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 Elul is/was Thursday evening at about 6:50. Three full days later is Sunday, August 11th. According to Minhag Yerushalayim, the first opportunity for Kiddush L’vana is Sun- day night. Seven-day people will wait for Thursday evening, August 15th, and those who say K.L. only on Motza’ei Shabbat will have their first op on Motza”Sh, Aug. 17th, the eve of the 10th of Elul. The actual Molad is/was later on Thursday night, a little before 11:00pm. This means that both the 3-day people and the 7-day people will start to say K.L. before the Moon is “really” 3 or 7 days old. This is okay, because our Tradition is to use the average times, not the actual ones. This “discrepancy” happens once in a while and demonstrates the concept of halacha establishing a reality. [The
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