Kiddush Levanah: Under the Light of the Silvery Moon (Part 14)
“My walk on the moon lasted three days. My walk with
(Charles Duke – Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 16)
Kiddush Levanah then continues with chapter 121 of Tehillim: “A song to the ascents. I raise my eyes to the mountains; from where will come my help? My help is from Hashem, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to falter, your Guardian will not slumber. Behold, He neither slumbers nor sleeps; the Guardian of Israel. Hashem is your Guardian. Hashem is your Shadow at your right hand. By day the sun will not harm you, nor the moon by night. Hashem will protect you from every evil; He will guard your soul. Hashem will guard your departure and your arrival, from this time and forever.”
Chapter 121 is slightly different from the other similar chapters of Tehillim that begin with the words “Shir Hama’alot – A Song of Ascents.” There are fourteen chapters of Tehillim that open with the words “Shir Hama’alot,” but there is only one chapter that begins with the words “Shir Lamaalot – A Song to the Ascents.” The Midrash (Shocher Tov) explains that our chapter of Tehillim is referring to the moment when we, the Jewish nation, will ascend Har Tzion – Mount Zion – to judge Eisav and his descendants for everything they have done to us throughout the generations. As the Prophet Ovadiah so stirringly declares (1:21), “And the saviors will ascend Har Tzion to judge the Mountain of Eisav, and the kingdom will be Hashem’s.”
Abarbanel writes that it will be on that extraordinary day that the entirety of mankind will recognize Hashem as the true King, and they will unreservedly accept His authority.
However, it is the sixth verse, “By day the sun will not harm you, nor the moon by night,” that is the reason for chapter 121’s inclusion in Kiddush Levanah. The sun is Hashem’s “caressing smile, bringing us energy and health. The previous verse states, “Hashem is your Shadow”. According to the Midrash, we are being taught that just as our shadows mimic us precisely, so too Hashem relates to us exactly as we relate to others. If we allow ourselves to be “Shadowed” by Hashem, we will not be harmed by the sun. If we allow ourselves to light up the lives of others, Hashem will light up our lives.
This thought is expressed in the beautifully poetic words of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, called “The Importance of a Smile”: “A smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he cannot be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad and is nature’s best antidote for trouble. Yet, it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give!”
While the sun is the source of heat and life in our world, it is also true that the sun can be destructive. Its power can be harnessed for the benefit of mankind, and it can, just as equally, be a source of enormous destruction. Whether we allow “Hashem’s smile” to illuminate our lives or not is dependent entirely on us.
And, in the same way, Hashem will protect us at night. Rabbi Hirsch explains that the sun and the moon correspond to two formidable dangers each Jew in exile struggles with. The light of the sun is analogous to the spiritually debilitating effects of enormous success. A person can easily be “blinded” by their dazzling accomplishments, leading them to imagine that their achievements are attributable to themselves alone and not to Hashem. Night, on the other hand, represents the darkness of exile. The absence of light symbolizes persecution and the endless hatred that we have been surrounded by forever. It can cause a person to despair and to lose sight of Hashem. But, within the gloom, the moon spreads its gentle light, dispelling the fear and the uncertainty, and reflecting Hashem’s comforting Presence within the darkness.
As Rabbi Hirsch writes, “If you are faithful to Hashem, He will dispel the sorrow of exile for you, just as the moon brings light to the darkness. Additionally, He will protect you so that the ‘sun’ of the foreign, external cultures and opulence will not blind you.”
To be continued…
