Kiddush Levanah: Under the Light of the Silvery Moon (Part 11)
“My walk on the moon lasted three days. My walk with
(Charles Duke – Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 16)
The person reciting Kiddush Levanah then turns to three different people and greets each one individually with the words “Shalom Aleichem – Peace upon you.” They, in turn, reply, “Aleichem HaShalom – Upon you, peace.”
“Shalom Aleichem – Aleichem HaShalom” is the traditional and timeless greeting offered when two Jews meet each other. Rabbi Moshe Rosenstein (1881-1940) was the venerated Mashgiach in the famed Lomzhe Yeshiva in Poland. In his youth he learned in the legendary Beit HaTalmud in Kelm, Lithuania. Rabbi Rosenstein described the very first time that he stepped through the doorway to Beit HaTalmud. Almost as soon as he entered a bachur [student] approached him with his hand outstretched an enormous smile and an equally friendly “Shalom Aleichem”. He asked how he was, how his journey had been, when exactly he had arrived in Kelm and whether he had made all the necessary sleeping arrangements. He was so friendly that Rabbi Rosenstein assumed that he must be an old friend of his who, for some reason, he did not recognize. Not even a moment later another bachur approached him, smiling just as warmly, offered him a “Shalom Aleichem” and asked him if there was anything that he could do to help him settle in. Rabbi Rosenstein was convinced that he must have also been a friend of his when growing up him but, as with the first bachur, he just couldn’t put a name to the face. Rabbi Rosenstein was actually beginning to feel frustrated that he seemed to have forgotten the names of some of closest childhood friends. It was only after nearly every single student in the Yeshiva had greeted him with the same heartfelt “Shalom Aleichem” that he realized that a sincere and enthusiastic “Shalom Aleichem” was the norm in Beit HaTalmud! And it was this sense that everyone was so friendly and concerned for his wellbeing that allowed Rabbi Rosenstein to quickly overcome his homesickness and to flourish in Beit HaTalmud.
How does “Shalom Aleichem” fit into Kiddush Levanah? Rabbi Yehoshua Falk Katz (1555-1614) was the head of the Yeshiva in Lemberg, Ukraine. He also served on the Council of Four Lands and was considered to be one of the greatest authorities in Jewish law in his generation. In his classic commentary on the Tur, titled Prisha, Rabbi Falk explains that we have just prayed for the downfall of our enemies. We declare, “May dread and fear befall them, they should be silent like stone.” But there is no indication in the verse as to who “them” in the verse is referring to. So, we turn to the people standing nearby reciting Kiddush Levanah with us, and we greet them with a heartfelt “Shalom Aleichem” — to show that they are not included among those whose downfall we seek.
The Levush Malchut cites the Talmud (Sanhedrin 42a), which says that reciting Kiddush Levanah is akin to greeting the Shechinah. That is why, he explains, we greet each other with “Shalom Aleichem” to show our love for each other at this elevated moment of spiritual delight. Rabbi Elimelech Biderman adds a thought-provoking idea. By greeting others in the middle of Kiddush Levanah, we are teaching ourselves that we should never forget our fellow man. Even at this exalted time – as we encounter the Shechinah – when a fellow Jew greets you, they should be answered.
Rabbi Zvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov (Bnei Yissachar, Kiddush HaChodesh) cites the Ari Zal, who taught that we greet each other with “Shalom Aleichem” to counterbalance the very first unfounded accusation in the Torah. The Talmud (Chullin 60b) describes how, after the creation of the sun and the moon, the moon approached Hashem and claimed, “It is impossible for two kings to wear one crown.” Hashem, rejecting the moon’s assertion, decreed that the moon should diminish itself in size. Our Sages explain that the moon’s claim was the antithesis of shalom. And this is why, now, as we beseech Hashem that the light of the moon be restored to its original glory, we turn to those around us and greet them with the words “Shalom Aleichem.” To remedy, as it were, the moon’s unfounded accusation and to return Shalom to the world.
But, perhaps, there is another, even simpler, reason why “Shalom Aleichem” is included in Kiddush Levanah. As we have learned together, Shalom is the greatest blessing that a person can receive. Accordingly, there is truly nothing more edifying than greeting — and being greeted — with “Shalom.”
To be continued…
