number of hours you are different from Israel. The actual Molad, based upon the motion of the Earth and Moon around the Sun, is presented FYI, and will be used by Sanhedrin to determine if the moon will be visible on the night following the 29th of the month or not.

For each month, you have the Molad as we announce it in shul, followed by the same (time given in Israeli clock time), followed by the [actual Molad], also in Israel time. Adjust the second and third times for your locale; leave the first time as is - it is universal.

Cheshvan - TUE  19h  39m  16p  (Tu/OCT 20, 19:19)  [Tu/OCT 20, 12:09]

Kislev - THU  8h 23m 17p  (Th/NOV 19, 08:03)  [Th/NOV 19, 06:27]

Tevet - FRI  21h  8m  0p  (F/DEC 18, 20:47)  [Sha/DEC 19, 00:42]

Shvat - SUN (tomorrow)  9h  52m  1p  (Su/JAN 17, 09:31)  [Su/JAN 17, 17:45]

Adar - MON  22h  36m  2p  (M/FEB 15, 22:15)  [Tu/FEB 16, 08:38]

Nissan - WED  11h  20m  3p  (W/MAR 17, 11:59 sum.)  [W/MAR 17, 21:47 sum.]

Iyar - FRI  0h  4m  4p  (F/APR 16, 00:43 sum.)  [F/APR 16, 07:21 sum.]

Sivan - SHA (today)  12h  48m  5p  (Sha/MAY 15, 13:27 sum.)   [Sha/MAY 15, 15:05 sum.]

Tammuz - MON  1h  32m  6p  (M/JUN 14, 02:11 sum.)  [Su/JUN 13, 22:02 sum.]

Av - TUE  14h  16m  7p  (Tu/JUL 13, 14:55 sum.)  [Tu/JUL 13, 05:23 sum.]

Elul - THU  3h  0m  8p  (Th/AUG 12, 03:40 sum.)  [W/AUG 11, 14:08 sum.]

Dear TT Readers,

For the past six years, the Orthodox Union has been operating a Yeshiva Day school in Kharkov, Ukraine. Over 100 Jewish boys and girls attend the yeshiva. These kids are truly TINOKOT SHENISHBU (captive children). They come from homes where yiddishkeit has long been forgotten. Through the excellent education and warm dormitory facilities we offer them, they flourish as young Torah Jews.

In recent months, the funding & supply of Kosher food for these children have become very problematic.

We are turning to you for help-by contributing canned goods and pasta. Contributions can be brought to the Israel Center, or, if you are an out-of-Jerusalem reader, and are willing to be in charge of a local collection, please contact us.

For the Efrat drop-off  location call Rabbi Michael Fredman at 993-1266

For the Raanana and Ramat Gan drop-off location call Sylvia at 03-613-5331 or 050-777-554.

Sorry about that, chief!

OOPS, double OOPS, etc. It doesn't matter how careful you try to be, sometimes things slip through. Many TT readers called the Pesach-Sukkot switch to our attention. My only consolation was that it was an obvious enough mistake (hopefully) not to cause anyone to follow it. Some people pointed out that Sukkot is also commemorative of Y'tziat Mitzrayim, so it was not SO bad a mistake. Others claimed it fit with the G'ZEIRA SHAVA from the Gemara between Pesach & Sukkot. At least people are reading TT and paying attention. Seriously, I usually appreciate having errors pointed out to me. So keep it up. Would you believe that mem-tzadi and samach-kaf are interchangeable?

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