(2) This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you. (3) Speak to the community leadership of Israel*community leadership of Israel Heb. kol ‘adat yisra’el, lit. “whole community of Israel,” and say that on the tenth of this month each of them shall take a lamb*lamb Or “kid.” Heb. seh means either “sheep” or “goat”; cf. v. 5. to a family, a lamb to a household.
Ben: It was the first time we were free! So now we can keep track of the days, and that was how they commemorated themselves getting freed and they could organize their own lives.
Excerpt from: Aish HaTorah - Rosh Chodesh: The Meaning of the New Month by Dina Coopersmith
Like the moon, the Jewish people will rise up again and light up the night.
The first commandment the Jews were given as a people is the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, the New Month:
"And God said to Moses… in the land of Egypt… This month is for you, the head of the months. First it is for you among the months of the year." (Exodus 12:1-2)
The Jewish nation was told while still in Egypt that the month of Nissan, the month in which they would be leaving Egypt, should be for their first month, and that from now on, they, as a nation, have a responsibility to count the months and create a ly Jewish calendar based on the lunar year.
Isn't this a strange first commandment? You'd think the development of the calendar would only come after the establishment of the basic fundamentals like the Ten Commandments. Why does the Torah consider the process of establishing the new month as a major breakthrough in creating a nation? And what was wrong with the solar calendar that everyone else had been using? What is the significance of basing the Jewish calendar on the moon? ..........
God is giving the Jewish people an empowering message with this first commandment. Up until now, the Jews have been slaves to the Egyptians. Their time was not their own. Now, says God, you are becoming masters of your time. And not only of your own time, but of My time as well!
Chloe: The people needed a sense if time, A calendar shows you the days and lets you plan
Dean: The calendar was the first mitzvah for the Jewish people because they were finally free and now they could plan their own time.
From Areyvut.org
Calendar
The opportunity to live the values of chesed (kindness), tzedakah (charity) and tikkun olam (social justice) that lie at the core of Jewish tradition and practice are often overlooked by those with good intentions who are simply focused on catching trains to work, getting kids to school on time and completing daily house chores. Sometimes, a small reminder is all one needs to pause amidst a hectic day and think of how one small action can impact so many.
Chloe: Before, they had been slaves. Now the the people needed a sense of time. The calendar shows you all of your days.
Excerpt From FamilySearch.org:
When Is the Jewish New Year?
On the Hebrew calendar, there are 4 holidays throughout the year that celebrate the start of the new year—and they don't all fall in the same month:
- Rosh Hashanah, celebrated the first and second days of Tishrei (the 7th month), marks the start of a new year number.
- The first of Nissan (the 1st month) marks the new beginning of the calendar month cycle.
- Rosh Hashana LaBehemot, on the 1st of Elul, marks a new year for the tithing of animals.
- Tu BiShvat, celebrated on the 15th of Shevat, marks the new year of the harvest.
Each of these beginnings has religious and historical significance
Samantha: People need structure and the calendar gave them the structure of their time that they needed.
Excerpted from "The Theology of the Jewish Calendar" by Ismar Schorsch
The calendar’s other new year, of course, is Rosh Hashanah which comes out on the first and second of Tishrei. This duality gives us the anomaly of counting the months from Nisan and the years from Tishrei. But, in reality it completes the definition of Jewishness. Rosh Hashanah focuses exclusively on the individual’s relationship to God. Arraigned in judgment, we pass before God’s scrutiny in a spirit of candor and contrition. Our fate hinges largely on the quality of the year just passed. We seek but one more chance to render our lives more beneficial. Genuine remorse might just offset the harm of our misdeeds. For a precious moment, we merit God’s undivided attention. While Passover affirms the power of belonging to something greater than ourselves, Rosh Hoshanah reassures us of the ultimate value of our individual existence. Without prospect of personal salvation, national identity yields but slight comfort.....
In truth, the Jewish calendar embodies the theology of Judaism. We live our lives at the nexus of two coordinates, our need to belong and our need to transcend. If ably balanced, the combination turns the heirlooms of our people into the rungs on which we can ascend to meet our Maker. As in the daily minyan, community leads to transcendence.