Pirkei D'Rebbi Eliezer Chapter 7

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Yishmael, Rabbi Eliezer ben Arach, Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkanus and Rabbi Akiva were sitting and expounding upon the molad of the moon.  They said: HKB”H made one utterance, and the heavens all the way through to the place of the seat of His Kingdom, as it says “By the word of Hashem the heavens were made (Tehillim 33:6)”.  But regarding the legions of the heavens, many different efforts are mentioned, as it says “By the spirit of His mouth, their entire legions.”  What did the Holy One, blessed be He do?  He breathed the soul of His mouth, and all the legions of the heavens were created at once, as it says “and by the spirit of His mouth, their entire legions.”

All the stars and constellations and the two great lights were created at the beginning of Tuesday night, and each one preceded another by only two thirds of an hour.  Therefore all the actions of the sun are at a moderate pace, and all the actions of the moon are quick.  And in a month, the moon goes the entire distance that the sun goes in all the days of the year.

All the days of the week serve as the head of the molad of the moon in reverse order.  At the beginning of Tuesday night, the head of the molad of the moon is in the hour of Shabbtai.

• Shabbtai – 7 (The head of the first cycle of years, 1 through 3)
• Nogah – 4 (The head of the second cycle of years, 4 through 6)
• Tsedek – 1 (The head of the third cycle of years, 7 through 9)
• Kokhav – 5 (The head of the fourth cycle of years, 10 through 12)
• Maadim – 2 (The head of the fifth cycle of years, 13 through 15)
• Levanah – 6 (The head of the sixth cycle of years, 16 through 18)
• Chamah – 3 (The head of the seventh cycle of years, 19 through 21)
• Shabbtai – 7 (The 21 year cycle begins anew)

• And after three years of the small cycle, it goes back one day.  At the beginning of Monday night, the molad of the moon is at the hour of Nogah.
  
• And after three years of the small cycle, it goes back one day.  At the beginning of Sunday night, the molad of the moon is at the hour of Tsedek.
  
• And after three years of the small cycle, it goes back one day.  At the beginning of Saturday night, the molad of the moon is at the hour of Kokhav.
  
• And after three years of the small cycle, it goes back one day.  At the beginning of Friday night, the molad of the moon is at the hour of Maadim.
  
• And after three years of the small cycle, it goes back one day.  At the beginning of Thursday night, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Levanah.
  
• And after three years of the small cycle, it goes back one day.  At the beginning of Wednesday night the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Chamah.
  
• And after three years of the small cycle, it goes back one day.  At the beginning of the night of Tuesday night, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Shabbtai at the hour it was created.
  

The large cycle of the moon is 21 years: seven small cycles of three years each.

Each mazal serves the days of the lunar month.  And the days of the lunar month are 29 days and a half, 7936 chalakim.

Each mazal serves the different days of the lunar month, two days and eight hours.  Three mazalot for every seven days.  The Minister that starts at the beginning of the lunar month is the Minister that completes at the end of the lunar month.

The moon is renewed at every molad, be it at day or at night.  And this is their sign: “And there was evening and there was morning.”

Between one molad and the same molad the following year, there are only 4 days, 8 hours, and 876 chalakim.

Between one molad of a small cycle and the next, there are 13 days.

And in the west when?  When the sun is moving to the southern side, and the moon is moving to the northern side.  When?  When the sun is moving in the northern side, and the moon is moving in the southern side.

All the hours serve as the head of the molad of the moon in reverse order:

• Shabbtai :   7
• Levanah :    6
• Kokhav :     5
• Nogah :      4
• Chamah :    3
• Maadim :     2
• Tsedek :     1

• In the first year, at the beginning of Tuesday night, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Shabbtai.
  
• And in the second year, at the hour afterwards, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Levanah.
  
• And in the third year, at the hour afterwards, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Kokhav
  
• And in the fourth year, at the hour afterwards, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Nogah.
  
• And in the fifth year, at the hour afterwards, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Chamah.
  
• And in the sixth year, at the hour afterwards, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Maadim.
  
• And in the seventh year, the head of the molad of the moon is at the hour of Tsedek.
  

And thus three times these sets of hours serve as the head of the molad of the moon after them, until 21 years of the cycle pass.

All of the mazalot serve the moon at night from four corners of the world: three in the north, three in the south, three in the west, and three in the east.  And all the hours service the moon at night: two in the south, two in the north, two in the east, and two in the west.  And in the hour that it starts to serve in the south, it finishes in the west, and all of these rounds are thus.  All of the great luminaries are in the south, except for Agalah, which is in the north.  And all of the mazikim travel in the sky, and the angels that fell from their greatness and the place of their holiness, from the heavens in the generation of Enosh, just like they go up to hear from behind the Curtain, they are hit with a whip of fire, and they go back to their place.

Ten days, 21 hours, and 204 chalakim is the amount that a solar year is greater than a lunar year, and the ibbur comes to equalize the days of the solar year with the days of the lunar year.

The sun and the moon start from Rosh Chodesh Nissan.  The sun goes before it at its equinox, and Taleh goes to serve before it during the day, and all the mazalot serve afterwards in their order.  And the moon goes after it, and Taleh starts to serve before it at night, and all the mazalot serve after it in their order.  And thus it is until the year of the small cycle, until the leap year (year of ibbur).  The ibbur comes, pushes off the molad of the moon and stands at Rosh Chodesh Adar.  And thus it is until the year of the small cycle.  The ibbur comes, pushes off the head of the molad of the moon and stands at Rosh Chodesh Tevet.  And thus until there are twelve ibburs, and the sun and the moon come out equalized on Tuesday night at the hour of Shabbtai at the hour that they were created.

Between one molad and the next, there are but 36 hours, and 793 chalakim.  The moon is less than the heavens only the blink of an eye, and even if there were a thread going all the way in the East and in the West, even thus, an eye cannot see the moon until 8 large hours, either before or after the molad moment.

The total of the days of the lunar year is 354 days, 8 hours and 876 chalakim.  All the hours of the lunar month are 708 hours and two thirds of an hour.  All the hours of a lunar year are 8504 hours.

All of the mazalot serve the molad of the moon and the generations of man, and the world stands upon them.  And anyone who is wise and understanding, and who understands the molad of the moon and the generations of man, the verse says about him: “And they will be for signs and for appointed times” (Breishit 1:14).  Those signs will not go away, serving the sun by day and the moon by night.

In three cycles of the sun and four cycles of the moon, 84 years, which is one hour of the day of the Holy One, Blessed be He, the sun and the moon equalize, at the beginning of Tuesday night at the hour of Shabbtai at the hour they were created.