* Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Chodesh tov! Today is the first day of Kislev. In the Musaf prayer for Rosh Chodesh (the new month) we say some beautiful words that are worth pausing to reflect upon:
*“Renew this month for us for goodness and blessing, for gladness and joy, for salvation and consolation, for livelihood and sustenance, for a good life and peace, for the forgiveness of sin and the pardon of wrongdoing.”*
Here we find requests covering every area of life: for livelihood and peace, for happiness and also for comfort and consolation. Each person has a particular need that needs to be fulfilled at this moment.
Sanctification of the new month was the first mitzvah the Jewish people received. Why this particular mitzvah? Our commentators explain that there is a profound message here: We are a people who possess the ability to renew ourselves, again and again. Not to remain bound by the past, but to rise from crises, begin anew, and grow.
Just as the moon gradually diminishes and disappears from our sight, only to renew itself and shine again at the beginning of a new month, so too has been the experience of our people throughout the generations.
And so, pay attention: Today we are not merely marking, in a technical sense, the beginning of a new month on the calendar. We are asking that this renewal also find its way into our own lives.
A new month is an invitation for renewal. Not just within time, but within ourselves as well.
Chodesh tov!
