Question:
In honor of Rosh Chodesh question. I know that it’s the beginning of something new. This is best to my knowledge at the moment. What is Rosh Chodesh the beginning of? Why is it such a special era, which would result in adding extra special praise aka: Hallel. Thank you.
Answer:
Rosh Chodesh is when the moon reappears in the sky, and is considered having a new moon, which starts the new Jewish month. The Jewish calendar counts according to the lunar month. One of the reasons is because in Jewish theology, the Jewish people are compared to the moon, which wanes, and appears as if it is no longer there, but then rejuvenates, reappears and grows. Additionally, the reappearance of the moon symbolizes the great idea of teshuva, that even if someone fell spiritually, or in any other way, we have the capability to pick ourselves up and rejuvenate (or reJEWvinate). This is a source of happiness and joy, that we have the opportunity to correct and start again, and we thank Hashem for this opportunity.
As a side point, I don’t mean to say that this doesn’t apply to gentiles, they can also do teshuva, as we see regarding the city of Ninveh. The Jewish people, as people being in exile, and having gone thru many difficult periods, we always live with the idea that no matter what happens to us we can always make a new beginning and continue to grow.
Best wishes
