Article: The moon's message

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
Jerusalem Post
01-11-2008
Headline: The moon's message
Byline: Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
Edition; Up Front
Section: Features
Page: 42

Friday, January 11, 2008 -- "The first glimmer of the new moon of this month [Nisan] shall be for you the festival of the beginning of the month, the first month of the year." (Exodus 12: 2)

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch understands this passage as being the first commandment given to the Jewish people, the commandment to mark the renewal of the moon every month as a semi-holiday, as well as to begin the months of the year with Nisan, the month of the exodus from Egypt.

The Hebrew word hodesh means both month and renewal, and so the sages of the ...

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