Shabbat Parashat No'ah/Shabbat Rosh Hodesh

Blessings of the Turning Weather

Both last Shabbat and this Shabbat, we read of Creation stories of our world in the Torah. Last week was Shabbat B'reishit, which contains the well-known stories of the seven days of creation and the tales of Adam and Hava, the first human beings. This week, in the story of Noah and the Flood, God makes a second attempt at creation after all humanity - with the exception of Noah and his family - have become morally corrupt and a new beginning is deemed necessary. Therefore, at this point in Torah, we are very much in the midst of a focus on the natural origins of our world and the environment which is to be passed down to us. How appropriate it is, then, that what is happening in nature around us actually requires our direct attention and consideration!

This month on the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hodesh - the beginning of the new Hebrew month - actually falls on Shabbat (it is a two-day Rosh Hodesh this month, having started on Thursday night and extending through to the end of Shabbat). The celebration of a new month, which is characterized by the New Moon (meaning that the moon is not actually visible in the night sky), has a tradition that goes back centuries upon centuries in Judaism. Our religious calendar is based on the lunar cycle and it is not a coincidence that some of our most significant Jewish festivals coincide with the presence of the Full Moon. Tonight, take the opportunity to look up into the sky - and, fortunately, the forecast is for at least partially clear skies - and take note of the absence of the moon and think about Rosh Hodesh.