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Birkas halevana

Question:

Gut woche
Could you tell me what we call cloud dak and kalouch
For example if we have the tenth’s day this kind of cloud, is it assur to make the braho ?
( the picture is just an sample – the moon is not at his 10th day
Thanks
Kol touv

 

Answer:

 

The parameters of when we can say Kiddush Levana when it is cloudy, doesn’t really depend on how thick the cloud is, rather how much of the moon’s light shines through it. If there is enough light from the moon that we can benefit from it, ( we can see things that are visible at night thought the moon’s light ) then we can make the bracha, and if not we have to wait. Nowadays that we have street lights, it is harder to measure the moon’s light, but we have to try assess it the best that we can. There are seforim that say that if the moon is giving light equal to the amount of light like the third day of the month, that it is enough light to make the bracha.

As a side point, in general, one should be careful not to take or make pictures of the sun or the moon, because of the prohibition not to make pictures or celestial bodies. See Y:D  141-4, Taz ibid 13, Shach ibid 25, 26, Chochmas Adom 85-5. (in our instance it is being done for educational purposes so it is permitted)

 

Sources:

M:B 426-3, Birkei Yosef ibid 4, Eshel Avrohom Butsatch 426-1, Ishei Yisroel 40-10.

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