WORD OF THE MONTH

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...

We bench Rosh Chodesh SIVAN on Shabbat Parshat Bamidbar, May 11, '02

HAMOLAD Y'H'YEH MACHAR YOM RISHON, CHAMISHIM U'SHEMONEH DAKOT V'SHISHA CHALAKIM ACHAREI SHALOSH BABOKER

The Molad is on Sunday (May 12th) 3h 58m 6p

In Rambam notation: RISHON • 9h • 1050 chalakim

Clock time (can be adjusted for location) SUN May. 12, 4:37˝am (summer time)

Astronomical Molad - SUN, May 12, 1:47pm(sum)

ROSH CHODESH SIVAN Y'H'YEH MACHAR B'YOM RISHON HABA ALEINU V'AL KOL YISRA'EL L'TOVA

1.88 times a year

That’s how often (on average) that Shabbat is Machar Chodesh. It happens at least once a year, sometimes twice, and sometimes thrice. This Shabbat is the only one for 5762. It happened last Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul 5761, and the next scheduled Machar Chodesh is 29 Tishrei 5763.

Whenever it happens, though, there is an interesting halachic issue related to Birkat HaMazon of Seuda Shlishit.

Picture this: You begin your 3rd Shabbat meal well before sunset on this Shabbat (as one should) and the meal continues into the night (which it usually may), including the eating of bread both before and after dark. It is time to “bench”. Do you say R’TZEI for the Shabbat meal you’ve eaten? Do you say YAALEH V’YAVO because it is Rosh Chodesh now that it is dark? [Even though you have not davened Maariv or said Havdala, and it is Shabbat for you, the fact is, that Rosh Chodesh has commenced.] Do you say them both?

MACHLOKET (dispute. Surprised?)

According to the Magen Avraham, one says YAALEH V’YAVO in benching,which is a definite obligation, since you ate bread after dark, i.e. on Rosh Chodesh, and it is now Rosh Chodesh when you are benching, but not R’TZEI, because [a] R’TZEI would clash with YAALEH V’YAVO since this month Rosh Chodesh is the day following Shabbat, and [b] there are opinions that you don’t say R’TZEI on any Motza’ei Shabbat when your Seuda Shlishit ends after dark. (Even though we don’t follow those opinions on a “regular” Motza”Sh, in this case it fits with the Magen Avraham’s opinion to say YAALEH V’YAVO, thereby lending support to his opinion to say only YAALEH V’YAVO.)

The TA”Z says to say R’TZEI, because when one begins his meal on Shabbat, R’TZEI must be said in Birkat HaMazon, regardless of when you bench (provided you have not davened Maariv or said Havdala), and you also say YAALEH V’YAVO because its sanctity has descended and overlaps that of Shabbat. The TA”Z does not consider R’TZEI and YAALEH V’YAVO to clash, as does the Magen Av. He supports this idea by pointing to the Kiddush and then Havdala procedure for Yom Tov that falls on Motza’ei Shabbat. (We had the option of following the opinion that Havdala be said first and then Kiddush, but we opted for the overlap of sanctity on purpose. Saying both R’TZEI and YAALEH V’YAVO can mean that it is Shabbat-Rosh Chodesh, OR that it is the overlap period on Motza’ei Shabbat that is Rosh Chodesh.)

The Aruch HaShulchan (and, it seems, the Beit Yosef too) hold that we say just R’TZEI (and not YAALEH V’YAVO), because what we say is determined by the beginning of the meal. (If one davened Maariv or said Havdala, or even just BARUCH HAMAVDIL BEIN KODESH L’CHOL, before benching, then he would say just YAALEH V’YAVO and not R’TZEI.)

According to a p’sak of R’ Moshe Feinstein zt”l, one should follow the Aruch HaShulchan and say only R’TZEI. However, if one started the meal late and did not eat a KAZAYIT of bread before dark, but did eat a KAZAYIT and more after dark, then he should say only YAALEH V’YAVO, like the Magen Av’s opinion. And if one is not sure whether he ate a KAZAYIT of bread before dark or not, then he should include both R’TZEI and YAALEH V’YAVO in his benching, like the opinion of the TA”Z.

Preferable to all of the above is to eat and finish one’s Seuda Shlishit before sunset on Shabbat that precedes Rosh Chodesh, to avoid entering into a situation of doubt and question.

The above presentation of this issue is based on the first

volume of Sefer Halacha by R’ Naftali Hoffner - Dinei

Birchot HaNehenin. It makes a good D.T. for this Shabbat.