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Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Custom not To Say
It is customary not to say kiddush levana:
  • During the Nine Days before and including Tish'a b'Av;
  • On Friday night, and
  • On the evening of a Jewish festival.
Many people also have the custom not to say kiddush levana during the first 10 days of Tishrei.
However, you should do so if you do not expect to see the moon on any other night (due to weather or other factors), rather than miss the chance to say it that month. If you do say kiddush levana on Friday night or the after nightfall of a Jewish festival, say only the blessing, not the Psalms and other phrases that are normally said.
Kiddush Levana: Minimum Blessing
The minimum you may say of kiddush levana and fulfill the mitzva is the blessing. The psalms and other psukim are customary but are not required.
Kiddush Levana: Women
Women do not say kiddush levana.
Kiddush Levana: Minyan
You do not need a minyan to say kiddush levana.
Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Shabbat
You may say kiddush levana on Shabbat, if needed.
Examples
  • Shabbat is the last possible night that month to say kiddush levana.
  • The forecast is for clouds for the other nights until it will be too late that month to say kiddush levana.
 
Note On Shabbat, say only the blessing of kiddush levana, not the psalms or other phrases (psukim).
Kiddush Levana: When To Say: When No Dark
At the high latitudes, you may say kiddush levana during any season when the sky gets dark but not during seasons when the sky does not get dark.
Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Night
You may say kiddush levana (blessing on the new moon) only at night, after dark/tzeit ha'kochavim.
Kiddush Levana: When To Say: Molad
Although the traditional time to say kiddush levana is after Shabbat, you may say kiddush levana from the third day (three periods of 24 hours) after the molad until 14 days and 18 hours after the molad.  Ideal is after seven 24-hour periods.
Kiddush Levana: What To See: How Clear the Moon
You do not need to see the moon completely clearly in order to say kiddush levana, but you must be able to see the outline of the moon.
Women: Kiddush Levana
For women and kiddush levana, see Kiddush Levana: Women.
 
Nine Days: Kiddush Levana
If you are not likely to see the moon on any of the days from the 10th to the 14th of Av, you may say kiddush levana during the Nine Days.
 
Introduction to Kiddush Levana: Thanksgiving
Kiddush levana expresses our thanks to God for having made the moon, which affects our lives (tides, weather, crops, biological clocks) and provides us benefits in many ways (light at night, basis for determining our calendar and our holidays).
Women: Exemption from Time-Dependent Positive Commandments
Women and girls are generally exempt from time-dependent positive commandments (mitzvot), but they may perform these voluntary mitzvot and if they do, they do say the relevant blessings:
  • Lulav
  • Sukka
  • Saying the full shema.
Women and girls may NOT do these time-dependent positive commandments (mitzvot):
  • Kiddush levana
  • Tefilin
  • Tzitzit.
Women: Time-Based Positive Mitzva Obligations
Although women and girls are generally exempt from time-dependent positive commandments (mitzvot), they may do some mitzvot for which they are not obligated and it is considered to be virtuous behavior for which they will get a reward. They may say the blessings before each mitzva.

1. These are voluntary mitzvot that women may do:

  • Lulav

  • Sukka

  • Saying the full shema.

2. Women and girls MAY NOT  wear tefilin.

 

3. Women traditionally do not:

  • Say tachanun. 

  • Wear talit or tzitzit (talit katan).

  • Study gemara.

  • Say kiddush levana or birkat ha'chama.

But these are not forbidden.