Kiddush Levanah for Women

Why Don’t Women Recite Kiddush Levanah?

Although the Gemara cites a shortened nusach (textual variant) of the brachah of Kiddush Levanah (Blessing the New Moon) for women, the accepted custom is that women are not mekadeish the levanah. The Magen Avraham explains that the Gemara was not referring to women per se but to men who were not knowledgeable enough to recite the full text of the brachah, and were therefore provided with an abbreviated version which was easier to master. (The invention of the printing press was still a long way off when the Gemara was being compiled, and Siddurim were not readily available.)

Why are woman not obligated in Kiddush Levanah? The case can be made that this brachah constitutes a mitzvas aseh she’hazman grama (a positive commandment that is time bound), which women are typically exempt from. However, Ashkenazim follow the practice that women may perform such mitzvos if they so choose, so the custom that women avoid reciting Kiddush Levanah remains unexplained.

A kabbalistic reason offered by the Shelah is that Kiddush Levanah serves as spiritual rectification for the sin of the Eitz Hada’as (the Tree of Knowledge) so women, who bear a certain degree of culpability for that sin, do not take part.

An alternative, halachic explanation given is that Kiddush Levanah takes place under the open sky, yet kol kevudah bas melech penimah (the honor of a king’s daughter is within); congregating outside is at odds with a Jewish woman’s appropriate level of modesty.

Whatever the reason may be, our custom is that women don’t say Kiddush Levanah. #447

https://halacha2go.com?number=447

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.