The first pasuk quoted above is from last week’s parshah (B0) and is in reference to the beginning of the month of Nisan, the month in which the Jewish people would be redeemed and would leave Egypt en masse; and the second pasuk is from this week’s parshah (Beshalach) and is part of the Song by the Sea, which the Jewish people sang to G-d after crossing through the Red Sea and experiencing their salvation from slavery.

The Talmudic ‘equation’ which compares these two pesukim and their contents is known as a gezirah shavah where a similar phrase or word in one pasuk makes a connection to an identical phrase or word in the other pasuk. In this case, the operational expression is the word zeh (‘this’): i.e. “This month shall be for you…”, a reference to Rosh Chodesh, vs. “This is my G-d…”, a reference to the Shechinah (G-d’s Divine Presence) which every Jew was able to perceive on the shore of the Sea.

On a p’shat (elementary) level we can get a glimpse into the logic of this interesting gezirah shavah, which equates the perception of the new month’s arrival (i.e. by giving it a ‘blessing’) to a perception of the Divine Presence (the Shechinah) which is normally unseen. In both cases, that which was originally hidden (but nevertheless was there all along) has now become visible.

However, upon further reflection, there seems to be a key difference between the two occurrences:  In the case of Rosh Chodesh, this is something that occurs ‘regularly’ (i.e. every month!) and is therefore usually filed under ‘not-out-of-the-ordinary’; while perceiving the Shechinah is viewed as being quite unusual and miraculous (think: G-d’s Presence in the Burning Bush and Moshe’s perception thereof).

So, now on a drash (intermediary) level of interpreting our gezirah shavah, we can understand a deeper, quite beautiful meaning inherent in the Talmud’s equation of the two perceptions. Our original conclusion – that one occurrence is ‘ordinary’ (the new moon in its recurring orbit) while the other occurrence is ‘extraordinary’ (the revelation of the Divine Presence) – was incorrect! Both occurrences are extraordinary and miraculous!

If a person can perceive that the fixed cycles of the moon, the planets, the stars, the galaxies, and the universe in its totality are miraculous in and of themselves – having been set into motion and sustained in their orbits by the Creator on an ongoing basis – then one has also perceived the Divine Presence whose Hand is the directing force behind every facet, every nuance of the ‘natural’ world (see also Meiri to our Gemarah in Sanhedrin and Rabbenu Yonah to Berachos 21a within the pages of the Rif – Artscroll Sanhedrin). There is no such thing as ‘coincidence’ or ‘natural occurrence’ in the myriad of worldly events which unfold constantly before our eyes; rather, hakol b’y’dei Shamayim … everything is in the Hands of Heaven.

Our Gemarah goes on to tell us that “had Israel been privileged to greet the countenance of their Father in Heaven only once each and every month – it would have been sufficient for them!” In other words, even if the Jewish people had the zechus (merit) to perform only this one mitzvah (and not all the other mitzvos that we are privileged to do) – then they would have sufficient reason to praise G-d for their lot in life (Rashi). This sentiment (presented in this paragraph) has been incorporated word for word into the text of our monthly blessing on the New Moon (birkas hachodesh).

“Meriemar and Mar Zutra would be carried out on the shoulders of others to bless the new moon” [Sanhedrin 42a] i.e. they were so old that their attendants had to carry them outside so they could recite the blessing of the moon (Yad Ramah, Meiri). According to the prevailing custom, one may make kiddush levana (the blessing on the new moon) up until the middle of the lunar month, while the moon is still waxing. However, once the moon has reached its fullness and has started to wane, the opportunity has passed. Many of our gedolim have gone to great lengths to ensure that they always make the blessing on the new moon every month, saying that it is a segulah (protection) against harm and misfortune, and a bracha for all one’s endeavors in the coming days.