Community Corner

ROSH CHODESH �" A MINI FESTIVAL

Rosh Chodesh is considered a mini festival that celebrates the arrival of the new moon. This monthly celebration takes precedence over all the semi festivals. Rosh Chodesh has been observed for centuries. Since the Jewish month is based on the lunar cycle, it was crucial to note when the month began. The new month begins when the crescent of the new moon is sighted. In ancient times, Rosh Chodesh was a very important holiday and strictly observed. Work was suspended, special sacrifices were offered at the Temple, (in accordance to the portion of the Torah that is read) and the Shofar was blown. Feasting was ongoing.

With the destruction of the Temple the observance of ritual sacrifices was now impossible, and the observance of Rosh Chodesh declined. The importance of the New Moon is that it establishes the dates that the festivals were to be observed. When the Temple was in existence, the power to set the dates was given to the head of the Sanhedrin.

On the thirtieth day of the month, the head of the court would examine witnesses who claimed to have seen the crescent of the new moon. When he was satisfied with the evidence, he would call out “The New Moon is consecrated”. The people assembled at the Temple would call out “it is consecrated, it is consecrated”. Temple rites would begin. If no witnesses came forward, the new moon would be celebrated on the following day.

Once the new moon was established, the news would be immediately relayed to all the Jewish communities so they might know exactly when to celebrate the religious festivals. Signal fires spread the information from mountaintop to mountaintop. This method was effective for the communities in Palestine, but the Jews in Babylonia, Egypt and more distant lands required emissaries to be sent. As emissaries took time to get across the lands, they sometimes took 2 days to reach the land and declare the New Moon. This established the custom of Rosh Chodesh sometimes being celebrated for 2 days. In the fourth century the patriarch Hillel II took the decisive step of officially publishing a calendar based on the astronomical calculations. He abolished the old system of determining the start of each month and made it possible for Jews everywhere to calculate accurately the beginning of each month and when there should be a leap year.

From a liturgical standpoint, the Rosh Chodesh service contains 3 liturgical elements, which raise it to the level of the intermediate days of the major festivals. These are the inclusion of the Ya'aleh V'Yavo prayer during the Avot/Ge'vurot, the inclusion of the Half Hallel, and the chanting of the Musaf Tefillah. While the Musaf contains the usual seven benedictions, the central one deals with the Temple offerings of the New Moon day. Additionally, we must bless the New Moon before the new month begins. This ceremony takes place the Shabbat before the New Moon is celebrated and is called M'varchim Ha Chodesh”. It consists of the introductory prayer, asking G-d for redemption of all our people from all four corners of the earth, even Israel to be united in fellowship. Next, is the announcement of the New Moon, specifically on the day, which it begins, and for it come to us and to all Israel for good. Finally, the concluding prayer asks for blessings and renewal to all the house of Israel, for life and peace, for gladness and job, and for salvation and consolation, and let us all say “Amen”.

We continue to celebrate Rosh Chodesh to this day, and I leave you with a little bit of Rosh Chodesh trivia. Every month except one is announced a week before as an upcoming Rosh Chodesh. Do you know in what month there is no announcement made? It's Elul, since the Rosh Chodesh for the month following Elul is Rosh Hashanah! The entire month of Elul is dedicated to exploring the relationship between G-d and the people of Israel, as we prepare for the High Holy Days.

Cantor Toby Schwartz