הלכות קידוש החודש י״טSanctification of the New Month 19

Chapter 19 of 19 in Sanctification of the New Month — 16 halachot

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Halacha 1א׳

לְפִי שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁבּכְלַל דִּבָרִים שֶׁהָיוּ בּוֹדְקִין בָּהֶן אֶת הָעֵדִים אוֹמְרִין לָהֶן לְהֵיכָן הָיָה הַיָּרֵחַ נוֹטֶה. כָּשֵׁר בְּעֵינַי לְהוֹדִיעַ דֶּרֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן דָּבָר זֶה. וְאֵין אֲנִי מְדַקְדֵּק בּוֹ לְפִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוֹעִיל בִּרְאִיָּה כְּלָל. וּתְחִלַּת חֶשְׁבּוֹן זֶה לֵידַע נְטִיַּת הַמַּזָּלוֹת תְּחִלָּה:

Since the Sages said that among the things by which they would examine the witnesses, they say to them, "In which direction was the moon inclining?" — it seems proper to me to make known the way of calculating this matter. But I am not exacting about it, since it is of no use at all for the sighting. And the beginning of this calculation is to know first the inclination of the constellations.

Halacha 2ב׳

הָעֲגֻלָּה שֶׁהִיא עוֹבֶרֶת בְּמַחֲצִית הַמַּזָּלוֹת שֶׁבָּהּ מַהֲלָךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ. אֵינָהּ עוֹבֶרֶת בְּאֶמְצַע הָעוֹלָם מֵחֲצִי הַמִּזְרָח לַחֲצִי הַמַּעֲרָב. אֶלָּא נוֹטָה הִיא מֵעַל הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה הַמְסַבֵּב בְּאֶמְצַע הָעוֹלָם כְּנֶגֶד צָפוֹן וְדָרוֹם. חֶצְיָהּ נוֹטֶה לַצָּפוֹן וְחֶצְיָהּ נוֹטֶה לַדָּרוֹם:

The orbit that passes through the middle of the constellations, in which is the course of the sun, does not pass through the middle of the world from the midpoint of the east to the midpoint of the west. Rather it inclines away from the equator that encircles the middle of the world, towards the north and towards the south: half of it inclines to the north and half of it inclines to the south.

Halacha 3ג׳

וּשְׁתֵּי נְקֻדּוֹת יֵשׁ בָּהּ שֶׁפּוֹגַעַת בָּהֶן בַּעֲגֻלַּת הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה הַמְסַבֵּב בְּאֶמְצַע הָעוֹלָם. הַנְּקֻדָּה הָאַחַת רֹאשׁ מַזַּל טָלֶה. הַנְּקֻדָּה הַשְּׁנִיָּה שֶׁכְּנֶגְדָּהּ רֹאשׁ מַזַּל מֹאזְנַיִם. וְנִמְצְאוּ שִׁשָּׁה מַזָּלוֹת נוֹטוֹת לַצָּפוֹן מִתְּחִלַּת טָלֶה עַד סוֹף בְּתוּלָה. וְשִׁשָּׁה נוֹטוֹת לַדָּרוֹם מִתְּחִלַּת מַזַּל מֹאזְנַיִם עַד סוֹף מַזַּל דָּגִים:

And there are two points in it at which it meets the orbit of the equator that encircles the middle of the world. The one point is the beginning of the constellation of Aries; the second point, which is opposite it, is the beginning of the constellation of Libra. So six constellations are found to incline to the north, from the beginning of Aries until the end of Virgo, and six incline to the south, from the beginning of the constellation of Libra until the end of the constellation of Pisces.

Halacha 4ד׳

וּמֵרֹאשׁ מַזַּל טָלֶה יַתְחִילוּ הַמַּזָּלוֹת לִנְטוֹת מְעַט מְעַט וּלְהִתְרַחֵק מֵעַל הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה כְּנֶגֶד הַצָּפוֹן עַד רֹאשׁ סַרְטָן. וְיִהְיֶה רֹאשׁ סַרְטָן רָחוֹק מֵעַל הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה לְרוּחַ הַצָּפוֹן שָׁלֹשׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים מַעֲלוֹת וַחֲצִי מַעֲלָה בְּקֵרוּב. וְיַחְזְרוּ הַמַּזָּלוֹת לְהִתְקָרֵב לַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה מְעַט מְעַט עַד רֹאשׁ מֹאזְנַיִם שֶׁהוּא עַל הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה. וּמֵרֹאשׁ מֹאזְנַיִם יַתְחִילוּ לִנְטוֹת וּלְהִתְרַחֵק כְּנֶגֶד רוּחַ דָּרוֹם עַד רֹאשׁ גְּדִי. וְיִהְיֶה רֹאשׁ גְּדִי רָחוֹק מֵעַל הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה לְרוּחַ דָּרוֹם שָׁלֹשׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים מַעֲלוֹת וַחֲצִי מַעֲלָה. וְיַחְזְרוּ הַמַּזָּלוֹת לְהִתְקָרֵב מְעַט מְעַט כְּנֶגֶד הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה עַד רֹאשׁ טָלֶה:

And from the beginning of the constellation of Aries the constellations begin to incline little by little and to grow distant from the equator towards the north, until the beginning of Cancer. And the beginning of Cancer is distant from the equator, towards the northern side, twenty-three degrees and half a degree, approximately. And the constellations return to draw near to the equator little by little, until the beginning of Libra, which is upon the equator. And from the beginning of Libra they begin to incline and to grow distant towards the southern side, until the beginning of Capricorn. And the beginning of Capricorn is distant from the equator, towards the southern side, twenty-three degrees and half a degree. And the constellations return to draw near little by little towards the equator, until the beginning of Aries.

Halacha 5ה׳

נִמְצָא רֹאשׁ טָלֶה וְרֹאשׁ מֹאזְנַיִם מְסַבֵּב עַל הַקַּו הַשָּׁוֶה. וּלְפִיכָךְ כְּשֶׁתִּהְיֶה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּשְׁנֵי רָאשִׁים אֵלּוּ לֹא תִּהְיֶה נוֹטָה לֹא לַצָּפוֹן וְלֹא לַדָּרוֹם. וְתִזְרַח בַּחֲצִי מִזְרָח וְתִשְׁקַע בַּחֲצִי מַעֲרָב. וְיִהְיֶה הַיּוֹם וְהַלַּיְלָה שָׁוִין בְּכָל הַיִּשּׁוּב:

The beginning of Aries and the beginning of Libra are therefore found to revolve upon the equator. And therefore, when the sun is at these two beginnings, it will not be inclining either to the north or to the south, and it will rise at the midpoint of the east and set at the midpoint of the west, and the day and the night will be equal throughout the whole settled world.

…and 11 more halachot in this chapter.

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Mishneh Torah, Torat Emet 363 edition, via Sefaria — public domain

English: rendered from the Hebrew for this app — our own, not a borrowed translation