Show Notes
Sponsored in memory of Fay and Nathan Holzman.
View Full Transcript
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] First of all, huge thank you. I have said this to the Missouri Baltimore group, the committee, the staff, and I've said this behind Baltimore, the Missouri Baltimore's back. So you know that I mean it, that this is really one of my favorite rooms in all of Baltimore rooms. Zooms, all of the above.
[00:00:16] It's just a place that just women so genuinely just want to connect to each other, to Hashem, to learning, to Torah. It's just like the healthiest, most beautiful Kiddush Hashem.
[00:00:28] So I really genuinely don't take this opportunity for granted to learn with you and from you. So a huge, tremendous. Thank you. Okay, so I'm going to share my screen. Okay. I really love learning in person, but I will say that I actually woke up this morning not feeling 100%. So I was like, okay, Baruch Hashem. This is why we do Zoom. Okay, can you see the source sheet?
[00:00:53] Okay, so I know that you had already Rosh Chodesh and his chachas with Mrs. Rabenstein, and I believe the last one, Mrs. Orlean. Is that correct about halal? And we get to talk about women and Rosh Chodesh. So I know that Rosh Chodesh has already been discussed. But to build up the relationship between Rosh Chodesh and women, I do just want to go back to when the mitzvah is introduced. Hachodesh is alachem, Rosh Chodashem. And I just want to put this into context of where we are. We are literally in probably the. One of the most dramatic moments in the Torah, right? We're basically facing Pharaoh and saying, by the way, as of tonight, we are killing every firstborn. We are going to be leaving here. Get ready, get set. Here we go. And you're, like, at the edge of your seat, about to turn the page. Like, let's get Makos Pachoros happening. Let's pack those bags. Let's make those matzos. Let's leave. It's so dramatic. And then all of a sudden, there's this, like, commercial break. Introduce the first mitzvah. Like, by the way, you know, on every Rosh Chodesh, this is a mitzvah for you. And you're like, I was not ready for a commercial break yet. Like, we are at the edge of our seats, right? And especially you would think, like, to introduce the first mitzvah. Like, give it its, like, light. Give it its moment where, like, we. Our attention's fully right here. We are so, like, so with this story that this seems like, what are you doing Hashem. And I think that this is really what this Sforno picks up on when he brings his approach. Is that really what Hashem is trying to do, is that it is true as of tonight, you are about to go from slavery to freedom. But you have to understand what it means to go from slavery to freedom. We know that this story is so emotionally stirring. We know that it is dramatic. We know that you are ready to turn the page to the next part of the story. But you cannot turn the page to the next part of the story without understanding what that means for you on an emotional, mental, psychological, religious level. And what that means is the discrepancy and the difference between yesterday and tomorrow is one of the aspects which I'm sure has been talking about in your other Shiurim, is that a slave does not have ownership over their time. They do not have the ability to say, what should we do now? That is a sign of freedom to have ownership, to have that decision, to have that deliberation of what to do with my time. Slavery is that time is not my own. And I have to do what my master wants and to have that choice now of choosing how I use my time. That is why we're having this break, this significant bridge between slavery and freedom. But Rav Hirsch piggybacks on this for now, and I think says something so deep about this concept of being having a choice in our time related to Rosh Chodesh specifically. And he says many of us might not be aware that Rosh Chodesh is actually called a moed. We know Shavuis is called a moed Pesach, those are called mo'adim. Those other moadim are occasions, as he says, by historical events, history. Something from history happens. So we have those holidays. Rosh Chodesh is occasioned by the reappearance of the light of the moon. Rosh Chodesh is a moed because the new light of the moon has appeared. But he says so beautifully, what does the word moed mean? Moed means to call a meeting. So an ohel moed, for example, is a place of meeting. But moed, like mo'adim, as you and I use it, means a time designated for meeting. And what that means is mo'adim are designated times for us to meet with G D, for us to meet with Hashem. And what that means is, of course, Hashem is always ready, wanting, available. He wants a relationship with us. But just like we might, day in, day out, have conversations with friends. But then every so often, we might say, you know what, let's go out, you know, let's put the phones away, distractions away, let's just hang out. That there's this deeper quality time that Hashem wants to have with us a few times a year that he calls a moid times to meet with Hashem. You might call it a date night with Hashem. Right? These. These precious moments with Hashem. And look at how he put the phones away. You can't talk about work. It's so qualitatively beautiful. And then he continues and says so beautifully, if we may speak in human terms, this meeting should be voluntary from both sides. It should not be like a master summoning his servants into his presence. It is God who wishes that his people should come to Him. That is why he specifies only in general terms the time of their coming to Him. He allows them a certain latitude within which they themselves may set the exact date for the meeting, so that the time of the meeting will be by mutual choice. And he continues, note this. Well, it is to be by mutual choice.
[00:05:19] Rosh Chodesh is unique in that the basin has jurisdiction and has that ownership and ability to choose to realize when Rosh Chodesh is. We're always looking out for that light. And when the basin realizes that light is being seen, we establish Rosh Chodesh. And Hashem specifically wants that. Because for Hashem, this moet symbolizes, I have a desire, a deep desire to come close to you, to have this date night, this quote, quality time with you. But do you want to have that with me? And I don't want you to feel like you're forced into it. I want to feel like you want this. And so I'm giving you the latitude. I'm giving you the space that day after day, you're going to keep coming outside and looking at that moon and saying, do you see the light yet? And we're anxiously awaiting that moment when we can say, we now have a moed with Hashem. It is now Rosh Chodesh, which is going to be important for later in this. In this. But I think this is also interesting because the Ma'other Mo'adim are celebrated so differently. And a lot of the halachic sources try to deal with why is Rosh Chodesh so differently. So come with me to the Shalchan Arach, Rosh Chodesh, Malacha. One of the most obvious differences is that we can do Malacha on Rosh Chodesh. Ah, says the Shulchan Arach, the Han nashim sha no hagoshalola sos bamolacha humen hagtov. But women throughout the generations who have taken it upon themselves to not do Malacha on Rosh Chodesh. It's a nice custom. It's a nice minhag. And the Tosfos and Rashi go even further. And the Tosfos says, men can for sure, 100%, not a question, do Malacha Anush chodesh, avanashim asuros be'malacha. The Tosvos says that women are. It's ASR for them to do Malacha. That is not how we pass in today. And I'm most certainly not your Rav. But. And then here's the most important part for me of this Tosvos. Clearly there's a difference between the men and the women and how we celebrate Rosh Chodesh. But why? And the Tosos and Rashi Bose Ego, they did not give their jewelry over at Chaita Ego. And that's exactly what Rashi says.
[00:07:29] Women don't do Malacha and Rosh Chodesh. Why? Veshamatimi P. Moriazak. And I heard from my rabbi, they were given this mitzvah. It's a gift.
[00:07:40] Because they did not give their jewelry at Chayta Egal. So let's go back. Let's go to Chayta Egal. Well, let's go forward, actually, from where we are. Let's go look at Chayta Egel. So we know that Klaus Yisrael are waiting for Moshe. Moshe is having a chavruza with Hashem in Shemayim 40 days, 40 nights, right? And unfortunately, our calculations go awry. It's not the last time in Tanakh where calculations go awry.
[00:08:05] They realize that Moshe is not coming down when we expected him.
[00:08:10] And the nation is getting stressed. They gather. They like, you know, come, come to him all already Vayumur Eilav. And they say to him, kuma say lanu Elohim. Come make for us either a leader, get us a new leader in place of Moshe, or we could even argue that on a scary level that they were ready to replace Hashem Hashalom, Moshe is not here. What are we going to do? And then you go to the next Pasuk. And shockingly, Vayom and Alayim, Aaron. And Aaron says to them, sure, sounds like a great idea. You're right. Moshe's not here. This is not a good plan. We need a plan B. Let's move on.
[00:08:46] Cool. You know what? Go get your wife's. Jewelry, your son's jewelry, your daughter's jewelry, and bring it to me. Have you ally go bring it to me and you know, we'll make this new thing that you have in mind.
[00:08:58] And the whole nation brings their jewelry. This is wild. And they bring it to Aaron.
[00:09:03] So what is Aaron doing here? So Rashi says, amar Aaron Biliba. Many of us know this, that Aharon was not chas v shalom ready to support an avodazara or replacement of Moshe. He had full faith that Moshe was going to come down. But he said in his heart, women in jewelry, men, sorry, women and their jewelry and children and their jewelry, women and children are generally a little bit more sentimental, maybe a little bit more emotionally attached to their jewelry, maybe for sentimental reasons, maybe they'll delay, they'll be a little hesitant. The kids will have a tantrum, the women will have a back and forth. And in that time when they're deliberating back and forth and the men are trying to get it and the women are refusing and the kids are having a tantrum.
[00:09:48] And in that time Moshe will come down. We're expecting him any minute.
[00:09:54] But the men didn't wait and they took it off their own. Interestingly, that the men had their own jewelry. They took their watches, their rings, whatever they had, and they gave it to Aaron.
[00:10:03] But according to this Rashi, it almost sounds like the women were bypassed. It doesn't sound like the women had the opportunity to give and they refused to give. It sounds like the men knew that the women and children would give them a hard time and so they just took off their own jewelry and ran to Aharon. So the medrash comes in, who Rashi obviously is basing this off of, Rashi is basing himself on, and he gives us the full story.
[00:10:26] Shamu hanashim. The women heard, as in they knew, they heard what was going on and they refused to give their jewelry to their husbands. It's exactly what Arun thought would happen.
[00:10:38] Ela amrulahem. But they said to him, it's not that we're sentimental about our jewelry. It's not that, you know, this is an heirloom from my great grandmother. Ela amrulahem atem rotim la so Shukitova. I know what you have in mind to do with this jewelry. You are looking to make such a khalashem. Whether you're making vodazar, you're trying to place for Moshe, I know what you're trying to do. And I want no part in it, it's not even productive. You're not making anything of value.
[00:11:12] Sorry. Hashem gave them a reward.
[00:11:15] Hashem gave them a reward in Olamaz and Omahaza.
[00:11:18] So what was the reward that Hashem gave them? Shane Masham rose that they keep Rosh as it said Hamas, that Hashem wants to satisfy you in the good. The the youth of your years will renew your younger years. Like an eagle, an eagle sheds itself fur, it's wings, it's feathers.
[00:11:42] You are rewarded with Rosh Kodesh here.
[00:11:45] So this sounds so beautiful. Wow, what a nice. Beautiful.
[00:11:49] Let's end it here, right? Beautiful. The women didn't participate in Cheta Egel. They get Rosh Chodesh. This sounds so nice. Except that I am so confused. If I were. If we were to sit around the table, we were not hired. But let's say Hashem came down and said, you know, I like to run my Torah on Mida Kineg and Midah. On rational, logical consequences, things make sense. So the women didn't give their jewelry at Chaita Egel. Now, of course, Chaita Egal does not even happen anywhere near Roshodesh.
[00:12:19] Happens on Shavas or Batamos. So I'm a little bit confused as to why we are being rewarded with Rosh Chodesh. If we were to ask all of you on this committee, what would you reward the women with? They didn't. They refused to give their jewelry. And therefore what? So I don't know, I'd be say, you know, every Shavas or Batamas, when the men are fasting, when the men are fasting, for they did wrong. They also, during their lunch break, have to go to the local jewelry store, buy some jewelry to show that you didn't give your jewelry. And for that, thank you so much. Right, that makes sense. But what is this? That because on Shavas or Batamhas, they didn't give their jewelry, you're getting Rosh Kodesh. It has nothing to do with each other. So that's my question number one is while this is certainly clear that Rosh Chodesh is a gift, a prize, a reward for women, I'm confused why Rosh Chodesh is the reward. So that's question number one. Our second connection between Rosh Chodesh and women is a little less positive.
[00:13:16] Of course, Rosh Chodesh is going according to the lunar year. So let's meet our first appearance of the moon. Vayasa Lekim Hashem Aros Hagedolem. That Hashem makes These two massive luminaries, the sun and the moon.
[00:13:30] One is going to rule over the day, one is going to rule over the night. But Rashi picks up on the fact that originally they're Shneha Oros Hagadolim, they're two big ones, but then it says Hama or Hatan. The smaller one will rule at night, Bahama or Hagadol, and the bigger one will rule during their day. Aren't they both big? Sarashi, famously, as all of you know, says Shavim Nivru, it's true. They were originally two great giant equal sized luminaries. Imagine two massive signs.
[00:14:02] But the moon Hashem had to shrink the moon. Why? Al shakitzer ga va amrah. Because the moon complains and said, you cannot have two moons wearing two, two kings wearing one crown.
[00:14:17] We're doing the same job. We're both light, like, you don't need us both. It's like we're both basically wearing the same crown. We're not. And Hashem said, if that's the case, go make yourself smaller. And the Beni Yish Chai says this complaint, this issue, this defect in the moon was really caused by the Ched of Chava, by the sin of Chava. So. So this certainly, obviously is not a positive relationship between us and the moon. Let's go back. Like, I'd rather go back to the story, but I want to understand, what does Chava have anything to do with the moon? The moon complains on day four, woman is created and messes up on day six. What's the connection between the woman and the moon and their complaint and their. And her Avera and his complaint. I don't understand it. So that's question number two. So first, beautiful the women are given because they didn't give their Julia to Egal. But I don't understand why Chodesh is the prize. And number two is while it's true that Levana, she complains about sharing a crown with the sun, but I don't understand what that has to do with Chava's mess up. Here we go. I am now on the tour. I'm going to go to the first approach first, second approach second, and then hopefully they'll all come together and hopefully both approaches will actually become one. Here we go, the tour. So the Torah and the Benesh Chaya actually both agree and they both say that really the Shalosh Regalim, the three major Mo'adim, Pesach, Sukkos and Shavuos parallel the three Avos and that makes sense, right? So Pesach is connected. Avraham, Sukkos is connected, Yitzchak, Shavuos is connected, yaakov. And the 12 months really were given to each of the 12 shvatim, to each of the 12 tribes. And that breakdown is really neat and sweet and great.
[00:16:00] Except, says the Torah. And the when they unfortunately participated in this beautiful gift of Rosh chodesh was taken from them, and it was given to their wives to remind the men and to remind the women that you did not participate in this big historical downfall. So the men lost it and the women got it.
[00:16:34] So while that is so, like, that's beautiful on some level, on the other hand, that doesn't really tell me why women get Rosh Chodesh. And it almost sounds like it's a default gift. They lost it. So, like, hey, like, who's left? Oh, you know, let's just give it to the women.
[00:16:53] So it makes me feel like we don't have the full story. And I think that it's true that we don't have the full story, because I think that we have to fast forward just a little bit to see what the rest of the story is, because in just a little bit of time, Hashem is going to want Clay Yisrael to build a Mishkan. And Moshe tells all of Claude Yisrael to bring materials to the Mishkan to donate.
[00:17:20] Anybody who wants to this is. You are going to donate from the goodness of your heart. Whoever wants to, you show up. And it tells us here, vayavo ha nashem al hanashim. The men showed up with the women and everybody gave all of these. This jewelry and these gold and silver and all of these different materials. And the dots of Canaan points out, and he says, you know, it's interesting that language. The men came al hanashima. And he says, yeah, they had to catch up with the women, because it is true that at Cheta Egal, they refused to give their jewelry. They wanted no part in making a chila hashem.
[00:17:59] But as soon as they got the opportunity and chance to give their jewelry for kiddush hashem, to bring hashem into the world, they were the first ones in line. It is not because the women were so attached to their jewelry that they couldn't part from them. It was because they would never dare give their jewelry to Mikachela Hashem in this world. And that's why they were the first ones in line. And the men were catching up. They had to be in line behind the women, because the women were the first ones to show up. And what does that have anything to do with Rosh Chodesh? Because when was the mishkan finally built?
[00:18:36] Chodesh Nisan, not just arosh chodesh, but truly ha chodesh hazelachem, Rosh Chodashem, the first of all the months, Nisan, that is when it was finished being built. And so the Mishkan is a testimony that retroactively, the jewelry that they didn't give was totally to ensure that Achilla Hashem does not happen. Because as soon as they have an opportunity to take off their earrings, to throw off their rings, to take their watches, they are the first ones in line to want to do that.
[00:19:05] And I think that this says something so beautiful about the relationship between women and the moon.
[00:19:14] Because the moon and women both have this natural cycle, right? A woman typically has a monthly cycle like the moon. We reflect each other.
[00:19:26] And every month that the moon renews, it's like a symbol for the woman who renews herself, who's excited to renew a relationship. But let the moon not just be a symbol of renewing relationships. Bin Adam LECHAVERO but there are renewed relationship between us and Hashem that we understand inherently in the. In the understanding of cycles of life, that things wax and wane, that relationships are not a flat line, that nothing, that it's true someone might disappoint you yesterday, but that doesn't mean that there's not hope for a relationship for tomorrow. And the women, when Moshe delayed and the men were stressed out, and honestly, you get it, they just left Egypt. They have no idea what's to come. And the women said, we know life waxes and wanes. You know, we don't understand where Hashem's coming from. Sometimes relationships are unclear, but we know that there's a wax and a wane ups and downs in relationships, and we're committed, just like the moon, that the light will reappear again. And how beautiful that where this is fully testified in is the Mishkan, of all places, the Mishkan where Hashem is showing. B'nai Yisrael, I want a relationship with you again, even after you messed up.
[00:20:41] And I think that this is really the essence of a woman.
[00:20:44] Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that so often we misinterpret the word emunah. We think it means faith, but it doesn't mean faith like bringing the proofs. Those are beautiful and important. But that's not what emunah means. He says emunah is faithfulness, that it's faithfulness even when a relationship is not going 100%, that even when things are unclear, that women, that the women standing in the very same camp as the men, when they were stressing out, the women didn't just have faith, but they had faithfulness, commitment. When it's true, we don't know what's going to come tomorrow. You know what? Relationships could be rocky. I don't know what Hashem has in mind, but I have the faithfulness and commitment to be there through this, through the ups and downs, the waxing and the wanings of life. And I think what's so beautiful is that Rav Desler says there are two ways that we can serve Hashem. One is through the mind, the intellect. The rationale, which, interestingly, which we call the moach, which of course is the same letters as Hamah, the sun.
[00:21:44] And then there is emotions. Lev are the same words as levana, the moon.
[00:21:49] And that essentially is that of course we need both. But sometimes relationships aren't always so rational. And you need that emotional commitment, that levana, that leave. And that's really what the women had, is that even when the rationalities are falling apart. And I don't understand what Hashem has in mind here, My Lev, my Lavana, we know that life waxes and wanes and we're here no matter what. And that's actually why the Zohar says, who Ms. Vihina, that the male mida is Ms. And the female mida is emunah. And he says exactly what we're talking about. He is truth and she is faith. Emas, the male mida is discovery of truth. The second emunah, the female trait, involves loyalty to that truth, even when it is no longer openly apparent. The work is the work of loyalty. And that is what the women had, did they not? The work of loyalty, the work of emunah. Even when the Ms. Is going awry, things are not adding up here. But that emunah, that faithfulness, despite the lack of clarity, is what the women had then and that what we still hold onto now and says Rav Yona San Aibishitz, is that that's what the women had then.
[00:23:08] They never gave up hope that the gula would happen. And if you think about it, I love that wording because so often you could look around the world and say, like, life's just. I don't get it. I just don't get you, Hashem. Like, I just don't understand. You made promises. Why Would you want these things to happen? I just don't understand.
[00:23:25] But the women who literally birthed babies in Auschwitz, and you know, my grandmother, you know, this is the world that some of us emerge like we were born from.
[00:23:38] But Lunas Yashu, they never gave up hope. They never gave up that understanding that life waxes and wanes. And that's what a woman inherently understands on a biological level. And leave Lavana on an emotional level. That relationship has ups and downs, that we're stay committed no matter what.
[00:23:59] Let's now go to the Nechama. Before we do, I just want to say one last thing, just to connect us back to that. First is we said that a moed is that Hashem wants it to be mutual.
[00:24:12] And when Hashem builds the mikdash, he says, please, you build it and I'll come. You invite me and I'll show up. And what the Mishkan is in place is what Rosh Chodesh is in time. Hashem wants us to want a relationship with him. That it is true that we will disappoint Hashem and Hashem will often confuse us. But with our emunah, we have that resilience of understanding that waxing and waning, of always wanting to be part of the Kiddush Hashem story and never Hasholum of the Chelah Hashem story. But let's move on to our second, our second approach, which is Chava, the moon. And what does she have to do with the complaints of the moon? So Destler says obviously that the moon's complaint, it's obviously indicative, reflective of humanity's thoughts at the time. The moon does not have words to say. It's not a person, it doesn't have feelings. Right. It's obviously a mashall of the woman of humanity at the time. So what is it that this was the voice of Chava originally? What was the pagam? What was the downfall for both of them? So we know that when Chava messed up, what is she? What was, what was the downfall?
[00:25:25] Kyodelokim that Hashem knows, the Nachash Hakadmon, the original Yitzer Hara says, when you eat from it, you'll be like God. You'll be like God.
[00:25:39] And Rav Moshe Shapiro says that is what the very first Avera was.
[00:25:48] It's a deep desire to feel like, I don't need anyone else. I'm in control.
[00:25:56] I don't need anybody else. I got this.
[00:26:00] And that feeling of needing to be independent is really what stirred Chava originally. I don't need my mother in law's help, right? I don't need like the nurse to help me. I got this. I don't. I don't need the teacher to telling me how to raise my child. Right? That need to be independent was at the very heart of the issue.
[00:26:21] But how interesting that at the very heart, what is a moon? Literally, scientifically, Literally, the moon is a muscle of us and Hashem, the moon is literally, scientifically, a reflection of the sun.
[00:26:39] And we are meant. We are charged with a responsibility and an opportunity to be a reflection of Hashem in this world.
[00:26:47] But we couldn't handle that. I didn't want to be godly. I wanted to be God. And so Chavez messes up and every Rosh Chodesh, we have an opportunity to do Teshuvah. Because when I see the moon once again becoming a reflection of the sun, it reminds me once again, my job here is to be a reflection of Hashem. My job here. And as I borrowed this book on Shabbos from a friend who had it. Thank you, Zavaire Sal.
[00:27:15] And it said this in the book. What does it mean to be a reflection of Hashem? The purpose of Malchus is to represent God in this material world so that all will come to recognize and serve him.
[00:27:26] That's the feminine aspects of God. This is the aspect of God which allows itself to be affected by people's actions, essentially. Right? Hashem has all these ideas, theories, wants to come out in the world to be lived. And it's up to us. It's our not just. Not just responsibility, but a to be able to live those godly ideas and ideals in the world. But the less I keep them, the more I distance myself, the more I'm hiding Hashem.
[00:27:53] And the more I act with the way that Hashem wants me to, the more I'm revealing that light in the world. And that's the waxing and waning of the moon. Is that the original the moon had to shrink itself because, Chava, you are trying to be a light in and of yourself.
[00:28:10] But every time you see the moon reappear with light, who's really a reflection of the sun? Let it be a moment of Teshuvah for you that your job here, your job here is to bring godliness into the world. That people look at you and say, wow, what godliness is in the world. That Torah is so beautiful. Look at who has lived through that woman.
[00:28:33] And so, because the moon and its renewal, its waxing and weaning is really. I don't want to say our faults, but a little bit.
[00:28:45] It's actually the shloah Kaddosh says that what's so interesting is that there are a lot of mitzvahs, mitzvahs of seishm and grammah that women are not obligated in. And generally, sometimes we do them anyways, shofar, lulav, etc. He said, but there is one.
[00:29:03] We never see women doing them. We never see women doing this particular mitzvah, and that is kiddush levana. He says, I've never seen a woman because there's a little bit of an embarrassed relationship between the two of them. A little bit it's on her for why this happened.
[00:29:24] But. But says the Shlok hados, that while it is true that this original relationship was not at our best, let us play out when was another time in history when woman was faced with a voice of the nachash of the eight Sahara, when she had the opportunity to yet again be Elohim.
[00:29:52] Literally, that was their words.
[00:29:54] You can be. Let's, let's make, let's, let's replace God.
[00:29:59] And this time the chava inside these women said, now once again, the nachasha kadmuni, that original nachash, the yetihara, presents itself once again.
[00:30:13] And at this point, Chava says, not. The women say, no, we don't. We, we're not falling for this again. And that is why. And that's why he says, the shalachadosh al qain nitan rosh chodesh la hanashem. That's why rosh chodesh was given to the women, because women understand, just like we said with the first approach, relationships wax in wane.
[00:30:36] Relationships wax and wane. But as soon as we had an opportunity to look back and brush the dust off and stand up again and say, you know what, we started off a little rough. We are not proud of how we were. But here's another opportunity to step up, straighten our backs and say, hashem, this time we're choosing a little differently. And because of that, what makes sense that we get, of course, Rosh Kodesh, the moon. The moon who it was our right. Us and the moon were one in the same. She represents us. And so every time we see the moon renew, God willing, this week when we see the moon renew that, it's a message to us that just like the moon is a reflection of the sun, we too can be reflections of hashem in this world. And literally every mitzvah is the ideas of hashem that we can live out, whether it's calling someone over the phone and being mevak'cholem or in person or over the phone, whether it's making Shabbos and bringing that idea into the world. Every time that we live godly ideas and bring them into action, that is the malchus that Hashem wanted for us. And with that, I want to end with one last idea.
[00:31:49] According to Rav Soloveitchik, Rosh Chodesh, you know, the lunar calendar is everyone's right. Like everyone sees the moon waxing and waning. You might think, like it's a scientific right. You learn. And in science and earth science, all the science aspects of the. Of the definite evolution aspects of the moon, he says, but really showcase Kedusha Nisra. Its holiness is quite deep and quite there. Hayahadas Ma amino biholas, Hachidosh reschatos. Judaism always believed and believes in the capacity and the capability for renewal, for change. For that whatever I was yesterday does not determine who I'm going to be tomorrow.
[00:32:25] And the moon, the moon whose light sometimes disappears and we don't see it for a little while, it disappears from sight, but it reappears. Right, sorry, Right. Rosh Chodesh mesamela ta amuna b'nachama hakrola of Rosh Chodesh represents that emunah, like we said, not just the faith, but the faithfulness, even in a world that is so messy and confusing, that having Rosh Chodesh represents the amuna hakro, that a time will come where once again, that the sunrise will follow a sunset and life will be reborn out of downfall, out of death. And that's really what I think this moon and the women represent, just to go back is Hashem wants Rosh Chodesh to be by mutual consent. And who proved that more than the women who had an opportunity to build a meshkan on Rosh Chodesh, which literally symbolizes a place of relationship with Hashem, showed up first online with their jewelry because they wanted that relationship with Hashem, Just like our cycle represents a renewed excitement. A renewed excitement. That's what the moon represents, is this renewed excitement, a faithfulness that leave that levana, that interest. And that relationship with Hashem, even when things are not clear and even when things don't make sense, who would want to bring children into this world? Why are women having babies in Auschwitz? Right? What is going on? And yet that was the faithfulness of the women in they never gave up that it's going. The sunrise is going to come. But number two is that even when we messed up and we needed that feeling of independence, a feeling of being in control, Rosh Chodel comes to remind us, just like the moon is a reflection of the sun, our jobs here are not to be in control. Our jobs are to be reflections of Hashem, to read his ratzon, learn chumash, learn his mitzvos, understand? And when we live that we are bringing machas. We're bringing that light back into the world. And so when the month renews, brings more light back into the world. That's why women get Rosh Chodesh, because it's our job to bring that light into the world. And Hashem, just like Rosalove says, is as sunrise will always follow a sunset in Ritz. Hashem, the waxing and waning and the woman's cycle. It's the semuna that a brighter future is to come. And let's hope that we don't spend it learning in Baltimore, but we spend it learning Yerushalayim. Yerikodesh. The Meher B'aminu Amin.
[00:35:01] Thank you, Jacqueline, so, so much. That was beautiful. If there are any questions, we probably have a minute or two for questions.
[00:35:12] If not, we will, God willing, see everybody in person this week as our winter semester begins. I just want to say one quick thing. I actually asked Rabbi Gross because not all the shvatim participated in Heidzega Shave it. Levy did not, but I could not find anything on that. But I, of course, are bigger. It's just like quoting pages. And he basically said a few different answers, one of which is possible that Rosh Hashanah belongs to the Viem. It is possible that because they stayed silent during their rally, they lost it, too. So I just wanted to put that out there. That was. That's bothering you. Thank you so much, Jacqueline. That was really very inspirational. I really, really appreciate it. Thank you so, so much. You did great, great. Thank you very much. I hope you feel better. Thank you.
[00:36:02] Feel good. Thank you so much.
[00:36:06] Have a good night, everybody. And may we?
[00:36:10] Thank you, Andrea.
[00:36:12] Thank you.
