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[00:00:00] Speaker A: Going to go ahead and I did all the announcements, Shifra, and we did our Tehillam. So without further ado, I am just going to turn the program over to Shifra. I can.
Oh, she had to update Zoom. I had to do that this morning. So I hear it. So I can share the screen. When you want to show sources, or you can, whatever is easier for you, just let me know. So in the meantime, I'm going to go and spotlight you and we will get started.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: Okay. So, Andrea, if you don't mind, I'm going to ask you to be in charge of the sources. Is that okay? Yep. Okay, great. Okay. So welcome, everybody.
The theme of Masorah, Baltimore's Rosh Chodesh program this year, as you know from the advertisement, is rather than using each Rosh Chodesh to spotlight the theme or energy of that particular month, we're going to use Rosh Chodesh to spotlight Rosh Chodesh.
And what I'd like to do tonight, being that this is the first in the series, is I'd like to actually just keep it simple.
I'd like to spend our time exploring one particular aspect of Rosh Chodesh that is really embedded in the name Rosh Chodesh, which we'll talk about. And one that I think is really evidence from the very introduction to Rosh Chodesh we are told in last week's Parasha Parsha Sporatious Rashi tells us first Rashi and Beresha. It's a rather famous Rashi that the very first mitzvah ever given to Klal Yisrael is this mitzvah. It's the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh.
It is not the first mitzvah that is listed in the Torah, but it is the first mitzvah that is given to Kal Yisrael as a nation just before they left Mitsrayim. Cl we're still in Mitsrayim. Estimated time of departure approximately two weeks forward. And the Torah tells us in source number one, Hashem said to Moshe and Aaron in the land of Mitsrayim, saying this month is technically it means for you. I know the English translation that I brought for you says Marks for you. That's a loose translation, literally means this month is for you Rosh Chadashim, it is the head of all months. The month of Nisan will be the first.
It will be first for you of the months of the year.
And then tells us in source number two that embedded in the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, which is the mitzvah that a Kadish Baruch Hu chose as the first mitzvah given to Klal Yisrael is source number two. I'm reading from after the first Kama Sheyhudi Mitsuba lihit Chadish Tamid Kabiria hadasha. A Jew is commanded to renew himself constantly as a birya, as a new being. Embedded in the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh is the instruction to renew, rejuvenate oneself.
And if you skip down to the end of the next line where it says Hamitzvah Harishona vu Yisrael, the very first mitzvah, the Klal Yisrael were commanded.
Let's even make this more dramatic. The very first statement that a Krshbarach who gives to Klal Yisrael as a whole is Rosh lechol Tzarik Yehudi Tamid lihi Chadesh. First and foremost, a Jew needs to regular Lihit Kadesh be renewing himself.
Critical for a Jew is that he is constantly rejuvenating. And this message of rejuvenation, of renewal, of re energizing is so fundamental, so important, that a Kadish Baruch Hu chose to embed this message in the very first mitzvah given to Klal Yisrael. You must find ways of keeping yourself fresh.
I think the truth of the matter is we know this intuitively.
We crave this.
It's the reason why we look at a closet full of clothing and say, I have nothing to wear.
It's the reason why we every so often we've been making the same Shabbos chicken for the last 12 years, and we start asking anyone of a new recipe for chicken.
There's something about newness that we crave. We get excited. We get excited about a new piece of news, a new simcha that we heard four days later it's going to be old news. But right now, it's fresh, it's new, it's exciting.
And it's the same reason why we get excited about a new idea about Yontif. Why Missouri Baltimore is so helpful to us because it gives us new energy, new learning, new ideas, something to hear about the Parshah.
It's why I personally find myself preparing new Shi'arim on topics I've spoken about 12 times. Am I crazy? Maybe. But also I crave newness, like we all do.
There's something about his Hajjos that we understand intuitively to be important to us. We crave that feeling of new.
And I believe we crave that feeling of new because we know about ourselves that we do better when we keep ourselves fresh.
And we know why.
Because it energizes us, because it's something to get excited about. I look forward to getting dressed tomorrow morning because I have a new sweater to put on and I'm excited to serve a new recipe.
But in the realm of Ruhnius, it's more than that. In the realm of spirituality, it's critical. That feeling of new, that feeling of what gets us excited, yes, it gets us excited, but it also allows us to see things from a fresh perspective.
It's the famous comment of Rashi on the word hayon multiple times in Chumish. See yourselves as receiving Torah today. See yourselves as being commanded this today. Because there's something about that freshness, feeling like it's new. What does it mean, feeling like it's new? It means feel the passion, the energy, the excitement.
But it also sometimes helps us to notice things that we wouldn't otherwise have noticed about ourselves.
Because sometimes it's that very fresh perspective that allows us to see something in ourselves or to notice something in our behavior that we would have missed otherwise. I'll give you an example from Rav Chaim, Shmuel Levitz and the Sikhos Maser.
Rav Chime Shmolevitz brings us back to the scene where the Shvatim are trying to bury Yakov Avinu.
The Shvatim have brought the mace, they have brought their deceased father all the way from Israel. And they are standing at the entrance of Marathon where they are met by Asav and Kazal. Tell us that Asaph starts arguing with them. What are you bearing Yakov Avino for? Who says that Yakub Avinu gets to be buried here? I think the burial plot belongs to me.
And they start back and forth. Question, answer, argument, rebuttal.
The measure says that they send Naftali to go running back to Mitsrayim to get the deed to prove that this plot, this plot, belonged to Yakov Avinu. But meanwhile, the mace is lying there.
One person who walks in doesn't totally understand what's happening because I'll tell us he's deaf, but he understands that the mace, the Akabin, was lying there and he cuts off Asap's head. And that is one of the roots of the source that says that Esav's head is rolled into Marasa Macht asks Rav Chaim Shmulevitz in the Sichos Musser in source number four.
It's a little curious.
Why was no one else bothered by the question that bothered Hush and Bendon.
Why did no one else. Why was no one else frustrated by what he was frustrated by? And jump down one line, one line in a couple of words where it says trying to find it in here.
Second line. Thank you for the cursor.
How is it even possible that the sons of Yakov could tolerate such a thing as happening? How could they be standing there letting Yakov Avinu lie unburied?
Well, Asav is arguing with them. They're treating like this is a normal conversation.
Says Raim Shmolevitz in the next line.
You want to understand that this is what was going on.
They spoke with Asav, they're debating with Esav and they're thinking about everything that he says.
So we're going to beat him this time. We have a good argument back for that.
And from statement to statement and question to answer, Yaakov Avino is lying disgraced in front of them.
They almost got used to it. They're engaging in this conversation like this is normal.
And that is unfortunately sometimes human nature that we get used to things, that things become regular. Things that are not regular become regular. Lokin Bendan. Not so with Hush Embedan Kaveid Hashmia who's hard of hearing.
He didn't know what was going on and he didn't understand the conversation.
All he saw in front of him was this difficult situation.
My grandfather is lying disgraced.
He did not get used to the situation. He did not get accustomed to this being normal.
So low. He couldn't handle it. He said enough. He caught off Asap's head and finished.
And doesn't that happen to all of us sometimes?
La Marle, you could think back. I can't see everyone who's on here. And I'm sure we have represented quite a number of rages but ages. But if you can imagine that four year old, a four year old sometimes you ever see this happen. Like a 4 year old is like actually engaging a parent in a conversation. Like as if this is normal.
But I. But I. But I want to stay up longer.
[00:12:25] Speaker A: But you.
[00:12:26] Speaker B: But you already stayed up past your bedtime. But could I have a drink? But I already gave you a drink. Okay, let me get you a drink now can I have a snack? Like this is not normal. It's dead time. Go to sleep. You know what I'm saying? Like we're engaging this conversation on and on. We could spend 20 minutes. Engaging this conversation like this is a normal conversation. This is not a normal conversation.
But sometimes we don't realize because we're just, we're just in it. Now. I'm not suggesting that one should never have that conversation with a child. I'm just using it as a muscle.
I'll give you an example that I think we can all relate to.
We're like discussing antisemitism and anti Zionism and we're talking about it and we're holding conferences about it and we're having seminars about it and we want to go to Congress and talk to them about it and we're explaining to the UN how it's not nice.
Now again, I'm not saying that there should not be that kind of effort. That's not what I'm saying. And I'm not saying that one, that, that, that it's never the proper established to do that. I'm just saying it's not normal.
Like it, it's not normal. We're gonna explain it to them and, and then they're gonna be okay. And then they're gonna say, you're right, do whatever you want in Gaza. I hear you. We're going to explain it to them and then they're going to back off and leave us alone. Because we explained to them how they were nice to us first. They don't care.
We're, we're arguing with Asav, so it's Ishmael, but it's the same idea. We're, we're having a debate and we're explaining and I'll say my argument and you say your argument. This is not a normal conversation. We've become so used to this that we think the conversation is normal.
And we're like that with ourselves sometimes.
Because don't we all have it sometimes that we do something a certain way? La muscle. We do something a certain way and we do it that way because that's the way we've always done it. Until somebody walks in one day and says, why are you doing it like that? And you're like, I don't know. That's the way I always did it. We have that in school sometimes in the way that we run things. We have that in programs sometimes in the way that we run things. We have that in office management sometimes in the way that we run things, we have it sometimes. I remember one time I always clean my chicken a certain way. One time my sister in law came in and she said, why don't you use chicken? Cheers. It goes so Much faster. And I was like, I don't know. I always did it like this. I started using chicken shears. Taco, she's right. It took half the time.
It's such a silly example, but we all have examples like this in our lives. And sometimes we do it with our avodas hashem also.
Why do I do that? I don't know. Because that's the way I kind of always did it.
Maybe there's something I could do that would make it more meaningful.
I'll give another example. And again, it's. I. I hate giving this example because it's so unbelievably overused, but it's probably overused because it's just such a relevant example in our lives today. You know, something as simple as technology use. I just get used to checking my phone in my email every time I sit down and I have two minutes. Why do I do that? I don't know. Because that's just what I do. And that's what every single person, person around me is also doing. They have five minutes. They're in a waiting room, they open their phone. That's what everybody does. What do you mean? I'm in my car and I'm waiting on a carpool line or I'm waiting in the parking lot for somebody, or I don't know. And I what do I do? I check back. That's what we do. We check our phone, we check our email every time I sit down until either someone says something to us like, you know, you're always checking your phone, which usually makes us say, no, not, or we have a moment where we realize on our own, I don't know. Do I say, do I? Do I open up my tehillim as often as I check my email?
I'm not talking about work, even. I'm just saying in general, his chad shus.
The importance of his chad shos is that it takes us out of our routine and forces us to reflect on our own routines and behaviors, to pause and say, is this really how I want to be living? Is this really what I want to be doing?
So think.
His hajj is important because it energizes and it gives us passion.
But it's also important because it helps us to see things that we almost missed.
Rosh chodesh is a gift that a Kaddish baruch hu inserted into our calendar year every month to make sure that we tap into the koach of his hadshos to make sure that we tap into the power of renewal. Because Understands he who made us, knows us best.
And he knows that human nature is to become so accustomed to routine that we don't even notice what we're doing and why anymore.
Take a look at the pamima weed in source number five.
When you think about it, it teaches the real treasure of what Rosh Chodesh is about is the koach ha his.
It is the power of renewal.
It's not just by chance, and this is what I meant by the fact that it's embedded in its name.
It's not by chance that we call it Rosh Chodesh. We call it Rosh Chodesh Hashem, Bisuras, Haitz, Chad, because what's wrapped into it is the power of his chadur, of his chajos, Rosh Chodesh, the head of the month. The head of the chodesh is a time for chidosh. It's a time for something that's hadash new and renewing.
The very name represents its message.
Because that is so much of what Rosh Chodesh is about.
And the truth is that even halachically, we know this to be true. We're actually experiencing this halacha right now, in the 30 days from the time that we say Mash of Haruach, the moride gashem on mortal, that we start on Shmini at Seros for 30 days. The Halacha is that if I'm not sure if I said before I complete the bracha, I go back to the beginning of Shre.
If I know for sure I said it, I'm good. If I know for sure I did not say it, I have to repeat Shona estre and that in between category on what? If I'm not sure if I said it, and the answer is, if you're not sure in the first 30 days, we assume you probably did not.
Why?
Because Gazal understood that human nature is such that it takes about 30 days for something to become part of our routine.
And so in less than 30 days, there's a good chance. I haven't assimilated it yet, but after 30 days it has become static. And if you look at the second half of that, that we were just learning Hamur, the passing of time allows space for different time to emerge.
And so that in order so that those sins, those wrongdoing, those negative habits do not, do not win victory, meaning do not become part of us. We don't want the negative habits to become part of us.
Here established for us the time every month to start again, to shake off what might have become stuck and begin a better future.
Every month, the opportunity, the charge to think about what I'm doing, to think about why I'm doing, to not become settled into routine or a thinking pattern that I don't really want every month to act like who should bend on and say, what am I looking at?
And how can I rejuvenate? There are things in my life that require action. There are things in my life that require reaction and to provide myself with an opportunity to start again. And if we go back up to source number two, that's why Rosh Chodesh is associated with being a time for kapara. Customarily, the day before Rosh Chodesh is called a Yom Kippur katzon. It is a day for teshuvah. Some people have the minute to fast half a day if you go to. And they say, and there are special slichos that they say in the afternoon, if you were to go to Rosh Chota, to the kosov, you were zocha to be in Eretz Yisrael, on an Erev Rosh Chodesh, you would see the kosal is packed on ere versus Chodesh. A Yom Kippur katan is an opportunity for tefillah, for chuvah.
It is also why in Musaf Avroshodesh, which I believe is going to be explored in a later class, you find the lashon of it being a zaman kapara.
It is a time that is connected with an opportunity for atonement, says the pamimoid.
I'm sorry, not source number two, but source number three.
Since Rosh Chodesh is really based on the foundational concept of his chadshoth mimela clulabogam skulas kaparasavonos. It must be that included in it is a time and an ability to atone for sins. Meaning, says the Pami mawid. The two things, two concepts, naturally fit together. If it's a time for Israel and for renewing myself and re energizing myself, then it makes sense that it's also a time for kappara. Because from the power of renewal, it is a time from that power of his. A person has the opportunity to turn a new page, a page that does not have any stains on it.
It is a time of atonement because it is an opportunity for a new start. And that's what it's about. It's a new start, it's a new energy, it's a new beginning.
And you see that in the cycle of the moon itself.
The moon itself, which, which is the moon, is the icon around which this mitzvah is based. The entire mitzvah is really all about blessing, sanctifying, and celebrating the new moon. That's what it is. The new month is the new moon.
And the icon of Rosh Chodesh. And the way that the moon works symbolizes exactly this. Look at the org adal Yahoo in source number six says the orgadal Yahoo of Gedal Yashore.
Even though it's true that the moon is a natural thing, it's a thing. The moon stands high in the sky. But Huach Hayes Kadjas, it's teaching us something. Look at the bria as an opportunity to learn the messages of Hashem.
The moon is teaching us about the koach ha.
It's inspiring us to the eye of man. It seems that right now, at the beginning of the month, the moon is renewing itself.
It is basically a material reminder of this concept of renewal.
At the time that the moon is rejuvenating and renewing itself, it has gone through an entire cycle and it is about to start again.
A person has the ability to renew himself. Look at that moon when it is almost nothing in the sky and take a lesson.
We too have the ability, when we feel like we are so small, to start again, to regrow and to gain help from the power of renewal that comes on Rosh Chodesh.
Yes, it's true that every month has a coax to tap into. That's true. But it is also true that the day itself of the first of every month contains within it a power of renewal that we have the ability to tap into the koach ha es chadshos had nimsar li Yisrael Bez ubem Yitzrayim. And that koach, that power, that energy was given to Kal Yisrael at the moment upon which they were about to leave. Mitzrayim.
This is the very first message that a Karachu chose to give Kal Yisrael. You know what your mitzvah is. Your mitzvah is to tap into your ability to rejuvenate yourself.
Remember that you always have the ability to start a fresh page.
Don't lose your ability to regrow, to renew. Don't forget that keeping yourself fresh is not just about a new blouse and a new chicken recipe. Keeping yourself fresh is about keeping your avodas hashem fresh. We want that in all our relationships. We don't want them to become stale and old and taken for granted. And we don't want that in our relationship with Hashem either. We want fresh, we want passionate Yiddishkeit.
And the message of Rosh Chodesh teaches us that, and here's why that's so important.
The Sikhos Muser again in source number seven, and I'm starting right after the comma on the first line.
Listen to the powerful words of the Sichos Muser. They are strong and they are true, and we know that they are.
When we get used to things, routine, stale, nameless, kills the holy feelings of His Oros and his when we get stuck in a routine without energy, without passion, without excitement, it kills that feeling of newness.
And sometimes we need a sudden burst of something to pull us out of that routine.
And that will sometimes come in all different forms, that will sometimes come in an idea that we hear in a conversation, that we have in an experience that we encounter. And something sends us into our lives, something that's going on in cloudy Israel and something that's going on in my life, something that rocks us out of routine, where we start suddenly to reevaluate everything that we're doing and everything that we're thinking and everything that we are.
But really, Rosh Chodesh is supposed to be that opportunity as well.
It is a once a month pause that says I have the opportunity to start fresh.
Because he who made us knows us best. And a Kurdish person who understood that human nature is that when we do the same thing, we get stuck in routine. We see this with tefila all the time. Sometimes we'll hear a shear, let's say, on a paracofthill or on an idea in tefila and we start to think about it and it's energizing. And we're excited about that paragraph to H. We're excited about saying that new part of Tila. And then we have the same thought a day after day after day after day, and all of a sudden it's not so exciting anymore.
And we do this all the time, and we have it with all parts of our lives. We have something that we hear about Shabbos and we're so excited to share it. And then it fades.
And his consciousness is not something that just happens to us. It's something we need to do for ourselves, to re energize, to make sure that our relationship with a Kadish Baruch who is always one with passion.
Because we don't want to be stale in our Yiddish kite any more than we want to be stale in any of our relationships.
We want scratches, we want fresh and exciting. That's why Karashbar will put into the routine of our calendar. Because one Rosh Hashanah a year is not enough. And I think we know that because we're a week and a half after Yontif when we're already like. People ask us, how was Sukis? Where was I?
Because it's so easy to jump back in routine and forget where we're going.
Nicodemus who said once a month. Energy, energy, energy.
And in fact the power of his cajus is so valuable and so important and critical for us that sometimes actually creates circumstances that produce that energy.
Says I have as the Safer that I picked up in artist Yisrael a couple of years ago.
It's. It's based on a. On a. On a pretty well known mimer that. That a number of farm talk about talks about and Ali Shore talks about a number of other. They're older sources also. And the Safer is called you may have.
So I'm quoting for you from reading with you in source number eight.
You need to know there are sometimes a Koresh who throws a person from his Avoda Hashem and that comes.
What does that mean?
Loses a certain feeling and a certain chios, a certain energy, a certain life feeling in his Yiddish kite.
Why does that Kadesh Baruch hu do that? Because he wants him to renew himself.
Why does that sometimes almost deliberately arrange that a person goes through what. What the sperm call you may have on you may sinner. Sometimes I'm feeling strong and I love Yiddish kite and I love Hashem and I'm going to be excited forever.
And sometimes he experiences you may sinna where he feels distant and he's having a hard time and my Trila feels empty.
And why. Why does we. Why do we sometimes experience that? Because it is from those you may sin. Or that we start to look for ways and opportunities to rejuvenate, to re energize. And that too is important.
And knowing that gives us perspective on challenging times, both personal and national. First of all, because we know that it's normal, because we know that, that that is part of the way that the reboot of Sholem designed it, that there would be times of you may avoid.
And that's normal. And I'll just. This is sort of parenthetical, but I always feel like I just need to say this when I talk about this topic. And who says that when I'm feeling excited or when I'm feeling like I'm loving To David, who says that that feela is even necessarily more powerful than the Tefillah that I put forth when I'm quote, unquote, not in the mood.
We don't have that measure that chios that energy is a gift for us, but we are not in a position to be measuring which one is worth more.
But it is the natural way of things that a Kurdish Baruch has made every one of us, in a way like the cycle of the moon, where we have times where we feel stronger and times where we feel lower.
But it is from those low, difficult times that we force ourselves out and we create a new freshness.
If you could read with me in the Nasiva Shalom in source number nine, Valkyn and therefore Diva commanded Claudius regarding the subject of sanctifying the new moon.
Again, the very first mitzvah in the Torah codem carbon Pesach, before even gave us the mitzvah of carbon Pesach, we were in Mitzrayim. He told us about sanctifying the new moon. Why?
Because telling Claudia, it's not just enough to know that this is a time of his, it is. But there's something else here. There is a fundamental point about Amuna that is embedded in this.
According to the moon.
And even in the height of darkness, we know, we trust that Hashem, there is no such thing as stam darkness.
Elaze ne hashem yisbarach. This darkness, this difficulty that we as an individual, as Clau Yisrael, are experiencing, is from Hashem.
And our job is not to change, not to give up from what we are doing.
Meaning?
Meaning that we are not stopping from who we are intending to be.
We know that every situation that a Koresh Baruch hu put us into, times of light and times of darkness are all part of the way. Akari, who designated it, because there are different things that he pulls from us at different times.
We CL are symbolized by the cycle of the moon.
And as much as there are times of dark and times of light, there is one constant. And that constant is that we always come back again.
We do not give up.
Yes, there are challenging times, sometimes in circumstance and sometimes in spiritual growth, but it helps us to remember that it's from Hashem.
And our job is to think about what we're going to do with it, to learn the lesson of the moon, not to get stuck in the dark. It's time to renew.
And that has been the story of CL for generations.
And that is the story of Cl. Right now, we don't get stuck, we move forward.
If you could read with me the Kree Moid in source number 10.
Cream always starts off by saying, with this mitzvah we find a general principle in the establishment of the Jewish calendar.
He says similarly to the Nasivo shalom, which is a popular idea which is really popularized first by Chazal the clown. According to the moon, as opposed to the nations of the world who count according to the sun.
There is more to this than just a hint.
The sun regularly appears in a sort of a static position without rises and falls, as opposed to the moon which is constantly changing. Every day you look at the moon and it's a little bigger or a little smaller and Rev Rice and the cream. Moe goes on to explain that the difference between the sun and the moon represent a fundamental difference between Claudiusra and the nations of the world. Because the nations of the world appear to be large and big and great, but when they fail, they fall and they disappear.
He actually gives the example of Haman Harasha, who Haman was on top of the world, and then the next thing he knew, he fell to the ground.
And that is really, if you skip to the end of that paragraph where it says on the. On the second to last, on the third to last line, right after the comma, we're talking about Claudistrail that even if they, God forbid, minimize, that's not the end of the story.
And it is always true with CL Israel that after the fall comes a renewed rising, just like the moon, that after it gets small again and it has almost completely disappeared. Hubia bim Zoharo it shines its light again.
That is the power of cl, that yes, there are times where we are really having a hard time and not in a good place.
But then we rise again.
But then we rise again, we pick ourselves up and we find the energy to renew and we find the energy to grow. And that has been our story for generations and generations.
It is the story of how Claude Yisrael has replanted itself.
Country after country after country built a new community, built new shuls, new MCVOs, new yeshivos.
It is true in our most recent history, in a post Holocaust generation that has, with unbelievable Yad Hashem, brought us to where we are today, almost inexplicably.
And it is true in the. In. In the power and the energy that we're trying to create now.
I'll point you again to the N in source number 11.
The Nasiva Shalom again is talking about the idea that Kal Yisrael are counting according to the moon.
And he says that a moon has times where it's in the peak, the height of darkness.
You don't see one spark of light. You could hardly find the moon in the sky.
But we know that it will grow again. You will see it as a full moon again.
That is the life of Am Yisrael, that renews itself, that grows again, that rebuilds again in the height of darkness. We know that we will grow again, our light will shine again.
And that is also what helps us to remember another message of the moon. Second paragraph. Aval Yisrael monin lulivana hasholetet bayom ubalayla Israel count according to the moon, which rules by night and by daylight serves Hashem when I'm feeling it and when I'm not feeling it. When Claude Yisrael is on top of the world and Klal Yisrael is being trampled by the United nations and everybody else. I serve, no matter what, high, low, good, not feeling well, not feeling well. I serve with whatever I have, wherever I am.
Because the question that Kral Israel lives with is how can I be an evadashem?
How can I reflect Hashem's light in the world?
And there are times where we can do that with a lot of light, and there are times where it feels very dark. But we are represented by the moon.
It doesn't matter if it's night or day. It doesn't matter if it's easy or hard. We are stubbornly connected and committed to representing a Kaddish Baruch Hu on this earth.
That's what we do, and that's who we are.
And that is part of why that moon, which is the icon of Rosh Chodesh, is the centerpiece of the very first mitzvah that said to Kalistra, you, the months belong to you.
No matter what is going on, you find within you the power of his, the ability to renew, the ability to find that passion and find that energy.
And where do we get that coch from?
We get that coch from the knowledge. And if you look all the way down now, we're still in that Asivo shalom.
We are just going to count lines for one second.
Sorry.
From where I. From where I was reading before of Al Yisrael moon in one line, down in the middle of that line, Vizohi mitzvah rishonash, and it's Tavuba Yisrael and that is the first mitzvah, the cloud Yisrael were counts, were commanded in.
This is one of the most, one of the greatest, one of the most important Mitzvos when there is not a spark of light.
This is what Klal Yisrael believe in. And this is where we get our energy from this line that I know that whether the world thinks probably str is great or the world thinks CL is crazy, whether I'm feeling strong or I'm feeling like I'm not bringing a Komachnach right now, I believe in a Koresh Baruch love of Clodel, that everything that Hakadosh Baruch Hu does comes from Hashem's love of us.
And that is part of why Rosh Chodesh is exactly when it is.
And that's another understanding of why Cl counts by the moon. And I'm just going to say this part outside because one of the greatest powers of Clal Yisrael is that we are the Amanivkar A chose us, chose us in all circumstances that we could possibly be found in strong or weak, dark or light. And you see, that is symbolized by the fact that the very first mitzvah given to Kisrael was given to us when we were still in Mitzrayim and when we were still in Mitzrayim and slaves to Pharaoh Hakadosh Baruch who said, these people are mine.
No matter where we are or how low we are Hashem's people and we represent that in the world. I don't care what the world has to say about us. It's time for Hush and Bendan to cut off the head and say, I don't care what they have to say. We are here to represent Kavud Shamayim.
That's who we are.
That's what we're about.
And that's the message we are supposed to be tapping into every Rosh Chodesh Karuch who loves us. No matter where we are.
We always have the potential to be more. We always have the power to re energize from no matter where we're holding.
So I see that we're short on time. So I'm going to jump to the end of the source sheet.
I'm going to share just one idea outside and then I'll share one closing thought.
We're told by Gazelle that it's. That it is, quote, a disgrace for one to say halal every day.
And the reason we're given for that is because halal is something that describes in great eloquence and great elaboration the miracles of Hashem, the greatness of Hashem, etc. And Chazal tell us that if we were going to be saying Hallel every day, it would become so routine that we would basically lose it.
The Chazal also tell us that we're supposed to say Halal on Rosh Chodesh.
Why?
Because, says the Safer Pamimoid, because the Niflaws and the Nissan Hashem really surround us all the time.
The problem is that they surround us all the time, and we get used to them. So much so that we hardly see the Ad Hashem anymore.
But Rosh Chodesh is an opportunity to see what we don't always see, to tap into what we don't always tap into. To re energize, says the Kriemoid in the Last Source. And I'll just read this Last Source together that the he also.
When a person was in his mother's stomach, in his. In. In his mother's womb, we know that the tell us that the Malach comes and teaches an infant, a child, all of Torah.
He know. He knows everything. He's full of strength.
But when a person comes into this world, a material world, there's all these distractions and all these things trying to persuade him and sway him who allulave. He comes to a point where he's pulled in so many directions, he's distracted so much that he doesn't even. His heart isn't even feeling anymore.
A person's journey in this world is one in which we want to be drawn to spirituality and not be distracted by the things that pull us. I said in a sheer recently, I feel like you ever have this just to give a muscle. Like you're driving through a storm and your windshield keeps fogging up, and the only way to deal with it is to keep fogging up. And the rain is coming down so hard you can't even see in front of you. So you have your windshield wipers on full force, and it's going so quickly. You ever had this experience? Like, you keep pushing it. Like, does it go any faster?
Like, I can't get it to go any faster because I can only see for that split second that it clears the windshield. But as soon as it stops, I can't see again.
And somehow it feels sometimes like we're driving through a world where we are in such a crazy storm that we can't see clearly. Things that should be so obvious to us, we sometimes can't see.
And we do this all the time. Like, I know that Akrosh Baruch Hu is the One taking missiles out of the sky. But I'm praising the Israelis. And I know that Hashem is the BAAL mil chamos, but I read the news as if meat I'm going to change something because I know what's happening and I know leave Melech V and the rabbit is going to determine the next the election that's happening in a couple of days.
How much am I davening though? And how much am I watching the news?
Because we need constant windshield wipers to remind ourselves of what we know to be true.
And part of the function of Ro Kodesh is because the kadosh Baruch Hussein I know I put you into a world where it's hard to see clearly and your windshield fogs up and sometimes it's storming like crazy. And you need opportunities to refresh so you can see what you know to be true in front of you so you don't get distracted by the obsession of gashmius. And you get and you are you recenter yourself and find your real passion for where your neshama wants to be drawn to. And that's part of what Rosh Chodesh is for.
Rejuvenation, renewal, to find energy in what's real. To remind myself what's important to recenter.
I give us all a bracha that we should have the ability on Rosh Chodesh and drawing from Rosh Chodesh all month long to tap in to the part of ourselves that's here to bring food shamai into the world.
And collectively, we as Claudistra should reflect as we are symbolized by the moon reflecting the light of the sun. To reflect a Karishborough whose light in this world and to bring the world to a time where Kadosh Baruch whose light is visible all the time.
Thank you.
[00:56:41] Speaker A: Thank you so much. Shifra. What a wonderful way to. To begin this series.
And thank you everybody for. For joining us. Thank you so much.
[00:56:52] Speaker B: Shipra. That was beautiful. Thank you. That was wonderful.
[00:56:57] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:56:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
Thank you. Very inspiring. Wow. Yeah, it was amazing.
[00:57:04] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:57:04] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:57:07] Speaker A: Have a good night, everybody, and see you this week as our fall semester begins. Thank you.
[00:57:16] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:57:17] Speaker A: Have a good night. Good night. Good night.
