The Seventh Month: Nisan
Right in between the 9th and 10th plagues, G-d gives Moshe (Moses) and Aharon (Aaron) the first mitzvah, the first commandment, to the Jewish people as a whole.
*record scratch*
Wait haven't the Jewish people existed since Avraham (Abraham)? Yes, they have, and even though there were definitely families / clans / groups of Jewish people, we didn't officially become a united nation until the end of our slavery in Mitzrayim (Egypt). With the promise of the Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah) and the promise of the Promised Land, HaEretz HaMuvtachat, all of the families / clans / groups became one - B'nei Yisrael, the children of Israel. Israel being Yaakov (Jacob), the patriarch at the time of the Egyptian slavery.
This first mitzvah, of course, is the commandment to sanctify the new moon as the beginning of a new month - to celebrate Rosh Chodesh, the head of the new month, starting with Chodesh Nisan.
Right before the final plague, Makkat Bechorot - Death of the First Borns, we get this mitzvah. Directly following this final plague, the Jewish people are set free.
Two commentators, Sforno and the Netziv, connect the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh directly to Yetziat Mitzrayim - the Exodus from Egypt.
Sforno emphasizes the fact that as slaves, the Jewish people had no control over their time. They were told when and where to work, when and where to eat, when and where to rest, etc. Rosh Chodesh is a symbol of the autonomy they were now granted as free people, taking back their control by sanctifying the passage of time.
Earlier into Moshe's leadership, the Jewish people are reluctant to listen to his message that G-d will free them soon. The Torah tells us this is due to their Kotzer Ruach, their shortness of breath from hard work. Pharaoh kept them working to the point of exhaustion so they didn't have the mental or physical energy to rebell or desire anything more than what their lives held.
The Netziv points out that the Jewish people had been living under the control of a foreign nation for so long that they needed something to distinguish themselves when emerging into the free world. The Egyptian society was highly connected to the sun, to the solar calendar. Our connection to the moon and the lunar calendar further removes us from that.
There's no one forcing us into labor today, but we easily lose control of our time by submitting to the constant dinging of our phones, computers, TVs, etc. Taking one look at your screen time reminds us of this. We are active in this loss of control though, and there are lots of good, amazing things that we have due to our hyperconnectivity.
And for the same reason kashrut (the laws of keeping kosher), our davening (praying) schedule, and our other unique ways of life keep us reminded who we are, Rosh Chodesh is another example of sanctifying the mundane. We make something as bland as the passing of time a ceremony! There are certain brachot and tefillot (blessings and prayers) for Rosh Chodesh and it has a great all around vibe.
Cont’d…
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