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Rosh Ĥodesh (literally “head of the month”) is a minor holiday which marks the beginning of every Hebrew month. When Rosh Ĥodesh follows a 29-day month, it is one day (the first day of the new month). When it follows a 30-day month, it is two days (the thirtieth day of the preceding month and the first day of the new month). On Rosh Ĥodesh, we insert the prayer of Ya’aleh Ve-yavo in the Amida and Birkat Ha-mazon. It is customary to recite Hallel during the Shaĥarit service. Four people are called up for the Torah reading, and the Musaf service is recited. Like all holidays, Rosh Ĥodesh is a joyful time. It is also a time of renewal, an opportunity for repentance and atonement. For this reason, Rosh Ĥodesh is sometimes referred to as “a time of atonement.”
While it is not obligatory to make fancy meals on Rosh Ĥodesh, it is meritorious to do so. Because of the celebratory aspect of Rosh Ĥodesh, it is forbidden to fast or to deliver eulogies.
Rosh Ĥodesh was originally meant to be a more prominent holiday with the same status as Ĥol Ha-mo’ed, during which unnecessary melakha is to be avoided (section 17 below). Unfortunately, when the twelve tribes committed the sin of the golden calf, they lost the privilege of celebrating the twelve new moons. However, the women did not participate in the sin of the golden calf. God rewarded them for this both in this world and the next. In this world, “they observe Rosh Ĥodesh more than the men,” and in the next world they will regain their youthfulness, like the moon that renews itself every month (Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer 45). Thus, women absorb more of the sanctity of Rosh Ĥodesh than men, and it is fitting for them to celebrate it more and minimize melakha.
Once a month, we bless God for creating the moon, since we benefit from its light at night. The prayer is called Birkat Ha-levana (the Blessing of the Moon) or Kiddush Levana (the Sanctification of the Moon). It is customary to recite it on the Saturday night after Rosh Ĥodesh, as long as the moon is already large enough to illuminate. The blessing may be recited from that point until the fifteenth of the month. If the moon is completely obscured by clouds, we do not recite the prayer. However, if the moon is covered by a thin layer of clouds but people can still see enough of it to get a little benefit from its light, we may recite the blessing.
