Faith
Is There Any Significance in the Jewish Calendar to a Full Moon Today?
Question
Hello.
Much has been said in the various media today about the significance of the full moon today, according to the civil date of 14.11.2016. From the standpoint of the Jewish calendar and according to Jewish halacha, does this have any significance?
With blessings
Answer
Hello and blessings,
This phenomenon is called a "supermoon," and it is a natural phenomenon in which the moon comes closer to the earth than average, and thus shines more brightly in the sky. In the past year we had three instances of a "supermoon," but on the date you mentioned it shone the brightest.
The explanation for the phenomenon is known to us: the moon revolves around the earth, but its orbit is not a perfect circle but an elliptical one, so that it comes closer to and moves farther from the earth during its orbit.
I am not aware of any special Jewish treatment of this phenomenon. The above-mentioned date is not special in Judaism.
With blessings,
Daniel Balas
