Introduction:
I
will introduce this letter with an explanation of a biblical Hebrew
term which is associated with renewal. The term is “chodesh,”
and
it can be translated as “month” or as “new moon” –
depending on the context. As we shall learn in this letter, our
tradition views the appearance of the crescent of each new moon as an
opportunity for a new beginning. It is therefore relevant to mention
that the term “chodesh” is related to the term “chadash” –
new.
Dear
Friends,
Our
Passover journey began on the 15th
day of the first month of spring. When the new moon of this month
first appeared, Hashem conveyed to us through Moshe and Aharon the
following message:
“This
renewal of the moon shall be for you a beginning of new moons”
(Exodus 12:2 – translation of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch).
Our
Sages interpret the above Divine statement in the following manner:
The appearance of each new moon is to be the beginning of each of the
months of our calendar year (Talmud, Rosh Hashana 20a). As Rashi
writes in his explanation of this interpretation, Hashem is saying:
“When the moon renews itself, it will be the beginning of the month
for you.”
Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch, in his commentary on the above Divine
statement, writes:
“Accordingly,
when Hashem pointed to the light of the newly appearing moon and
said, ‘This renewal of the moon shall be for you a beginning of new
moons,’ it meant as our Sages interpret: ‘When you see the moon
like this, sanctify the beginning of your months’ (Rosh Hashanah
20a).”
The
beginning of each month is called, “Rosh Chodesh” – the Head of
the Month. As Maimonides explains in his Book of Mitzvos, the mitzvah
to sanctify each new moon and thereby determine the date of each Rosh
Chodesh is a mitzvah that is to be fulfilled by the high court in the
Land of Israel (Mitzvah 153). The members of this court are leading
Torah sages.
Rabbi
Hirsch explains that the sanctification of the renewed moon by the
high court of our nation is to inspire us to engage in a process of
spiritual renewal, and he writes (commentary on Exodus 12:2):
“The
Jewish sanctification of the new moon is an institution for the moral
and spiritual rejuvenation of Israel, to which Israel must always
strive anew at regular periods, and which it will achieve through its
reencounter with Hashem. Our Sages capsulize this whole idea in their
explanation (of Hashem’s message): This renewal of the moon is to
be your model (see Midrash Exodus Rabbah 15:27, at the end).
Rabbi
Hirsch elaborates on this teaching about our spiritual renewal, and
he writes:
“In
Egypt, Hashem called the future leaders of His people, showed them
the crescent of the moon struggling to emerge from darkness to new
light, and said: ‘This is to be your model.’ Just as the moon
renews itself by the laws of nature, so you, too, should renew
yourselves, but of your own free will. Each time the new moon
appears, let it remind you to effect your own free-willed
rejuvenation. And as I renew you, and you renew yourselves, you
should pass, like the moon, across the night sky of the nations and,
wherever you go, proclaim the message of renewal, the teaching of
Hashem” (ibid).
Through
the example of our own spiritual renewal, we are to proclaim the
Divine message of spiritual renewal to all the nations.
Why,
however, did Hashem specifically choose the renewal of the moon as a
model for our spiritual renewal? I would like to suggest the
following answer: The light of the renewed moon is actually the
reflected light of the sun. So too, our renewal takes place when we
reflect the light of the Torah, the Divine Teaching. The wise King
Solomon said, “Torah is light” Proverbs 6:23), and when the
Prophet Isaiah called upon us to engage in spiritual renewal, he
said:
“O
House of Jacob: Come let us go by the light of Hashem!” (Isaiah
2:5)
At the
beginning of the first month of spring, we were given the mitzvah to
sanctify each new moon. The month of spring is the month of our
Exodus; thus, Hashem later said to us, “Today you are leaving, in
the month of spring” (Exodus 13:4). Hashem honored this month by
calling it, “the first of the months of the year” (Exodus 12:2).
This month is also known as the month of Nisan, and it begins this
year on Monday night, March 31st.
May
Hashem bless us with a month of healing renewal.
Shalom,
Yosef
Ben Shlomo Hakohen (See below)
Related
Teachings and Insights:
1.
The Sefer HaChinuch is a classical work on the Torah’s 613 mitzvos.
Regarding the mitzvah to sanctify the New Moon, it states:
“When
you see the renewal of the moon, you will establish for yourselves
the beginning of the month, and thus do even if you not see it, once
it is due to be seen according to the accepted calculation”
(mitzvah 4).
In
other words, the public sanctification of the new moon takes place
even during a cloudy period when the moon can not be seen. The
sanctification of the new moon is done by the high court, and
regarding the normal procedure, the Sefer HaChinuch states:
“This
is the substance of the mitzvah: Two reputable Israelites come before
the court and testify before them (the judges) that they saw the moon
in its renewal. They (the judges) set the beginning of the month
according to their word, by saying: This
day is sanctified.”
(Ibid)
2.
As Rabbi Hirsch explained, the sanctification of the renewed moon by
the high court of our nation is to inspire us to engage in a process
of spiritual renewal. The high court is a social institution that is
to help our nation establish a just and righteous society according
to the precepts of the Divine Teaching. The involvement of the high
court in the public sanctification of the new moon therefore suggests
the following idea:
The
renewal of the new moon is not only to inspire personal renewal; it
must also inspire social renewal that leads to a just and righteous
society that reflects the light of the Divine Teaching.
3. The high
court, which became known as the Sanhedrin, determined the dates of
each Rosh Chodesh – the beginning of the month. During the
difficult period of exile which followed the destruction of the
Second Temple, the Sanhedrin stopped functioning. As a result, a
fixed calendar was established by the leading sage, Rabbi Hillel
HaNassi.
This
Rabbi Hillel lived thirteen generations after his renowned ancestor
of the same name, Hillel, the Elder. The calendar which he
established lets us know the dates of each Rosh Chodesh and Festival.
4.
Within the Siddur – our classical prayer book – we find the
monthly prayer that is joyously chanted upon seeing the crescent of
the New Moon. The chanting of this prayer is known as, “Kiddush
Levana” – the Sanctification of the New Moon.
Within
this prayer, we find a reference to the similarity between Hashem’s
renewal of the moon and Hashem’s renewal of our people. The Hebrew
text and English translation of this prayer, along with teachings
about the laws and deeper meanings of this prayer, can be found in
the ArtScroll Siddur: www.artscroll.com
Hazon
– Our Universal Vision: www.shemayisrael.com/publicat/hazon
This letter originally appeared as:
My Search for the Soul of Zion – 216
Part Four: Our Passover Journey to Zion
