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ShareThere is an ancient custom to bless the upcoming Jewish month on the Shabbat which precedes Rosh Chodesh. These Shabbatot when the new month is blessed are referred to as Shabbat Mevarchim. A central feature of this prayer is the public announcement of the exact time the new moon, known as the molad is set to appear. The molad is the exact moment of the moon's renewal. Recall that at the concluding moments of every lunar cycle the moon is positioned directly between the earth and the sun and is completely invisible. A few hours following this occurrence the moon is once again visible, albeit only the most minute portion of it. At such time the molad the “birth” is recognized as having taken place and a new Jewish month has begun.
The prayer for the new month is conducted in a somewhat distinguished manner. It is led by the Chazzan while holding the Torah. The prayer announces the name of the upcoming month along with the exact moment the new moon is set to appear. It also serves to alerts the congregation as to which day(s) of the coming week will be observed as Rosh Chodesh. Finally, it asks that G-d renew the upcoming month with all forms of blessing. It is often carried out in an elaborate and impressive manner.
It is actually quite important that the exact time of the molad be announced. Doing so allows people to determine when the latest opportunity is for them to recite the Kiddush Levana. It also represents our efforts to familiarize ourselves with the workings of the calendar.
Indeed, we are strongly encouraged to somehow participate in the calculating of celestial matters. Yes, learning the basics of astrology is a mitzva!
Announcing the molad also recalls the ancient practice of Kiddush Hachodesh. In Temple times the new month was declared by the Beit Din based on manual calculations along with the testimony of witnesses who would have claimed to have seen the moon's renewal. It is rather essential to be standing when reciting this prayer as the ancient Kiddush Hachodesh was only acceptable if performed while standing.
(א) נכון לדעת זמן המולד קודם שמברכין החודש:
(ב) יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ. שֶׁתְּחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ אֶת הַחוֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לְטוֹבָה וְלִבְרָכָה. וְתִתֶּן לָנוּ חַיִּים אֲרוּכִים. חַיִּים שֶׁל שָׁלוֹם. חַיִּים שֶׁל טוֹבָה. חַיִּים שֶׁל בְּרָכָה. חַיִּים שֶׁל פַּרְנָסָה. חַיִּים שֶׁל חִלּוּץ עֲצָמוֹת. חַיִּים שֶׁיֵשׁ בָּהֶם יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם וְיִרְאַת חֵטְא. חַיִּים שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם בּוּשָׁה וּכְלִמָּה. חַיִּים שֶׁל עשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד. חַיִּים שֶׁתְּהֵא בָנוּ אַהֲבַת תּוֹרָה וְיִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם. חַיִּים שֶׁיְּמַּלֵא יְהֹוָה מִשְׁאֲלוֹת לִבֵּנוּ לְטוֹבָה בִּזְכוּת תְּפִלַּת (רַב) רַבִּים. אָמֵן סֶלָה:
(ג) הש"ץ לוקח הספר תורה בידו ואומר:
(ד) מִי שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְגָאַל אוֹתָם מֵעַבְדוּת לְחֵרוּת. הוּא יִגְאַל אוֹתָנוּ בְּקָרוֹב וִיקַבֵּץ נִדָּחֵינוּ מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ. חֲבֵרִים כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:
(ה) רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ פלוני יִהְיֶה בְּיוֹם פלוני (ולמחרתו ביום פלוני) הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְטוֹבָה:
(ו) יְחַדְּשֵׁהוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל עַמּוֹ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁהֵם. לְטוֹבָה וְלִבְרָכָה. לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה. לִישׁוּעָה וּלְנֶחָמָה. לְפַרְנָסָה טוֹבָה וּלְכַלְכָּלָה. לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וּלְשָׁלוֹם. לִשְׁמוּעוֹת טוֹבוֹת. וְלִבְשׂוֹרוֹת טוֹבוֹת. (בחורף וְלִגְשָׁמִים בְּעִתָּם). וְלִרְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה. וְלִגְאוּלָה קְרוֹבָה וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:
(1) The following prayer יְהִי רָצוֹן, composed by Rav, head of the Babylonian yeshiva at Sura, is mentioned in the Talmud, (Maseches Berachos 16b), but not as a prayer specifically ordained for blessing the new month. It was actually a daily prayer that Rav recited each day after the regular service. The יְהִי רָצוֹן was adapted by Ashkenazi Jews as a prayer for the coming of the new month by adding the words: שֶׁתְּחַדֵשׁ עָלֵינוּ אֶת הַחוֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לְטוֹבָה וְלִבְרָכָה but Sephardic Jews omit the entire prayer as it is not mentioned either by Rambam or Avudraham.
(2) May it be Your will, Adonoy, our God and God of our fathers, to renew this [coming] month for us for goodness and blessing. Grant us long life—a life of peace, a life of goodness, a life of blessing, a life of sustenance, a life of bodily vigor, a life in which there is fear of Heaven and fear of sin a life in which there is no shame or disgrace, a life of prosperity and honor, a life in which there will be love of Torah and fear of Heaven, a life [in which] will be fulfilled the wishes of our hearts for goodness. Amein, Selah.
(3) The following prayer, is the actual blessing of the month. The Chazzan takes the Torah in his hands and declares:
(4) He Who performed miracles for our fathers, and redeemed them from slavery to freedom, may He redeem us soon and gather our dispersed from the four corners of the earth; united in friendship is all of Israel! And let us say, Amein.
(5) The new month of (name the month), which will be on (name the day or days) will come to us and all Israel for goodness.
(6) May He renew it, the Holy One, blessed is He, for us and for all His people, the House of Israel, for goodness and blessing for happiness and for rejoicing, for deliverance and for consolation, for plentiful sustenance, and support, for good life and for peace, for good tidings, and for good news, for rain at the proper time, for total recovery, and for early redemption, and let us say, Amein.
תְּפִלַּת הַחֹדֶשׁ
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁיִּתְחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ חֹדֶשׁ ______________ לְטוֹבָה וְלִבְרָכָה, לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה, לְשָׁלוֹם וְאחֲוָה, רֵעוּת וְאַהֲבָה, לַעֲבוֹדָה וִיצִירָה, פַּרְנָסָה וְכַלְכָּלָה, לְשַׁלְוַת הַנֶּפֶש, וּבְרִיאוּת הַגּוּף, לַחַיִּים שֶׁל דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, וְאַהֲבַת תּוֹרָה, לְחַיִּים שֶׁיִּמָלוּ בָּם, מִשְׁאֲלוֹת לִבְּנוּ לִבֵּנוּ לְטוֹבָה, כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן
Prayer for New Month
By Marcia Falk
May the month of ________ (name the new month)
be a month of blessings:
blessings of goodness,
blessings of joy,
peace and kindness,
friendship and love,
creativity, strength,
serenity,
fulfilling work
and dignity,
satisfaction, success,
and sustenance,
physical health
and radiance.
May truth and justice
guide our acts
and compassion
temper our lives
that we may blossom
as we age
and become
our sweetest selves.
May it be so.
יְהיִ רָצוֹן שֶׁיִּתְחַדֵּשׁ עָלֵינוּ חֹדֶשׁ...
Abbreviated Prayer for the New Month
Yehi ratzon sheyitchadesh aleynu chodesh....
May the month of ______ be a month of blessings: blessings of goodness, blessings of joy, peace and kindness, friendship, and love.
(א) א) [סעיף א'] ראש חדש וכו' שבת קודם ר"ח אחר קריאת ההפטרה קודם אשרי מכריז ש"צ ומודיע להקהל באיזה יום יחול ר"ח או אם יהיה יום א' או שני ימים. אבודרהם. כנה"ג סי' רפ"ד בהגב"י. מ"א סק"א.
Rosh Chodesh: The Shabbat before the upcoming beginning of the new month, after the reading of the Haftorah portion, but before ashrei, the Service Leader announces day of Rosh Chodesh and whether it will last one or two days.
(א) (א) ר"ח וכו' - מנהג קדמונינו לברך את החודש בשבת שלפני ר"ח חוץ מלפני ר"ח תשרי ורמז לזה בכסה ליום חגנו. ויש מקומות שאין נוהגין לברך ר"ח אב משום שהוא חודש של פורעניות. ואין ברכת ר"ח כקידוש החודש שהיה מלפנים אלא שמודיעים להעולם מתי יחול ר"ח ויזהרו בכל הלכות החודש. ומ"מ נהגו לעמוד בשעת אמירת ר"ח פלוני ביום פלוני דוגמת קידוש החודש שהיה מעומד [מ"א]:
Rosh Chodesh: It was the custom of our ancestors to bless the month on the Sabbath before Rosh Chodesh, except before Rosh Chodesh Tishrei, and allude to it in the case of the day of our holiday. There are places where it is not customary to bless Rosh Chodesh Av because it is a month of persecution. And there is no blessing of the New Year as the sanctification of the month that was before, except that the world is informed when the New Year will come and they will be careful in all the laws of the month. It is customary to stand during the recitation of the Rosh Chodesh blessing as the Service Leader on such and such a day, for example the Kiddush of the month he was standing (according to Midrash):
There is one month, however, that is excluded from the cycle of Shabbat Mevarchim prayers and that is the month of Tishrei. Among the many explanations as to why this so, it is said that the month of Tishrei with all its holidays and their accompanying mitzvot is inherently blessed. It is as if God Himself is the one who blesses the month of Tishrei. The other months of the year which don’t contain nearly as much mitzvot as Tishrei are therefore dependant upon the Jewish people to bless them.
While in our day Tishrei is the only month for which Shabbat Mevarchim prayers are not recited, there was once a custom to omit them for the month of Av, as well. While no longer practiced, the idea for omitting the prayer on behalf of the month of Av was related to that month's eternal association with bad fortune and tragedy. It is actually the opposite reasoning that has prevailed however being that the month is so associated with tragedy, how much more so does it require our prayers!
(א) מוֹעֲדֵי ה' – רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ
א. שֹׁרֶשׁ הַתְּשׁוּבָה הוּא רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ. עַל כֵּן בְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ מִשְׁתַּלְשֶׁלֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה בְּכָל הַנִּבְרָאִים וּמַגִּיעַ לָהֶם הִרְהוּר תְּשׁוּבָה. וַאֲפִלּוּ רְשָׁעִים שֶׁבַּגֵּיהִנֹּם מֻכְרָחִים לְאֵיזֶה חֲרָטָה בְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ, שֶׁשָּׁבִין וּמִתְחָרְטִין וּמוֹדִים וּמִתְבַּיְּשִׁים: (לק"א סי' י' אות ט')
(1) FESTIVALS AND SEASONS OF THE YEAR: Rosh Chodesh — The New Moon
The force which draws all the worlds to return to God has its root on Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon. On Rosh Chodesh the desire to return to God is felt over the entire creation. Even the sinners in hell cannot escape a certain feeling of contrition. They are drawn a little closer to God and feel a flicker of regret. They are forced to acknowledge the truth and feel ashamed of their wrongdoing (10:9).
ראש חודש מותר בעשיית מלאכה והנשי' שנוהגות שלא לעשות בו מלאכה הוא מנהג טוב הגה ואם המנהג לעשות מקצת מלאכות ולא לעשות קצתן אזלינן בתר המנהג: (ב"י)
(27) A light of G-d is the soul of a person; Revealing all their innermost parts.*
*could be translated to mean womb
This 'lessening of the moon' was interpreted by the Kabbalists as a symbol of the Shekhinah's exile. The Shekhinah itself is the 'holy moon,' which has fallen from its high rank, been robbed of its light and sent into cosmic exile. Since then, exactly like the moon itself, it has shone only with reflected light. With the Talmudic explanation, which relates only to the designation of the moon as the 'lesser light' in the first chapter of Genesis, the Kabbalists connected their knowledge of the changing phases of the moon, which seemed to indicate that until the Messianic redemption the moon (and the Shekhinah as well) would time and time again sink back into utter lightlessness and want. Only in redemption would the moon be restored to its original state, and in support of this belief a verse from Isaiah (3o : 26) was cited. Meanwhile, no cosmic event seemed to the Kabbalists to be more closely connected with the exile of all things, with the imperfection and the taint inherent in all being, than this periodic lessening of the moon.
Kabbalah looks at the moon-Jew connection in a whole new light. The mystics see the sun as the generator of two types of light: an external and obvious light that functions to illuminate the earth and generate photosynthesis, and a second, “internal” light. The internal light is not necessarily about performing; it’s just about being. It’s too sublime to be exposed directly from the sun; it presents itself only through the medium of the moon’s reflection. Although the light of the moon seems weaker than the direct sunrays, its light actually displays the sun’s essential light.
