Home Synagogue Rabbi From the Rabbi: Rosh Hodesh a New Beginning
From the Rabbi: Rosh Hodesh a New Beginning PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 26 January 2009 14:52

Whilst sitting in my office and writing these lines, our thoughts are with the soldiers and the people of Israel – both in the south and in the north. They were under fire. 

Jewish history teaches us that regardless of the difficulties that face us, we as a people must maintain our optimism and look to a better future. We are all united in our prayers for the people of Israel and I believe we must overtly show our solidarity.

In one of the midrashim the fate of the people of Israel is compared to the monthly cycle of the moon. As we know, at the beginning of the every Hebrew month the moon is hardly visible. It then begins to increase in size and strength until on the 15th of the month when it reaches its zenith. After the 15th it once again wanes and disappears completely.

This pattern is pertinent to the history of our people. At times the Jewish nation has been shrouded in darkness but it has always (regardless of time or place) found renewed strength - like the moon.


Let us at this time maintain hope, belief and strength as we pray together for a brighter, better future.

If we are already discussing Rosh Hodesh, I would like to refer to the fact that during Biblical and Talmudic times Rosh Hodesh was considered to be a ‘mini’ Yom Tov and was often celebrated by a distinctive meal. Even today, there are many Jewish families who insist on adding something special to their Rosh Hodesh menu in order to mark the significance of the day.
In addition there are kindergartens and primary schools (especially amongst the religious) where students come dressed in white shirts on Rosh Hodesh – commemorating the day with special activities related to each month.

I am happy to report (to those who don’t already know) that even in our small congregation we hold a special Rosh Hodesh breakfast each month. This is prepared voluntarily by one of our members and is another example of how every community member can contribute something (however small) to augment our communal activities – strengthening our united resolve to remain optimistic.
Rabbi  Chaim Dovrat