Solar Eclipse & Halacha?

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  • #1328565
    Opinioninyon
    Participant

    Does anyone know if it is halachicly permissible to look at the solar eclipse?
    What happened last time around?

    #1328592
    Meno
    Participant

    It is not halachically permissible to look at the solar eclipse without proper eye protection.

    That was your question, right?

    #1328608
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    from AISH dot com: On a practical note: If you encounter a solar eclipse, even though the sun appears covered, donโ€™t look. The sunโ€™s corona is still as powerful as ever. People have gone blind after looking at an eclipse for as few as four seconds. There is no pain when the retina is being burned, and the resulting visual symptoms do not occur until at least several hours after the injury has occurred โ€“ by which time it is far too late.

    Maimonides writes (Deyot 4) that it is a Torah obligation to guard one’s physical health. Therefore, regardless of how tempting it is to look at the sun during the eclipse, don’t do it. Sunglasses are not effective; you must use specifically approved treated plastic or glass filters, or indirectly view the sun’s projection through a pin-hole.

    #1328609
    ubiquitin
    Participant

    I though It would be a discussion whether the eclipse effects the time for kiddush levana

    Assuming Kiddush Levana can be said until 16 days from the molad (Tur and MEchaber)
    ie based on our calculated average molad which for chodesh Elul will be Tuesday 8/22 10:44 AM (in Yerushalyim ie 3:44 AM in NYC) which ordinarily would mean Kiddush Hachodesh can be thru Thrusday 9/7 3:44 AM local time in New York.
    does this change if see see that in that month the Real Molad is Monday 8/21 2:44 PM in NYC Ie the time of the eclipse. Does that mean if waiting to the last minute does a person have less than the usual 16 days for Kiddush LEvana (according to Tur/MEchaber), that is only until 2: 44 PM which of course would mean the last time is Wed night 9/6 instead of Thursday night 9/7?

    Regarding a Lunar eclipse, the Beis Yosef and Pri migadim say that even if there is more time later, Kiddush LEvana can no longer be said. Does this apply to Solar eclipse as well?
    I am not sure if the poskim discuss this definitely not as much as lunar eclipse which is more common)

    I wrote this quickly my times might be off and are for illustration purposes only)

    #1328636
    popa_bar_abba
    Participant

    Maybe it is shekia and then a new day?

    #1328690
    ubiquitin
    Participant

    So I lloked it up over Shabbos turns out The Beis Yosef says that unliek lunar eclipse a solar eclipse has no bearing on sof zeman for kiddush levana

    #1328736
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    According to the Ezras Torah luach the last time for Kiddush Levana in Elul is Wednesday 506 am

    #1328779
    ubiquitin
    Participant

    iacisrmma
    thats becasue we follow the Rema that we say Kiddush LEvana through half of an average halachic synodic lunar month. Halichly a lunarmonth is taken to be 29 days 12 hours and 793 chalakim this is the time between molad to molad. Half of that is 14 days 18 hours 396.5 chalakim. this is how long after the molad one can recite Kidush LEvana.
    If you add this to the time to the molad ie Tuesday 10:44 AM + 14 days 18 hours 396 chalkim (22minutes) = Wed Morning 5:06 AM 22 minutes (though note that is Yerushalyim time) this is the last time for kiddush levana according to the Rema

    Now that I think of it y question works according to the Rema as well as we can see with our eyes that the actual molad occurs 11 hours before the one metioned in shul. why doesnt this change the end time for kiddush levana

    #1328864
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    What do you mean when you say the actual molad is 11 hours before what is announced in Shul?

    #1328866
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    I would suggest you ask your question to Rabbi Dovid Heber the author of Shaarei Zemanim. He is an authority in these issues. He is also a kashrus administrator for the Star-K.

    #1329197
    ubiquitin
    Participant

    “What do you mean when you say the actual molad is 11 hours before what is announced in Shul?”

    The real molad is the lunar conjunction, that is when the sun, moon and earth are in a striaght line (though not necessarily in the same plane). The molad they announce in shul is an estimate based on the average. the average is taken to be 29 days 12 hours and 793 chalkim. In reality sometimes it is a bit longer and sometimes shorter but we take the average and this is what the calendar is based on, and what is announced in shul. (This isnt controversial

    For Elul based on this average the Gabbai will announce the molad of Elul will be Tuesday 8/22 10:44 AM. (The time announced is in Yerushalyim, in NYC the announced molad will occur at the same moment in time but given the time difference it will be 7 hours earlier at 3:44 AM

    However the real molad (ie lunar conjuction, when the sun, moon and Earth are in a striaght line) will occur at the time of the eclipse (ie this month they WILL all be in the same plane) which will be at 2:44 PM NyC time 11 hours before the (estimated) molad announced in shul

    #1329375
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    UB: Thanks for the explanation. I thought you meant every month. Again Rabbi Heber is a great source on calendar issues.

    #1329671
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    UB: Rabbi Heber led a discussion about this that is archived on the Star-K website. He mentions your point at around the 21:40 mark. If the moderator’s allow the url:

    https://www.star-k.org/videos.php?videoinit=215200671

    #1329722
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    UB: to answer your question, since a lunar eclipse is generally seen by more people for a longer period of time, we take into account for kiddush levanah and we don’t say it after a lunar eclipse. Since a solar eclipse is seen by fewer people and for a very short period of time, we still use the average molad to calculate the zman for kiddush levanah.

    My understanding of what Rabbi Heber stated.

    #1329704
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    Rabbi Heber was nice enough to give me a link to a drasha specifically where he discussed your exact question.

    Sorry, no links

    #1337828
    squeak
    Participant

    Isn’t the molad when the moon reappears? As opposed to when the moon is at 0%, i.e. the lunar conjunction. The molad is indeed on Tuesday (jerusalem time) because on Monday there is no visible moon.

    I plan to daven a very quick mincha/maariv once totality starts, and then put on tefillin and daven shacharis after totality ends. I’m not telling you where I will be because if we have a minyan the davening will be too slow.

    #1337829
    Joseph
    Participant

    WB squeak.

    #1337901
    HaLeiVi
    Participant

    Squeak, and forever after you’ll keep Shabbos on Friday?

    #1337915
    ubiquitin
    Participant

    “Isnโ€™t the molad when the moon reappears?”

    No. IT certainly doesnt refer to the visible new moon. the generally accepted definition is it refers to conjuction as you put it when the moon is at 0%. soem say it is a few moments after when the moon is “new” however the moon remains invisible for some time after the molad. (See R”H 20b where the Gemara says how long after the molad the moon remians invisible as understood by Rishonim there)
    See Rambam kiddush hachodesh 6:1
    ื‘ื–ืžืŸ ืฉืขื•ืฉื™ืŸ ืขืœ ื”ืจืื™ื™ื” ื”ื™ื• ืžื—ืฉื‘ื™ืŸ ื•ื™ื•ื“ืขื™ืŸ ืฉืขื” ืฉื™ืชืงื‘ืฅ ื‘ื• ื”ื™ืจื— ืขื ื”ื—ืžื” ื‘ื“ืงื“ื•ืง ื”ืจื‘ื” ื›ื“ืจืš ืฉื”ืื™ืฆื˜ื’ื ื™ื ื™ืŸ ืขื•ืฉื™ืŸ. ื›ื“ื™ ืœื™ื“ืข ืื ื™ืจืื” ื”ื™ืจื— ืื• ืœื ื™ืจืื”. ื•ืชื—ืœืช ืื•ืชื• ื”ื—ืฉื‘ื•ืŸ ื”ื•ื ื”ื—ืฉื‘ื•ืŸ ืฉืžื—ืฉื‘ื™ืŸ ืื•ืชื• ื‘ืงื™ืจื•ื‘ ื•ื™ื•ื“ืขื™ืŸ ืฉืขืช ืงื™ื‘ื•ืฆืŸ ื‘ืœื ื“ืงื“ื•ืง ืืœื ื‘ืžื”ืœื›ื ื”ืืžืฆืขื™ ื”ื•ื ื”ื ืงืจื ืžื•ืœื“.

    #1338034
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    No Squeak, the molad is the “conjunction”.

    #1338149
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    I will actually be in a location where the eclipse will be total on the 21st. Camera gear is ready to go.

    The Wolf

    #1338178
    ๐Ÿ‘‘RebYidd23
    Participant

    What is the current weather prediction?

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