Birkat HaLevanah

For the director of music. A psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

My Rock in this world and my Redeemer in the world to come. I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted. My heart is before You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He established them forever and ever; He set a decree that shall not pass away.

When he says, "For I will see your heavens, the work of your fingers," he will look at the moon, but when he begins to recite the blessing, he will no longer look at it at all (Baalach Shab 2:2, Leviticus 23).

When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You have established, O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Before the blessing, he will say:

For the sake of the unification of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His Divine Presence, with awe and love, and love and awe, to unify the Name Yud-Kei with Vav-Kei in perfect unity in the name of all Israel. Behold, we come to bless the blessing of the New Moon, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have ordained for us, with all the commandments included in it, to rectify its root in the Supernal Realm, to bring contentment to our Creator and to fulfill the will of our Maker. And let the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands. (repeated twice)

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who by His word created the heavens, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gave them a fixed order and time, that they should not alter their task. They rejoice and are glad to do the will of their Maker, the maker of truth whose work is truth. And to the moon He said that it should renew itself, a crown of glory for those sustained from the womb, who are also destined to be renewed like it, and to glorify their Creator for the name of His glorious kingdom. Blessed are You, Lord, who renews the months.

May it be a good omen for us and for all of Yisrael....

May it be a good omen for us and for all of Yisrael.

May it be a good omen for us and for all of Yisrael.

Blessed be your Former, blessed be your Maker, blessed be your Redeemer, blessed be your Creator. Just as we dance before You and cannot touch You, so too, if others dance against us to harm us, may they not be able to touch us, nor control us, nor make any impression on us. 'Terror and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of your arm they shall be as still as a stone.' As still as a stone may they be, Your arm in its greatness, and terror and dread shall fall upon them.

He will say "with a good sign" until he prays over them three times.

David, King of Israel, lives and endures, three times. Amen, Amen, Amen; Forever, Forever, Forever; Selah, Selah, Selah; And Eternity, And Eternity, And Eternity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the hills; from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip; your guardian does not slumber. See, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps! The Lord is your guardian; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night. The Lord will guard you from all harm; He will guard your life. The Lord will guard your departures and your arrivals, from this time forth and forever.

Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him according to His surpassing greatness! Praise Him with the blast of the ram's horn; praise Him with the lyre and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

A teaching from the school of Rabbi Ishmael states: Were the children of Yisrael to merit no more than greeting their Father in Heaven once a month, it would suffice for them. Abaye said: Therefore, let us recite it standing.

And they say Kaddish over Yisrael

Exalted and hallowed be His great Name. [Amen] in the world that He created according to His will. May He establish His kingdom, cause salvation to sprout forth, and hasten the coming of His Messiah. [Amen] In your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of all the House of Israel, speedily and soon, and say, Amen. [Amen] May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, uplifted, and lauded be the Name of the Holy One, Blessed be He. [Amen] Beyond all blessings, songs, praises, and consolations that are uttered in the world, and say, Amen. [Amen]

For Yisrael, for the rabbis, for their students, and for all the students of their students, who engage in the holy Torah, whether in this place or in any other place. May there be for us, for them, and for you, grace, kindness, and compassion from the presence of the Master of Heaven and Earth. And say, Amen. [Amen]

May there be abundant peace from Heaven, life, satisfaction, salvation, consolation, deliverance, healing, redemption, forgiveness, atonement, relief, and rescue for us and for all His people Israel. And say, Amen. [Amen] He who makes peace in His high places, may He in His mercy make peace upon us and upon all His people Israel. And say, Amen. [Amen]

And after the Kaddish, some say

Then the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted. You adorned yourself with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth; you ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became very, very beautiful and were fit to be a queen.

And say three times: Peace be upon you.