On July 20, 1969, three U.S. astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins, became the first humans to land on the surface of the moon in the lunar module Eagle as part of the Apollo 11 space mission of the U.S. space agency NASA.
On July 21 at 02:56:20, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the surface of the moon with the legendary quote:
That’s one small step for ‘a’ man, one giant leap for mankind!
The moon landing was watched live by an estimated 600 million people worldwide and is a milestone in the history of human spaceflight.
More than 50 years after the first moon landing, another U.S. space mission to the moon was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 8, 2024. The landing of the “Peregrine” on the lunar surface was supposed to be the first commercial landing on the moon. However, the US manufacturer, Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh, soon reported technical problems with the alignment of the solar cells used to charge the batteries of the propulsion system. When a fuel leak also occurred, it was clear that the $108 million project had failed.
Astrobotic is the third private company to fail in its attempt to make the first commercial lunar landing. In 2019, SpaceIL’s Israeli probe “Beresheet” crashed on the lunar surface.
Ironically, I recently saw in a children’s book about space travel from 2001 (Sternstunden der Raumfahrt by Alain Dupas and Donald Grant, published by Arena Verlag) that around 2020 “space planes will fly through space as naturally as wide-bodied airplanes cross the Atlantic” and “around 2025 man will land on the moon”.
However, it seems that it will be some time before this prophecy comes true.
But what does Judaism think about trips to the moon and space travel in general?
Rabbi Menasche Klein (1923-2011), Chassidic Rebbe (spiritual leader) and Posek (halachic authority), believes that traveling to the moon is forbidden from a halachic perspective. He explains that traveling to the moon (or outer space – [AN]) and staying on the moon is associated with great danger (due to the lack of oxygen), and the Torah forbids intentionally putting oneself in danger, as it says, “Be very careful for your souls!” (Devarim ch.4, verse 15)
One could argue that after more than half a century since the first moon landing, science and technology have developed quite a bit (Rabbi Menasche Klein expressed his opinion in 1971) and space travel has become fundamentally safer, but the recent failed Astrobotic project testifies that one can’t foresee everything and something unexpected can happen at any time.
Another contemporary rabbi dealing with this issue is Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch (b. 1926), recently appointed raavad (chief judge) of the ultra-Orthodox Eidah HaCharedit in Jerusalem. In his responsa (Chuvos v’Hanhagos Vol. 5, Siman 84), he shares Rabbi Klein’s opinion that space travel is forbidden, but for a different reason. By traveling into space, one absolves oneself of mitzvot that are time-dependent due to gravitational time dilation. In general, he is skeptical that the investment of billions of US dollars in space exploration is worth the price.
However, one can also have a halachic problem with the moon on Earth:
Rabbi Shmuel HaLevi Wosner (Sheves HaLevi Vol. 3, Siman 8,) was asked whether watching the live broadcast of the moon landing contradicts the Mishnah.
The Mishnah (Tractate Chagiga Ch.2, Mishnah 1) states that there are four activities in which it is said that it would have been better for man not to come into the world. One of these is when man is concerned with what is “above” him.
The question is, what is meant by this?
Rabbi Wosner argues that there are two possible interpretations: On the one hand, it can literally mean an intense preoccupation with the universe, and on the other hand, it can mean a preoccupation with spiritual worlds.
Even if the Mishnah does refer to the exploration of the universe, he is not convinced that watching the live broadcast would be included.
His psak (halachic ruling) is that it should be avoided.
Inspired by the Apollo 11 moon landing, the renowned rabbi and author Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher (1895-1983) wrote a work entitled “HaAdam Al HaYarech” (“Man on the Moon”), in which he discusses further halachic and philosophical issues regarding the moon.
The contribution of Jewish scholars in the field of astronomy is so great that there are four impact craters on the lunar surface named by the IAU (International Astronomical Union) after Jewish astronomers and rabbis: Messala (Masha’allah ibn Atharī c.740- d.815 AD), Abenezra (Abraham ben Meir iben Ezra c.1092-1167), Zagut (Rabbi Abraham Zacuto 1452-1515) and Rabbi Levi (Rabbi Levi ben Gershon 1288-1344).
But it may be a while before humans gain a foothold in these craters.
