Rosh Hodesh: Celebration of the New Moon
Rosh Hodesh, also spelled Rosh Chodesh (“Ch” as in “Bach”), is the celebration of the new Hebrew month, an ancient festival finding renewal among contemporary Jews.
Rosh Hodesh Moon, song by Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael
Its a moon song
Bubbling up and over me
Darkness, sets my spirit free.
Rosh Hodesh, enchanted time to hallow the month
Midrash: How the Moon Shrank
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־שְׁנֵ֥י הַמְּאֹרֹ֖ת הַגְּדֹלִ֑ים אֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַגָּדֹל֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַיּ֔וֹם וְאֶת־הַמָּא֤וֹר הַקָּטֹן֙ לְמֶמְשֶׁ֣לֶת הַלַּ֔יְלָה וְאֵ֖ת הַכּוֹכָבִֽים׃
God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule by day and the lesser light to rule by night, and the stars.
The Torah depicts Sun and Moon being created together on the Fourth Day* of Creation. But the Midrash, an ancient genre that includes imaginative “back stories” of the Torah, depicts a legendary struggle for dominance in which the moon wanted to have a greater role.
Follow Wellsprings on Instagram
If you enjoy the nature photography on Wellsprings of Wisdom, I invite you to follow Wellsprings on Instagram. All of the photos(and videos) there are my personal work–or should I say, play? I share them in the hope of helping people to see the world with new eyes, to appreciate the beauty of our natural world (and some of our human creations) and our capacity to enjoy it all as a divine gift.
New Song in the Gateway of the Moon
The New Moon tonight signals the beginning of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan חֶשְׁוָן begi
ns tonight. (This is the month with no holidays, right after Tishre תִּשְׁרֵי which has the most holidays.) In honor of Rosh Hodesh, the celebration of the New Month, enjoy a beautiful song, Rosh Hodesh Moon, by Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael. It’s the second post in the new Gateway of the Moon.
The Myth of Moon, Reinvented Over the Ages
The midrash about the Moon’s diminishment in the previous post did not remain static over the centuries, but was reinvented to reveal new meanings. Explore the changing face of this ancient legend in depth, through this fascinating article by Melila Hellner-Eshed, the Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem. It’s a bit longer than most of our pathways, but well worth the read.
‘Of What Use is a Candle in Broad Daylight?’ The Reinvention of a Myth
(more…)
New Gateway: The Moon
I’m just 
emerging from the busy Fall Holiday season to launch a new Gateway page: Gateway of the Moon. The Jewish calendar, many rituals and colorful legends center on the Moon. This Gateway has just started, so check back to watch it grow and to learn about the meaning of the moon in Jewish tradition and as a symbol for the changes and cycles of our own lives.
Wellsprings Posts to Enrich your New Year
As a congregational rabbi, this is my busiest time of year, so new posts may be a bit slow in the coming weeks. However, you can find several holiday related posts on Wellsprings of Wisdom that I hope will add to the meaning of the season for you.
Learn about the meaning of the Shofar and listen to the call of a shofar blown outdoors. Take it deeper by learning how the shofar is used as a symbol of justice, social activism and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).
Other posts highlight outdoor, nature-based rituals of the season, such as the Rosh Hashanah custom of Tashlich, “casting off sins” into a flowing stream. Learn about the custom here. I also share about a personal tashlich ritual that I created to deal with a difficult life transition, and share photos of the beautiful Northern California creek where I performed it. While on the subject of Tashlich, enjoy a poem about a creek, “Today is Forever,” translated from Yiddish of Malka Heifetz Tussman by Marcia Falk, and shared from her wonderful book for the season, The Days Between (linked in the post).
After the Days of Awe (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) comes Sukkot, the harvest festival, which focuses on life out of doors by dwelling in a hut called a sukkah. Here is a post about the sukkah and the holiday and its symbolism. The post links to holiday retreats in the US East and West coasts.
As I write this, Hurricane Irma is battering Florida. I wish safety and calm to everyone there, and urge those of use who are far away to contribute both our prayers and our tzedakah (charity, righteous giving) to help those who are impacted.
Wishing everyone blessings of a Shanah Tovah! Be written and sealed in the Scroll of Life for a good and sweet New Year.
Getting ready for Rosh Hashanah with a Shofar Call in Nature
In the month of Elul, leading up the Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it is traditional to blow the shofar daily (except Shabbat). Here Rabbi Sarah Leah Grafstein sounds the ram’s horn in the awesome setting of the Grand Canyon. The shofar calls us to awaken, arise, return to our true nature and mission in life. This is also a time to prepare for the new year by giving tzedakah (charity, righteous giving), mending relationships, remembering the departed, and doing an “accounting of the soul” (cheshbon hanefesh), meaning self-reflection in preparation for the New Year.
It is traditional to read Psalm 27 daily to build our faith and confidence. Here is a wonderful translation by my teacher, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi of blessed memory. And here is a recording of him reading it.
New Post: Learn Ocean Breathing
Ocean Breathing is a 
yogic breathing technique that I learned from Marcia (Meesha) Albert at the old Elat Chayyim Retreat Center in the Catskills. While it takes a little practice, it is a wonderful calming technique, kind of like your own portable beach. Find audio and written instructions in this New Post in the Gateway of the Sea. As a bonus, enjoy a virtual trip to the beach in Australia.
[Update 12/28/17: the “virtual trip to the beach in Australia” was from an Instagram account that closed, so it is no longer part of the post.]
Recent Comments