Rosh Hodesh

The Jewish Month

Connection to the Moon

Hebrew months are lunar; that is, they are based upon the appearance of the thin crescent of the new moon. The moon orbits the earth, passing through its phases to the next New Moon, approximately once every 29 1/2 days. For this reason, Jewish months generally alternate between 29 or 30 days in length, averaging about 29 1/2 days each. Since the Hebrew month is always connected to the New Moon, the Hebrew word for month (hodesh) is also the word for “moon”.

Biblical Observance

In Biblical times, the beginning of each month was confirmed by the priests and later by the Sanhedrin, Israel’s ruling religious body in the time of Jesus. After questioning two reliable witnesses who had seen the New Moon, the council would solemnly declare, “It is sanctified!” In a matter of minutes, word was “telegraphed” from Jerusalem to the large Jewish community in Babylonia. This was accomplished via an elaborate network of signal fires which stretched for hundreds of miles across the Arabian desert.

The first day of every month, know as Rosh Hodesh (“The Head of the Month”) was a holy day. Although observed as a day of rest in the time of Amos (Amos 8:5), Rosh Hodesh had no specific work restrictions in the Law of Moses. As such, it was considered a minor holy day.

In the Bible, Rosh Hodesh was marked by special sacrifices (Num. 28:11-15) and the blowing of trumpets (Num. 10:10; Ps. 81:3). These special Rosh Hodesh sacrifices consecrated the new month to the Lord.

The difficulty of visually sighting the New Moon due to clouds led to a two-day celebration of Rosh Hodesh. This seems to be the backdrop for King Saul’s concern over David’s absence during the first two days of the month (1 Sam. 20:27). Apparently, all members of the royal household and court were required to be at the king’s banquet table during Rosh Hodesh.

Modern Observance

Synagogue services on the Sabbath before a New Moon include a special blessing which is recited for the new month. If the Sabbath happens to fall on the last day of the month, one of the readings is taken from 1 Samuel 20 which mentions the New Moon observance in the time of David and Jonathan.

Synagogue services on the day of the New Moon include the recitation of the Hallel (praise psalms, specifically Psalms 113-118) and a special reading from the Law which describes the New Moon sacrifices (Num. 28:1-15).

Between the third and fourteenth day of each month, it is also customary to recite a blessing for the New Moon. The Birkhat HaLevanah (Blessing of the Moon”) is usually said by Orthodox Jews after the Sabbath Habdalah service (Saturday evening) when everyone is joyous and dressed for the occasion. A group will gather outside the synagogue and pronounce the blessing in the open night air while the moon is visible.

Future Observance

In the future messianic Kingdom, it seems clear the King David will be resurrected to reign forever as prince over Israel (Ezek. 37:24-25). He will rank directly under King Messiah who will reign as King over all the earth (Ps. 2:6-8; Zech. 14:9). David’s reign will literally fulfill the divine promise to establish his throne forever like the sun and moon (2 Sam. 7:16; Ps. 89:34-37). As the prince, David will be afforded one of the highest honors in the kingdom: that of leading the Sabbath and New Moon worship services before the Lord (Ezek. 46:1-8).

Perhaps it is for this reason that some Jewish prayerbook traditions connect King David with the blessing for the New Moon. In the Birkat HaLevanah prayer, it is repeated three times: “David melech Yisrael chaivekayam” (“David, King of Israel , lives and is established”). King David’s connection to the hearfelt cry and yearning for the messianic Kingdom is again felt in the New Moon prayer as the prophet Hosea is quoted; “Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king” (Hos. 3:5).

The blessing for the New Moon also beseeches God to restore the radiance of the moon to its “pristine fullness as in the seven days of creation.” This, too, is a plea for the institution of the messianic Kingdom. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the day in which the Lord restores the moon to its original brightness will also be the day that “the LORD binds up the bruise of His people, and heals the stroke of their wound” (Isa. 30:26). Israel will repent and be redeemed by the Lord.

Scripture teaches that no only redeemed Israel, but all the righteous of the nations will celebrate the New Moon in the Kingdom: “ ‘And it shall come to pass that form one New Moon to another, and form one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the LORD” (Isa. 66:23).

Some would teach that there will be neither sun nor moon in the Kingdom and Eternal State. But the Bible actually teaches that “the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold” (Isa. 30:26). The effects of the curse will be lifted. The luminary bodies will be present and restored to their original brilliance, even as the rest of creation is restored to Eden-like conditions during Messiah’s reign (Isa. 11:6-9; 51:3; 55:12-13; 65:17-25; Rev. 21:4; 22:3). But their brilliance will be nothing in comparison to that of the Messiah’s glory: “Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion…gloriously” (Isa. 24:23). “The city [New Jerusalem or Heaven] had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Rev. 21:23). The sun and moon will truly be breathtaking with the effects of the curse removed, but in comparison to the Lord’s glory, they will be like the light of a candle at noonday. They will no longer provide the primary source of light. In fact, they will blush even to be compared to the radiance of His glory.

Excerpt from “The Feasts of the Lord”. By Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal