Witnessing the new moon was replaced in the time of Hillel II CE with astronomical calculations and the present Jewish calendar. Molad : birth, refers to the moment when the new moon appears. In ancient times a shofar ram's horn would be blown every new moon. The shofar was also blown on Rosh Hashannah , at the end of Yom Kippur , and every morning of the month of Elul.
The observance of Rosh Chodesh was the one of the first commandments given to the entire Jewish community. While waiting for Moses to return from the mountain, the Israelites became impatient. They asked Aaron to make them a god to worship. Aaron built a Golden Calf out of wood and gold jewelry that they made sacrifices to and worshiped.
God became very angry and almost destroyed them but Moses' pleading saved the Israelites. In the midrash Pirke DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 45, sages tell that Hebrew women were rewarded for refusing to contribute their jewelry to the creation of the Golden Calf.
God granted them a holy day of no work, Rosh Chodesh. It is the custom to wear new clothes on Rosh Chodesh. Notre Dame University. The Golden Calf. A thousand years after its revelation, observance of Rosh Chodesh was forbidden during the Syrian-Greek persecution along with the Sabbath and circumcision. The grouping of Rosh Chodesh with these essential commandments indicates its importance. Since Jewish festivals were entirely calendar based and the calendar required witnessing and proclaiming the new moon, without the calendar there would be no festivals.
By stopping the celebration of Rosh Chodesh , The Syrian-Greeks could also eliminate many of the mitzvot. In addition, the Syrian-Greeks strove to eradicate the notion of Jewish renewal.
The new moon symbolized the rising up of the Jewish people. Just as the moon disappears and returns every month, the Jews thought of themselves as suffering exile and persecution but renewing themselves continually until the coming of the Messiah.
Torah and Tradition circle calendar. Women's Rosh Hodesh Groups. Women especially have used Rosh Chodesh as a time for celebration. One reason is the association of women with the cycles of the moon.
Rosh Chodesh is one of the common subjects of tkhines , petitionary prayers of Jewish women from Eastern Europe that emphasize women finding God in their unique domestic and mothering roles. Rosh Hodesh is announced on the preceding Shabbat with a special benediction within the Torah service. The moon is a phenomenon which has no light of its own, a phenomenon which depends on receiving and reflecting light from an external source.
To that extent, their history reflects the situation of the moon with its periods of ascent and decline month after month. When the moon is not directly exposed to the light of the sun it becomes invisible. Isaiah 59,2. There is also a custom to prepare festive meals on Rosh Chodesh cf. Shmuel 1 , ch. The Talmud Chulin 60b explains that in the beginning, God created two great luminaries in the sky, the sun and the moon. This contains a very profound concept. All these failures and deficiencies are prerequisites for subsequent growth, because coping with hardships helps one reach higher heights in the end, as R.
In the meantime, people commit sins which cause great pain in the world. So, in order to relieve the pain and repair the flaws, HaKadosh Baruch Hu commanded us to sacrifice a goat as a sin offering. Therefore, Rosh Chodesh is a good time for repentance, new beginnings, and profound joy. Many people have pointed out that the menstrual cycle is similar to the monthly cycle of the moon. The status of the moon has often been compared to the status of women.
The Talmud recounts a legend that the moon and the sun were originally of equal size and brightness, but the moon asked how two could rule equally; God responded by making the moon smaller. In ancient texts, woman likewise has a lesser status and is subservient to man. Furthermore, the Zohar , the authoritative work of the mystical tradition, frequently likens the moon to the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, which mystics consider the feminine aspect of God.
According to an ancient tradition, the holiday was a reward given to the women of Israel because they refused to surrender their jewelry for the creation of the golden calf Exodus Because of their righteousness, the women were exonerated from working on Rosh Chodesh. While this does not mean that Rosh Chodesh is a "women's holiday," any more than the other festivals are "men's holidays," Rosh Chodesh has taken on a special resonance with Jewish women.
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