Reply To: Women and Kiddush Levana

DaasYochid: Yasher Koach! I really enjoyed that Chasam Sofer. I’m sorry I didn’t look it up sooner. Thank you! I have to think further about it. But please realize that the mishne berura does not bring that down but brings down a different reason. When I asked about Shofar and tefillah if you’re going like the Chasam Sofer it’s specifically because it’s not tznius for women to go outside at NIGHT and be around men. It would not apply to any mitzvah done by day where women of course go outdoors. So my questions were valid. Still, don’t women go out at night also? Is the Chasam Sofer saying women should not go out at night? No of course not! Every night of Chanuka there is only one preferred time to do the mitzvah. If a women wanted to do the mitzvah ktikun chachomim she would go outside around nightfall and light at night with all the other men. She couldn’t do it a different night because each night is its own mitzvah. Also, she couldn’t do it later because that is not ktikun chachomim. In fact there are poskim today in Eretz Yisrael that say that if one missed nightfall at the preferred time he no longer makes a beracha. Now in America, we say the ikur pisumei nisa is indoors. But originally, after there were no longer people walking in the street, the mitzvah was over. There was a very small window of opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah. Consequently, all the men were outside at that exact time.The Chasam Sofer says this exact point it is not tznius for women to go 1. outdoors 2. at night 3. with all the men around. Kiddush Levanah has at least a week in which she could or any man could do it Lechatchila. There is no tikun chachomim to do it the first possible time. There might be other enhancements like zrizim or bigdei Shabbos or rov am, but a man who recited Kiddush levanah alone on the 13th day has fulfilled the mitzvah lechatchila. No bdieved’s involved. Not so by Chanuka where if you didn’t do the mitzvah at that time, it either was not a mitzvah or nowadays possibly bdieved. So I definitely see your point from the Chasam Sofer but it really doesn’t apply to Kiddush levanah. I would venture to say that the Chasam Sofer would disagree with you for the reasons I mentioned but I can’t argue that you definitely found a basis for someone to hang their hat on.