Parashat Lech L'cha A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem... The Molad of Cheshvan was Sunday morning, October 10th, a bit after 4:00am. By now, all opinions for the first opportunity to say Kiddush L'vana have past. Everyone could have - and should have - already said K.L. by now. But some nights it's cloudy and other nights some people forget to say it, and it is possible that some TT readers have not yet said Kiddush L'vana this month. I know it's hard to believe, but it is possible. Last chance to say K.L. in any given month is Full Moon. In other words, the time when the Moon is no longer increasing in brightness, but rather is beginning to wane.K.L. is for waxing, not waning. This time is fixed, not at the actual full moon, but midway between the previous and the next Molad (based on average calculation). That is 14 days, 18 hours, 22 minutes after the Molad of the month in question. For Cheshvan 5760, this comes to a tiny bit short of 10:30pm next Sunday night, October 24th. Motza'ei Shabbat will be good for K.L. all night, but on Sunday night, after 10:30 one can no longer say K.L. This is Israel Time. In the States, for example, Motza"Sh is the last time. [The Lech L'cha Homepage]
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