Background: The following source is a blessing within the Kiddush Levanah. The blessing itself is taken from Sanhedrin 42a. The prayer is recited while looking at the moon between the 3rd and the 15th of the lunar month, usually on a Saturday night (after Shabbat).
() בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם. אֲשֶׁר בְּמַאֲמָרו בָּרָא שְׁחָקִים. וּבְרוּחַ פִּיו כָּל צְבָאָם. חק וּזְמַן נָתַן לָהֶם שֶׁלּא יְשַׁנּוּ אֶת תַּפְקִידָם. שָׂשִׂים וּשְׂמֵחִים לַעֲשות רְצון קונֵיהֶם. פּועֵל אֱמֶת שֶׁפְּעֻלָּתו אֱמֶת. וְלַלְּבָנָה אָמַר שֶׁתִּתְחַדֵּשׁ. עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת לַעֲמוּסֵי בָטֶן שֶׁהֵם עֲתִידִים לְהִתְחַדֵּשׁ כְּמותָהּ. וּלְפָאֵר לְיוצְרָם עַל שֵׁם כְּבוד מַלְכוּתו: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ ' מְחַדֵּשׁ חֳדָשִׁים:
(Trans. Koren Siddur)
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe who by His word created the heavens, and by His breath all their host. He set for them laws and times, so that they should not deviate from their appointed task. They are joyous and glad to perform the will of their Owner, the Worker of truth whose work is truth. To the moon He said that it should renew itself as a crown of beauty for those He carried from the womb [Israel], for they are destined to be renewed like it, and to praise their Creator for the sake of His glorious majesty. Blessed are You, Lord, who renews the months.
Questions:
1. What is the meaning and message of the lines in bold (use your own words to explain)?
2. What do these lines suggest about the relationship between the moon and the Jewish people?
3. What are some of the other messages found within this blessing?
Open the following link:
http://www.hillel.org/docs/default-source/mcms-file-archives/explanation_rosh_chodesh.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Read the first page and a half and answer the following questions:
4. What is a "molad"?
5. In the times of the temple, how did a new month become sanctified?
6. In the times of the temple, how did the Sanhedrin notify the Jews outside of Jerusalem that the new month had begun?
7. How does the Jewish calendar work nowadays?
Continue reading the same link: http://www.hillel.org/docs/default-source/mcms-file-archives/explanation_rosh_chodesh.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Read the bottom of the second page and the top of the third. Then answer the following question:
8. What is one reason given for the connection between women and Rosh Chodesh?
http://www.hillel.org/docs/default-source/mcms-file-archives/explanation_rosh_chodesh.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Read the third page in this link and answer the following question:
9. What is Birkat HaChodesh?
BACKGROUND TO THE FOLLOWING SOURCE: In the previous Mishnah, two witnesses came to testify that they saw the new moon for the month of Tishrei. Rabban Gamliel accepts their testimony but Rabbi Yehoshua does not. This would mean that, according to Rabbi Yehoshua, the new month would begin a day later than it would according to Rabban Gamliel. It also means that they'd have different days for Yom Kippur.
(ט) שלח לו רבן גמליאל גוזרני עליך שתבא אצלי במקלך ובמעותיך ביום הכפורים שחל להיות בחשבונך. הלך ומצאו רבי עקיבא מיצר. אמר לו יש לי ללמוד שכל מה שעשה רבן גמליאל עשוי. שנאמר (ויקרא כג, ד) אלה מועדי ה' מקראי קודש אשר תקראו אתם. בין בזמנן בין שלא בזמנן. אין לי מועדות אלא אלו. בא לו אצל רבי דוסא בן הרכינס. אמר לו אם באין אנו לדון אחר בית דינו של רבן גמליאל. צריכין אנו לדון אחר כל בית דין ובית דין. שעמד מימות משה ועד עכשיו שנאמר (שמות כד, ט) ויעל משה ואהרן נדב ואביהוא ושבעים מזקני ישראל. ולמה לא נתפרשו שמותן של זקנים. אלא ללמד שכל שלשה ושלשה שעמדו בית דין על ישראל. הרי הוא כבית דינו של משה. נטל מקלו ומעותיו בידו. והלך ליבנה אצל רבן גמליאל. ביום שחל יום הכפורים להיות בחשבונו. עמד רבן גמליאל ונשקו על ראשו. אמר לו בוא בשלום רבי ותלמידי. רבי בחכמה. ותלמידי שקבלת דברי:
(9) [Upon hearing this,] Rabban Gamliel sent [Rabbi Yehoshua] word, saving, "I decree upon you to come to me with your staff and your money on the day that comes out to be Yom Kippur, according to your calculation." Rabbi Akiva went to [Rabbi Yehoshua], and found him grieving; he said to him, "I have with what to teach, that all that Rabban Gamliel has done is [bindingly] done, as it is stated (Leveticus 23:4), 'These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim;' whether at their [proper] time, or whether not at their [proper] time, I have no holy convocations except [for the ones proclaimed by the court." When Rabbi Yehoshua] came to Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinus, [the latter] said to him, "If we are to [question the decisions] of the court of Rabban Gamliel, we must [also question the decisions] of all the courts which have stood, from the days of Moshe until [today]; as it is stated, (Exodus 24:2), 'Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.' Why were the names of the elders not specified? Rather [it was] to teach, that every three men that form a court [to be responsible] over Israel, behold [that court] is to be [considered] like the court of Moshe." [After this], Rabbi Yehoshua took his staff and his money in his hand, and went to Yavneh to Rabban Gamliel on the day that came out to be Yom Kippur, according to his calculation. [At that point], Rabban Gamliel stood up, and kissed him on his head, [and] he said to him, "Come in peace, my teacher and my disciple! My teacher — in wisdom; and my disciple — in that you accepted my words."
Questions:
10. Do you think Rabban Gamliel was right to force Rabbi Yehoshua to accept his view publicly? EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING.
11. What is Rabbi Akiva's reasoning as to why Rabbi Yehoshua should accept Rabban Gamliel's command?
12. What would Rabbi Akiva's teaching suggest about the calendar system in general?
(ד) כְּשֶׁהָיְתָה סַנְהֶדְרִין קַיֶּמֶת וְהֵן קוֹבְעִין עַל הָרְאִיָּה. הָיוּ בְּנֵי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכָל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁמַּגִּיעִין אֲלֵיהֶן שְׁלוּחֵי תִּשְׁרֵי עוֹשִׂין יָמִים טוֹבִים יוֹם אֶחָד בִּלְבַד. וּשְׁאָר הַמְּקוֹמוֹת הָרְחוֹקוֹת שֶׁאֵין שְׁלוּחֵי תִּשְׁרֵי מַגִּיעִין אֲלֵיהֶם הָיוּ עוֹשִׂים שְׁנֵי יָמִים מִסָּפֵק לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ יוֹדְעִין יוֹם שֶׁקָּבְעוּ בּוֹ בְּנֵי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַחֹדֶשׁ:
(ה) בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה שֶׁאֵין שָׁם סַנְהֶדְרִין וּבֵית דִּין שֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל קוֹבְעִין עַל חֶשְׁבּוֹן זֶה. הָיָה מִן הַדִּין שֶׁיִּהְיוּ בְּכָל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת עוֹשִׂין יוֹם טוֹב אֶחָד בִּלְבַד אֲפִלּוּ הַמְּקוֹמוֹת הָרְחוֹקוֹת שֶׁבְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ כְּמוֹ בְּנֵי אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. שֶׁהַכּל עַל חֶשְׁבּוֹן אֶחָד סוֹמְכִין וְקוֹבְעִין. אֲבָל תַּקָּנַת חֲכָמִים הוּא שֶׁיִּזָּהֲרוּ בְּמִנְהַג אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁבִּידֵיהֶם:
(4) When the Sanhedrin existed and they fixed based on the sighting, the children of the land of Israel (those who lived in Israel) and all the places that would be reached by the messengers of Tishri would make the holidays one day only. And the remaining distant places that the messengers of Tishri wouldn't reach would make two days due to doubt, for they wouldn't know the day that the children of the land of Israel fixed the month on.
(5) In this time that the Sanhedrin doesn't exist and the court of the land of Israel fixes on this calculation, it should have been according to the law that in all places, they would only make one day holiday, even the distant places that are in the outside of the land [of Israel], like the children of the land of Israel. For everyone relies and fixes based on one calculation. But it is an amendment of the sages that they be careful with the custom of their fathers that is in their hands.
Questions:
1 3. According to Maimonides, what was the original reason for keeping a second festival day?
14. What is his reason for why lands outside of Israel continue to keep a second festival day even though the Jewish calendar is fixed?