Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

Rosh Chodesh – The New Month
Young children are just learning about the cycles of life and nature. The passage of
seasons is predictable and gives a sense of order and stability to their world. We often
talk about the calendar, demonstrating how we mark the passage of time. How special,
then, to recognize that as a Jewish people we have our OWN calendar! The Jewish
calendar is lunar and solar. The appearance and disappearance of the moon dictates the
beginning and end of each month. This lunar calendar is adjusted so that the holidays
always fall in their proper season, as determined by the sun. Rosh Chodesh (head of the
month) is the Jewish celebration of the appearance of the new moon and the
corresponding start of a new Hebrew month. The day is signaled by the first sliver of the
new moon shining in the sky. The moon determines the timing of the Jewish holidays.
You’ll always see the new moon crescent on Rosh Hashanah, because Rosh Hashanah is
Rosh Chodesh Tishre too. You’ll always see the full moon through the s’chach of the
sukkah on the first night of Sukkot and when you open the door for Elijah on Pesach.
Traditionally, Rosh Chodesh has been a women's holiday, observed in ancient times by
refraining from work, and in recent decades by women’s groups gathering with song,
prayer and storytelling to mark the new moon. The assignment of Rosh Chodesh as a
women’s holiday is attributed to a midrash. When Moses brought the Israelite people to
Mount Sinai, he left them waiting at the bottom of the mountain while he went up to the
top to speak with God and receive the Torah. While Moses was away, the people
panicked, afraid that he would never return and they would be deserted in the wilderness
to die (Exodus 32). They demanded that Aaron, Moses’ brother and right-hand man,
build a golden calf for them to worship. According to the midrash, the women did not
join in the panic, and indeed refused to give up their jewelry to be melted to form an idol.
As a reward for the women’s faith, God granted them Rosh Chodesh as a holiday, so that
women, like the moon, would be rejuvenated each month.
Rosh Chodesh and early childhood
Rosh Chodesh is also a vibrant and appropriate holiday to celebrate in Jewish preschools.
Rosh Chodesh is a calendar holiday – it marks the beginning of a new month. As we well
know, young children do not yet grasp time concepts as broad as “week,” “month,” or
“year.” In celebrating Rosh Chodesh, the focus in the early childhood program is not on
the Hebrew month, but rather on the cyclical nature of Jewish life. This can be done in
very concrete ways, through the development of a connection to the moon, and by
alerting children to changes that take place in their world with a Jewish rhythm. Because
Rosh Chodesh happens every month, over time the regularity and repetition of themes,
songs, and prayers will help the children become aware of the moon as a Jewish symbol
and a Jewish timekeeper.
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
112