Midreshet Amit

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How often do you wake up on a Friday morning and think ‘where did the week go’? For me, I know it happens all too often. Days blend together and time passes with or without my awareness. Were it not for Shabbat, there is a strong likelihood that months could come and go without my truly appreciating or taking note of the passage of time.
 
In this week’s Parsha, Hashem issues the first Mitzvah given to the Jewish people- the Mitzvah to sanctify the new moon. Once we were settled in the land of Israel, the Jewish Court would establish the new month and the yearly calendar through the testimony of witnesses.
Why was this first mitzvah given to the Jewish people, and why was it given before we even left Egypt? Could it not have waited until Har Sinai when we received the rest of the Torah?
 
Before we answer this question, let’s ask one more.  How did the Jewish people find the strength and ‘chutzpah’ to leave Egypt? They were being asked to revolt and rebel against 210 years of ingrained and inherited servitude.  These slaves knew no other life. In addition to that, right after the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, they were asked to take the Egyptian god (the lamb) and roast it right under the Egyptians’ noses! Although they had witnessed the might of Hashem with the ten plagues, this is the first time the Jewish people themselves are being asked to take action.
 
Perhaps we can answer these questions all together.  The mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh represents much more than a formality by which the court declares the calendar. It represents a monumental shift in mentality for the Jews. For 210 years the Jews had lived at the whim and impulse of their oppressors. The Jews had never known the feeling of mastery over their schedule and time.  To the slave, the calendar is irrelevant and the passing of time is immaterial.  Suddenly, the Jewish people were being asked to leave the only life they had ever known and to follow Moshe into the wilderness. Without some anchor, their new found freedom might easily translate into chaos.
 
By giving us this commandment, Hashem sent us the message that true freedom exists when we take control of our time.   The Midrash on Parshat Bo teaches us "He taught them the phases of the moon, then said to them: 'Until now, I Myself determined which years were leap years. And behold, I have given that responsibility to you: from now, you begin to count.' "This empowered us to challenge the Egyptians and walk out. Although we had established our faith in Hashem, and were ready to express it, this new commandment allowed us to have faith in ourselves.
 
This lesson demands our attention. We frequently find ourselves as slaves to so many things, and sometimes even slaves to time. This Parsha compels us to examine our lives looking for ways to take ownership of our time and fully appreciate its passage.