Hachodesh hazeh lachem rosh chodashim rishon hu lachem l’chod’shei hashanah
This month will be for you the beginning of the months; it is the
first month for you of the months of the year. (Shemot 12:2)
Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 teaches
that we have four new years. The first of Nisan is the new year for kings and
festivals. The first of Elul is the new year for tithing animals. Rabbi Eliezer
and Rabbi Shimon say it is the first of Tishrei. The first of Tishrei is the
new year for years, for the shmittah and jubilee years, and for planting and
vegetables. The first of Shevat is the new year for trees. These are the words
of the House of Shammai. The House of Hillel says it is the fifteenth day. The
mishnah is simple. In order to count for tithes, we need to know what the tax
year is. For animals, the fiscal
year begins in Elul; for vegetables the year is counted from Tishrei. For fruit
[trees] the start is Tu B’Shevat [15th of Shevat]. We mark our years
from the start of Tishrei, our present Rosh Hashanah. For kings it is a
ceremonial date. We mark the anniversary of a king’s rule from the first of
Nisan. We also mark our holidays from this point.
Thinking upon it, it makes sense.
The first holiday of our year is not Rosh Hashanah, but Pesach. It is the
holiday when we remember and celebrate God’s having brought us out of Egypt. It
is the holiday that marks our formation as a nation instead of a family. From
here the cycle makes sense. We are brought out of Egypt, redeemed by God. Fifty
days later we stand together at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah on Shavuot.
From there we recognize our people’s wandering in the wilderness at Sukkot.
This is the chronological and theological path of our year. Our nationhood
begins at Pesach. Each Pesach we begin anew the ultimate in bibliodrama, a
re-enactment of our redemption from slavery. As the Torah tells us, “And you shall tell your child on
that day, saying, ‘It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came
forth out of Egypt.’” We do so in our foods from the seder’s ritual foods, to
the dairy of Shavuot. We do so in our actions: teaching the story of the first
Pesach in the first person, “what God did for ME,” eating the unleavened travel
provisions and the bitter herbs. Some even put the matzah on their backs as if
starting a journey or hit each other with scallions or leeks to represent the
lashes of our taskmasters. We repeat this at Shavuot, remaining awake all night
prepared to study this new gift of Torah from God, and again as we dwell in our
sukkot, leaving the comfort of our homes to expose ourselves to the elements.
Each year we
begin again. Not only at Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, looking inside and
reimagining our individual selves, but again in the spring as a entire people,
reconnecting to and sharing the experience with our community.
My family & I wish everyone a good year and a sweet and meaningful
Pesach. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are needy come and
share the Pesach with us. Our door is always open.
No comments:
Post a Comment