Midreshet Amit

• LIVE TORAH:
• Academic Program
• Yimei Iyun
• FAQ
• Recent Shiurim
• View by Parsha
• View By Chag
• Search Database
• Ask the Rav

"This month shall be for you the beginning of the months, the first of the months of the year for you. (Shemot 12:2)"

Rosh Chodesh is the first mitzvah commanded to us. What is the deeper meaning of Rosh Chodesh that makes it suitable as the first mitzvah written given to Bnei Yisrael?
One element of Rosh Chodesh was that the Sanhedrin had to declare Rosh Chodesh as opposed to other mitzvot, like Shabbos, that happen automatically. We have to make Rosh Chodesh happen--the power is in our hands. If the Sanhedrin would be passive, the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh would not be fulfilled. Waiting for Rosh Chodesh to come to us was not an option. The lesson of the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh is the need to be active in embracing our Judaism. Perhaps that is why it is the first mitzvah.

We can apply the message of Rosh Chodesh to our lives. Even though we have received the Torah from Hashem, and have it at our fingertips, we cannot attain it all without work on our part. The Gemara relates a story which applies this idea: "Rav Chelbo said: ' The wine of Prugis and the water of Diomses deprived Israel of the ten tribes.' The gemara tells of a great rabbi who was enticed by the waters of the Diomses. Rabbi Elazar ben Arach once came to the area of Prugisa and Diomses. He became attracted to the worldly delights and suddenly, all the Torah knowledge that he possessed was erased from his mind. When he later returned from that region, he went to shul and was called up to read from the Torah. He wanted to read the verse that says: החדש הזה לכם" " (which means, "This month shall be for you"), but instead he read it as " "החרש היה לבם (which means "Was their heart silent?"). The Sages in the shul quickly realized that he had forgotten all of his Torah knowledge and they began to pray to Hashem to have mercy upon him and return to him all his Torah knowledge. This story teaches us that you have to exile yourself to a place of Torah and not assume that the Torah will follow you (mishnah avot).

We see from here that Rav Elazar ben Arach assumed that whatever Torah he had would stay with him, but lo and behold, one day he let himself slip and all that he had attained was gone. We must always be on the alert and continue to work to bring Torah to ourselves actively. That is the message of Rosh Chodesh and the key to a life of Torah.