The Torah for weekday
Rosh Chodesh
Kiddush Lavanah
Synagogue Service
Haftorah for Shabbat
Erev Rosh Chodesh
Torah for Shabbat Rosh
Chodesh
Haftorah for Shabbat
Rosh Chodesh:
In this study I would like to examine Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, as a mitzva and as a celebration. Rosh Chodesh has a special Maftir and a special ashlamata (Haftorah) festival readings which are read, in addition to the normal Torah portion and ashlamata, on Shabbat. These readings interrupt both the the Annual and the Triennial / Septennial Torah cycles.
Rosh Chodesh literally means, "beginning renewal" and idiomatically means the "beginning of the month" or "new moon". Strong’s renders the following definition:
7218 ro'sh, roshe; from an unused root appar. mean. to shake; the head (as most easily shaken), whether lit. or fig. (in many applications, of place, time, rank, etc.):-band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief (- est place, man, things), company, end, X every [man], excellent, first, forefront, ([be-]) head, height, (on) high (-est part, [priest]), X lead, X poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.
2320 chodesh, kho'-desh; from 2318; the new moon; by impl. a month:-month (- ly), new moon.
--------------- Dictionary Trace ---------------
2318 chadash, khaw-dash'; a prim. root; to be new; caus. to rebuild:-renew, repair.
The calculations for Rosh Chodesh were the fulfillment of prophecy and they represented great wisdom:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:5-6 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as HaShem my God commanded
me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession
of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding
to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely
this great nation is a wise and understanding people."
"You shall guard and you shall do..." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman said in the name of Rebbe Yonatan, from where do we know that it is a mitzva for each man to calculate the seasons and the months? It is written, "You shall guard and you shall do, for it is evidence, in the eyes of the nations, of the wisdom and understanding that has been given to you."
What is the wisdom and understanding that
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 5:12 They did not contemplate HaShem's deeds, and they have not paid attention to the
work of His hands.
The difference between Israel and the nations of the world is that we use a lunar calendar and they use a solar calendar. "The sun and the moon can be said to represent these two opposing viewpoints. The sun is constant and unchanging. Its fixed path symbolizes the nations' belief that the world has always existed and that nothing new is ever introduced by a higher guiding Hand. The moon, on the other hand, is constantly changing. This symbolizes the faith of Israel, who see the whole of nature as something new and innovative, that is under constant supervision and that therefore has the potential for change." It was later given to the women since they had not ever abandoned this faith in HaShem's guidance by making the Golden Calf. "Rosh Chodesh is the day that emphasizes our separation from the nations. Jews believe in the world's creation from nothing and in all the consequences of that belief. Our lives are therefore always being renewed in HaShem's service and are constantly filled with vitality." This perspective is brought out vividly in the Talmud:
Succah
29a It was taught: R. Meir said, Whenever the luminaries are in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel
since they are inured to blows. This may be compared to a school teacher who comes to school with a strap in his hand.
Who becomes apprehensive? He who is accustomed to be daily punished. Our Rabbis
taught, When the sun is in eclipse it is a bad omen for idolaters; when Lavanah
(Moon) is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel, since Israel reckons
by Lavanah (Moon) and idolaters by the sun. If it is in eclipse in the east, it
is a bad omen for those who dwell in the east; if in the west, it is a bad
omen for those who dwell in the west; if in the
midst of heaven it is bad
omen for the whole world. If its face is red as
blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world; if it is like
sack-cloth, the arrows of famine
are coming to the world; if it resembles both, the sword and the arrows of
famine are coming to the world. If the eclipse is at sunset calamity will tarry
in its coming; if at dawn, it hastens on its way: but some say the order is to
be reversed. And there is no nation which is smitten that its gods are not
smitten together with it, as it is said, And against
all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. But when Israel fulfill the
will of the Omnipresent, they need have no fear of all these [omens] as it is
said, Thus saith HaShem,' Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed
at the signs of heaven, for
the nations are dismayed at them, the idolaters will be dismayed, but Israel
will not be dismayed.
The Torah seems to place Rosh Chodesh on a par with the other festivals. In Numbers chapter 28, the musaf (additional) services for Rosh Chodesh are listed along with the other festivals. The order, in Numbers 28 and 29, is:
morning (Shacharit)
afternoon (Mincha)
Rosh Chodesh
Hag ha-Matzah the first day
Hag ha-Matzah the seventh day
Hag ha-Bikkurim - Shavuot
The Rosh Chodesh sacrifices are identical in number and in kind with those of Pesach and Shavuot. In post Temple times, a musaf service was established for Rosh Chodesh along with the other festivals. Rosh Chodesh was marked by many festive elements. There was a celebratory meal, and family gatherings were a natural for such occasions:
I Shmuel (Samuel) 20:18-29 Then Jonathan said to David: "Tomorrow
is the New Moon festival. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this
trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. I will shoot three
arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will
send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows
are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, as surely as HaShem lives, you are safe; there is no danger. But if I
say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, because
HaShem has sent you away. And about the matter you and I discussed--remember,
HaShem is witness between you and me forever." So David hid in the field,
and when the New Moon festival came, the king sat
down to eat. He sat in his customary place by the
wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was
empty. Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have
happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean--surely he is unclean."
But the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty again.
Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to
the meal, either yesterday or today?" Jonathan answered, "David
earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.
He said, 'Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town
and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes,
let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's
table."
After the Beit Din had sanctified the new moon and uttered a blessing to HaShem, special additional (Mussaf) offerings were presented to HaShem.
The traditional service includes a candle lit to burn for twenty-four hours. Some use a floating light because it resembles the moon floating in the sky. As on the Sabbath or festivals, two challot (special egg bread) are served; they are round or crescent shaped, preferably, thus invoking the shape of the moon. A new fruit will be sought for the menu for the sake of making a Shehecheyanu. The egg soup, traditionally served at the seder, is often included as a symbol of life immersed in liquid. A quiche of circular shape, or a nut loaf, are popular choices for the menu. During the meal, zemirot such as verses from the Hallel or special Rosh Chodesh songs are sung.
Over the course of later history, by association, the day was considered especially appropriate for housewarmings, dedications, wearing new clothes, and saying Shehecheyanu over new fruit. It was also called the day of good beginnings (Remember that all things go after the beginning as it is the most potent moment – we shall look at this concept a bit later.).
The joyous spirit of the day, in biblical times, is suggested by two references:
Bamidbar (Numbers)10:10 Also at your times of rejoicing--your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals--you are to
sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and
fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am
HaShem your God."
Hosea 2:11 I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
her Sabbath days--all her appointed
feasts.
God does not specifically call Rosh Chodesh a rest day, but it is alluded to in:
Amos 8:4-7 Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the
land Saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and
the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?"--skimping the measure,
boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, Buying the poor with
silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the
wheat. HaShem has sworn by the Pride of Jacob:
"I will never forget anything they have done.
Rosh Chodesh was celebrated only eleven times a year. In Tishri, Yom Teruah coincides with Rosh Chodesh; to this day, the new moon of Tishri is not proclaimed in advance, in the synagogue; Yom Teruah rather than Rosh Chodesh is dominant liturgically.
The Torah does not list Rosh Chodesh with HaShem’s festivals in Leviticus chapter 23, never the less it is a festival as we shall see. Lets note that Rosh Chodesh is specifically called a day of rejoicing in this passage from the Torah and is put on a par with Shabbat and the other festivals:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 10:1-10 HaShem said to Moses: "Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling
the community together and for having the camps set
out. When both are sounded, the whole community is to assemble before you at
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. If only one is
sounded, the leaders--the heads of the clans of Israel--are
to assemble before you. When a trumpet blast is sounded, the tribes camping on the east are
to set out. At the sounding of a second blast, the camps
on the south are to set out. The blast will be the signal for setting out. To
gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the same signal. "The
sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the
trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. When you go into battle in your own
land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets.
Then you will be remembered by HaShem your God and rescued from your enemies.
Also at your times of rejoicing--your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals--you
are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings
and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God.
I am HaShem your God."
In the Nazarean Codicil, Rosh Chodesh is put on a par with Shabbat and the other festivals:
Colossians 2:16-17 Let no man therefore condemn you in meat,
or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the
new moon, or of the sabbath: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the
body of Mashiach.
There are several other things which connect the festivals with Rosh Chodesh:
As to the minhag
to recite Half Hallel on Rosh
Chodesh, Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik in his Yahrzeit Sheur on 4
Tevet, 5717, explained the statement in Arachin 10b, Rosh Chodesh, which is
called moed,
should require the recitation of Hallel. There is no prohibition to work on
this day" as follows: A festival such as Passover
possesses sanctity because of:
a) Musaf the additional-sacrifice offered in the Temple;
b) Prohibition of
work;
c) Obligation to
make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem;
d) Special mitzvot such as matza.
All festivals have
one or more of these qualities. Rosh Chodesh, however, is
distinguished only by musaf and is thus a festival in the Temple only,
where Hallel was recited as din (law) not minhag. The minhag
to recite Hallel on Rosh
Chodesh consists in extending the sanctity from the Temple to
Jewish communities outside its precincts.
The day before Rosh Chodesh is also known as Yom HaKippurim Katan. This means that the day before Rosh Chodesh is a minor Yom HaKippurim. The devout will fast on the last day of the month and reflect upon his actions on the first day of the month.
The Talmud[8] quotes an amazing comment of Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish that the he‑goat offered on Rosh Chodesh is called "a sin offering unto the Lord" because it is an atonement for HaShem Himself for having made the moon smaller than the sun. Arising out of this is the idea, expressed in the Rosh Chodesh liturgy, that Rosh Chodesh affords pardon for Israel's sins. Additionally, during the Musaf prayer service of Rosh Chodesh, we call Rosh Chodesh a "time of atonement". Thus in atonement, we see another connection between the festivals and Rosh Chodesh.
The Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh is known as Shabbat Mevarchin, which means "the Sabbath of blessing." We have an additional ashlamata (1 Shmuel 20:18-42) to prepare us for this special day. After the Torah reading in the Shabbat service, the prayer leader holds the Torah scroll, recites a blessing hoping for a good month, then announces the day of the upcoming week when the new month will begin and the name of the new month.
Shabbat Mevarchin is not observed during the month of Elul to announce the beginning of the month of Tishri, the month in which Rosh HaShana (the Jewish New Year) occurs.
Thus we announce Rosh Chodesh ahead of time, but we do not announce for festivals. This would seem to give special significance to Rosh Chodesh.
Finally, when the Sanhedrin sanctified the new moon it set the calendar date for the festivals of that month. The date of the festivals, therefore, depended on the new moon for their proper celebration. Rosh HaShana, which falls on Rosh Chodesh, is a festival which no one no the day or hour it begins because it’s beginning depends on the sanctification of the new moon. We have a midrash that makes this point: The angels ask HaShem, "When is Rosh HaShana?" "I do not know," HaShem responds. "Let us all go down to the bet din and see what they have decreed."
The first mitzva given to the congregation of Israel is:
Shemot (Exodus) 12:1-2 HaShem said to
Moses and Aaron in
To put it another way: The first command,
given to the congregation of
1. Set up a calendar, based on the moon,
2. With Nisan as the first month.
Notice that this first command is given to Moses and Aaron as representing the highest authority in the nation. From this, it is derived that the authority for sanctifying the new moon and for establishing the order of the months lies with the highest authority in the nation, namely the Sanhedrin, as the Talmud relates:
Rosh HaShana 22a MISHNA. IF A
FATHER AND A SON HAVE SEEN THE NEW MOON, THEY SHOULD BOTH GO [TO JERUSALEM], NOT THAT THEY CAN ACT AS JOINT WITNESSES[9] BUT SO THAT IF ONE OF THEM IS DISQUALIFIED[10] THE OTHER MAY JOIN WITH SOME OTHER WITNESS.
R. SIMEON, HOWEVER, SAYS THAT A FATHER AND SON AND ALL RELATIVES ARE ELIGIBLE
TO TESTIFY TO THE APPEARANCE OF THE NEW MOON. R. JOSE SAID: IT HAPPENED ONCE
WITH TOBIAH THE PHYSICIAN THAT HE SAW THE NEW MOON IN JERUSALEM ALONG WITH HIS
SON AND HIS EMANCIPATED SLAVE, AND THE PRIESTS
ACCEPTED HIS EVIDENCE AND THAT OF HIS SON AND DISQUALIFIED HIS SLAVE, BUT WHEN
THEY APPEARED BEFORE THE BETH DIN THEY ACCEPTED HIS EVIDENCE AND THAT OF HIS
SLAVE AND DISQUALIFIED HIS SON.
GEMARA. R. Levi said: What is the reason of R. Simeon?
— Because it is written, and the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto
you the beginning of months,[11] which implies, ‘this testimony shall be
valid [when given] by you’.[12] And the Rabbis? — [It implies], this
evidence shall be entrusted to you.[13]
This authority is reiterated in:
Rosh HaShana 25a Our Rabbis taught: Once the heavens were covered with clouds and the likeness of the
moon was seen on the twenty-ninth of the month. The public were minded to
declare New Moon, and the Beth din wanted to sanctify it, but Rabban Gamaliel
said to them: I have it on the authority of the house of my father's father
that the renewal of the moon takes place after not less than twenty-nine days
and a half and two-thirds of an hour and seventy-three halakin.[14] On that day the mother of Ben Zaza died,
and Rabban Gamaliel made a great funeral oration over her, not because she had merited it, but so that the public should know that the
Beth din had not sanctified the month.[15]
'HaShem said to Moses and to Aaron: "... this month shall be for you the beginning of months ..." And at the moment when Moses our teacher received this command, the Holy One, blessed be He, transmitted to him the precise rules for intercalating the New Moon. Thus He made known to Moses the method for establishing the times and the seasons.'[16]
Moses and Aaron were told by HaShem, in the oral law[17], that normally there should be two witnesses who actually see the new moon, in order to sanctify it on the thirtieth day. If no witnesses come on the thirtieth day, it is automatically sanctified on the thirty-first day.
Sanhedrin 10b THE INTERCALATION[18] OF THE MONTH BY THREE.
[The Tanna of the Mishna] mentions neither the
‘calculation’[19] nor the ‘sanctification’[20] , but the INTERCALATION of the month. [Why
then the need of three for this?] Suppose it is not sanctified [on the
thirtieth day] it will then be automatically intercalated! — Abaye therefore
said: Read then, THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE MONTH. It is also taught to the same
effect: The sanctification of the month and the intercalation of the year is to
be determined by three. So R. Meir holds. But, asked Raba, does not the Mishna
say, the INTERCALATION? — Hence, said Raba, the Mishnah means that the
sanctification made on INTERCALATION, that is on the intercalary day,[21] is determined by three; but on the day
after it there is to be no sanctification. And this represents the opinion of
R. Eliezer b. Zadok, as it has been taught: R. Eliezer b. Zadok says: If the
new moon has not been visible in time, there is no need
for the Sanctification next day, as it has already been sanctified in Heaven.[22]
Many assume that the witnesses were necessary because the Sanhedrin lacked the ability to calculate the time of the new moon. This is not born out by the facts. Consider: Why would the witnesses look on the thirtieth day, except they knew that that was the first time it might be visible. Also we should note that the last Sanhedrin calculated the new moons so accurately that they were able to sanctify every new moon for nearly two thousand years!
The Temple services were given to King David in a dream and written down for his son, Solomon, as we can see from this next passage:
Divrei Hayamim (I Chronicles) 28:11-19 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans
for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts,
its inner rooms and the place of atonement. He gave
him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his
mind for the courts of the
Since the synagogue service is modeled after the Temple service, it would be instructive to see what is done in the synagogue today. We’ll start by examining the readings from the Tanakh[23]:
Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:1-15 HaShem said to Moses, "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: 'See that you present to me at the appointed time the food for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me.' Say to them: 'This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to HaShem: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day. Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, Together with a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives. This is the regular burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made to HaShem by fire. The accompanying drink offering is to be a quarter of a hin of fermented drink with each lamb. Pour out the drink offering to HaShem at the sanctuary. Prepare the second lamb at twilight, along with the same kind of grain offering and drink offering that you prepare in the morning. This is an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to HaShem. "'On the Sabbath day, make an offering of two lambs a year old without defect, together with its drink offering and a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering. "'On the first of every month, present to HaShem a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With each bull there is to be a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; And with each lamb, a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil. This is for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to HaShem by fire. With each bull there is to be a drink offering of half a hin o