We are now in the antechamber leading us towards the majestic and awe-inspiring holiday of Passover. As if to announce its impending arrival, we mark four special Shabboses which lead up to this significant event on our calendar [see Eliyahu Kitov’s ‘The Book of Our Heritage’ for more details about these four special parshiyos]. This Shabbos is ‘Shabbos HaChodesh’ (i.e. ‘The Shabbos of the Month’), and it always coincides with the advent of the month of Nissan – that being the month of the Jewish year in which Passover resides (on the 15^th thereof). Parshas HaChodesh usually precedes the new month of Nissan (when the new month comes out some time during the following week); but this year, this special Parshah and Rosh Chodesh fall out together on the holy Shabbath.

This is what is read in shul for the one who is called up for maftir: “Hachodesh ha’zeh lachem rosh cha’da’shim … This month shall be for you the beginning of the months…” and we continue to read from Exodus, Chapter 21, beginning with verse 1 and continuing through verse 20 – which tells us about the new month of Nissan and many details about the upcoming Festival of Freedom. In his opening commentary to the Torah, Rashi zt”l tells us that this parshah is critical and essential to understanding our national destiny; and that since this parshah contains the first mitzvah given to the newly emancipated Jewish People (i.e. that of observing and celebrating the New Moon i.e. Rosh Chodesh) – it would have been fathomable for the Torah to have skipped all of Genesis (and the beginning of Exodus) and to have begun with this narrative [see the first Rashi in Genesis for a fuller understanding of this concept]!

That being the case, it is appropriate that at this point we should ask: What is it about the New Month in general, and the New Month of Nissan in particular, that make them so special and worthy of our attention?

All of the Jewish months of the year are based upon the lunar cycle, and follow the waxing and waning of the moon. Thus, every Jewish month begins with the new moon, reaches its midpoint (approximately the 15^th of the month) as the moon waxes full, and then moves inexorably towards its finish with the waning of the moon and its ‘disappearance’ from the sky – only to begin the cycle once again with the coming of the next monthly cycle. It is not a coincidence that the Hebrew word for month (chodesh) comes from the word for ‘new’ or ‘renewal’ (chadash).

We celebrate the New Moon and the New Month because it is a celebration and recognition of renewal, and the essential role that concept must play in our lives. With this in mind, our lives will thus mimic the natural cycle that G-d has imbued in the natural world: sic. the moon is ‘renewed’ every month, the seasons are ‘renewed’ every year, etc. Even the cycling of all the planets within our galaxy, and the galaxies within our section of space etc. go through fixed patterns of cycling and thus renewal.

Here we are taught an important lesson: we human beings are not meant to be static creatures, but rather renewable entities. As the prophet states, “If I have fallen, I will rise up; if I sit in darkness, G-d shall be a light to me” [Micah 7:8]. Even if during our own lives we go through periods where there is darkness, where we seem to have ‘disappeared’ from our comfortable orbits (whether on a personal or national scale) – nevertheless, there is always renewal, there is always new growth, there is always a return to strength, and there is always teshuvah. Within these concepts lies the essence of Judaism. Thus, this is one of the reasons why the very first mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a nation was the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh.

But there is more: If the standard measure of ‘renewal’ is the new month, then on a macro scale there is the yearly renewal celebrated on Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur (not to mention the shemittah and yovel cycles). And on a micro scale there is the renewal celebrated each and every day with the coming of the sun and the breaking dawn: “He illuminates the earth and those who dwell upon it … and in His goodness renews daily, perpetually, the work of creation” [from the Birchas K’rias Shema, said daily before reciting the morning Shema]. The image that comes into mind when reading this is akin to what we learned in calculus:  Smaller and smaller increments are plotted on a graph; eventually, these little, pixelated steps (which define the slope of the graph) disappear into a smooth line. Thus, every second – even every microsecond! – can be used as an instrument of and in the service of renewal.

Renewal is an element of free choice. Have you ever asked yourself the question: What are the natural parameters in our universe that make free choice possible? The answer to this question is addressed each and every day in the blessings we recite before krias Shema: (1) The blessing “yotzer ha’m’oros” talks about Hashem’s malchus (Kingship) and His strict reign over all aspects of creation – the predictable and dependable repetition of the natural cycles (which include all creatures and animals, as well as His angelic messengers). In the world of the m’oros, there is no free choice; every creature must follow the dictates of the King. (2) But with “great love” (“ahava rabba” – the second blessing) do we have the privilege and the free choice to serve G-d and make every day – even every second! – an act of renewal, return and teshuvah. Our free choice is dependent upon the natural ordering and cycling of the universe, which does not deviate from its course.

Here we have glimpse into the power and special nature of renewal within the context of the natural cycling of the universe. Within our own particular earthly world, the spirit of renewal comes to the fore during the spring season – when all things are ‘new’; when, it seems, all things are possible. This is why there is always an adjustment to the yearly Jewish calendar (and the addition of a second Adar during a ‘leap year’): the Festival of Passover must be celebrated in the springtime, the Time of Renewal. In today’s recitation of Parshas Hachodesh, we read about the New Moon (representing renewal) as well as about the holiday of Redemption (our national renewal, marking the birth of the Jewish people). Is there any more appropriate way to set the tone for the upcoming Yom Tov of Pesach?

When Was Your Last “Spiritual”?

The following dvar Torah is by R’ Yossy Goldman and originally appeared on www.chabad.org. It was sent to me by my friend in Brooklyn, R’ Eliyahu Singer. It is presented here in the spirit of Parshas HaChodesh, with some emendations:

In this week’s Torah reading we read all about the kohain (the Jewish ‘priest’) examining people to determine whether they were afflicted by tza’ra’as ( the ‘leprous’ curse). It was a physical inspection which had spiritual implications. The person might be pronounced tahor (pure) or, G‑d forbid, tamei (impure), all depending on the results of the kohain‘s examination.

Reading about all this, I couldn’t help thinking about going to the doctor for the requisite annual medical examination, or the “physical” checkup. You know the drill: We go through the routine tests, including height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress tests on the treadmill and up and down the little staircase.

But do we ever think of going in for a yearly “spiritual”?

What’s our “height”? Do we walk tall? Are we proud and upright Jews, or are we apologetically stooped and bent over by the burden of an inferiority complex?

What about our “weight”? Are we on a well-balanced diet of Torah, the sustenance of our souls, or do we suffer from spiritual malnutrition?

And how is our heart doing? A Jewish heart doesn’t only pump blood; it pumps warmth and love. A healthy Jewish heart is the emotional center of the person. It emotes and feels the pain of another. And healthy hearts are inspired by events that point unmistakably to the hand of G‑d in the world. If we aren’t feeling what we should be, then we might be suffering from blocked arteries.

It was time to check my blood pressure. When the doctor wrapped the pressure cuff around my arm, immediately I thought of the spiritual connection – i.e. tefillin.

It brought to mind the story I had heard of the simple farmer who went in for his first medical checkup: When the doctor checked his blood pressure, the farmer asked, “What’s this all about!?” The doctor explained patiently that he was checking his heart rate. “But why are you holding my arm if you want to see how my heart is?” exclaimed the farmer. “Because when I look at your arm,” replied the physician, “then I will know how your heart is doing!”

Even though it’s the hand that gives charity, it nevertheless must be connected to a healthy Jewish heart in order to effect the giving.

Then came the stress test—up the stairs and down the stairs, up again and down again, and again and again. How do we handle the ups and downs of life? Are we smug and arrogant when we’re up, and dejected and depressed when we’re down? How do we deal with stress? Do we trust in G‑d that everything has a purpose, and a positive one at that? Or do we become angry and bitter at life’s ‘unkind’ twists of fate?

Finally, there was the treadmill. I really dislike treadmills. After two minutes, I said to the nurse I’d had enough. “The doctor said you must do four minutes,” she informed me sternly. “Four minutes?” I cried. “This feels like four hours!” Life can be a tedious treadmill. We find ourselves running and running and getting nowhere fast – a grueling rat race, where even if you win you’re still with the rats! All of it leaves us wondering what it’s all about and why we are working so hard with no meaningful, consequential reward in sight.

So this year, in addition to going for a physical, why not go in for a spiritual? Find yourself a Jewish spiritual teacher/healer – someone you respect and who has a reputation for helping others achieve their spiritual goals – who can search your soul for its healthy characteristics as well as your necessary growth points – and then prescribe a spiritual fitness program tailored just for you and for the needs of your neshama. May we all be zocheh to lead healthy lives, both physically and spiritually!