The first mitzvah (commandment) given is to sanctify the New Moon. Rashi explains that Moshe wasn’t able to fully understand the mystery of the New Moon until Hashem showed him the exact moment of the moon’s renewal – and the deeper reason for the moon’s waxing and waning, one of the mysteries behind Creation, similar to the process of Tzimtzum – the contraction of God’s light – which led to the co-existence of light and darkness, revelation and concealment.
The Jewish people and calendar revolve around the moon and its many phases, and the holidays follow suit. To give some perspective, we are now in the year 5783 according to the Jewish lunar calendar. Each month, the new Moon first appears in the sky and has no more than a small point of light. R’ Natan of Breslov explains that sanctifying even just a tiny bit of the moon’s light elevates it. It’s said that when the moon was created, it was created with a blemish. But our ritual of Rosh Chodesh spiritually rectifies and restores it to its original intended glory. When we rejoice over just a mere speck of that light — that good point that we merit to find, despite it being infinitesimally small and concealed in darkness – we ourselves are rectified and genuinely become deserving of God’s seeing and revealing light in us.
The expanding and contracting of the moon is just our perception, as the moon actually remains whole. It’s just our perception that changes, and in our own lives so much of the “bad” and good are our own perceptions and reactions to what is around us and within ourselves. We remain whole, even when we feel broken.
And so, just like the moon that waxes and wanes, we can choose when we are stuck & feel constricted to contract, or we could choose to expand. Instead of fear, anger and hatred, we could choose to open ourselves up to seeing all sides, to judging favorably, ourselves and each other, to becoming more aware, more compassionate, more loving and more empathetic toward ourselves and toward each other. That is the only way to bring the clarity & freedom that we all crave, because spirituality is synonymous with light, and light will soon fully dispel the darkness.
Thanks for reading!
Much love & Shabbat Shalom!
– Erez // @erezsafar
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