Shalom Children of G-d!
Welcome back to Marie Speaks G-d’s Grace Bible Study.
This week’s Jewish terminology word is: Rosh Hodesh ………. This is a Hebrew word pronounced (ROESH HOW-desh) which literally means “head of the month.”
Commonly known as the celebration of the new moon.
What I wonderful Jewish terminology word for the week!
I have learned from some, this BLOG and Bible Study is and has aided in the bridging of gaps in understanding for many different people. This is such a warm compliment! I honestly am so very touched. When I get messages or email or comments from others telling me that we have help correct misconceptions about the Jewish Faith, Life, and People….I honestly am so very grateful to HaShem Almighty for His Grace and Heart.
I think sometimes misconceptions exist out of ignorance and fear. There will always be things about others we don’t know or understand. And let’s be honest, things that we might not agree with about others.
But, as I see it… how someone else chooses to live isn’t my taste then I just don’t need to participate. If it is illegal that that is another topic in its self, but if it is against Torah and G-D… then I chose to not be involved. But, if they are perhaps more spiritual or more observant than I, I don’t need nor feel the want to be negative towards them. I wish others were truly more Torah and Jewish positive open minded as far as not being jealous or hateful out of ignorance.
Some who are evil will use our differences in order to divide us and try and cause us to hate and be evil towards each others for their own disgusting purposes. I do Pray that through this BLOG and Bible Study we continue to be a Light that Shines out all that evil darkness that can exist in those who aim to harm G-D’s people at different levels sin, faith, and walks of life ……every where. I pray that every minute I am able to learn and share this learning with others… more and more people come to know that G-D has created us all for a beautiful and divine purpose.
We are all more alike than different.
We are all created from G-D and should try for G-D’s sake to reach Him through actually loving each other based on His word.
In my opinion part of loving each other according to the word of HaShem is learning more and more about our Faith in Judaism, Torah, and HaShem.
To learn that this BLOG is doing just that.. is such an amazing honor…my heart is over flowing with gratefulness to HaShem.. #thankyouHaShem
So to share another wonderful Jewish concept and tradition in faith or observance…
Rosh Hodesh falls on the first day of each month on the Jewish Calendar, which is lunar-based. In synagogue, there are additional morning prayers and Torah reading. At some synagogues, congregants gather outside after Ma’ariv service that ends the Shabbat and recite the Kiddush Levanah (Sanctification of the Moon) prayer.
Apparently, Feminists have adopted Rosh Hodesh as their own and have developed rituals and reading for the holiday because, like menstruation, it follows a monthly cycle. I personally do not support any form of toxic feminism that seems to want to uproot or distort Torah and Jewish Tradition and or the core family unit which is HaShem, Husband, Wife, and children, but it is true and a part of an accurate definition which I received from my personally owned The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic 2001 copyright 1st edition.
In order to aide in the learning of this weeks Jewish terminology word of the week I pulled from several authentic Jewish sources. Resources and sources are hyperlinked for credit. Again the goal is to learn, educate, and share the beauty of Jewishness with others who are interested and willing to learn.
Let’s build bridges… not burn them.
Amen and Amen….
The third of the three daily prayers, called the maariv (or arvit) prayer, is recited after dark (the first two are recited in the morning and afternoon). This prayer was instituted by our Patriarch Jacob.
From tzeit hakochavim (the appearance of three medium stars in the night sky) until dawn. For the exact times of tzeit hakochavim and dawn in your location, click here.
Wash your hands and open your prayer book. (Siddur a Jewish Prayer book)
Maariv opens with the recitation of the Shema and the “blessings of Shema,” – two before and two after – followed by the nineteen-blessing Amidah (silent prayer) recited standing while facing Jerusalem. It concludes with the Aleinu hymn.
What Is Kiddush Levana?
Kiddush Levana (קִדּוּשׁ לְבָנָה), the Sanctification of the Moon, is performed once a month, during the first part of the lunar cycle. Said outdoors at night, Kiddush Levana is a meaningful ritual highlighted by a Hebrew blessing, selections of Psalms and other prayers. It is often followed by joyous dancing.
There many forms of Jewish Joyous dance, but I found a video I thought was awesome so I wanted to share it .
What and How to Pray Kiddush Levana?
The formulation of the prayer is as follows:
We stand under the open sky, facing east and looking into our prayerbooks.
- We begin by reciting the first six verses of Psalm 148,
Hallelujah.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise Him on high.
Praise Him, all His angels,
praise Him, all His hosts.
Praise Him, sun and moon,
praise Him, all bright stars.
Praise Him, highest heavens,
and you waters that are above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for it was He who commanded that they be created.
He made them endure forever,
establishing an order that shall never change
- giving praise to G‑d for the moon, sun, stars and heavens, “for He commanded and they were created.”
- Next, we place our feet together, look at the moon and recite the blessing, “. . . He gave them a set law and time, so that they should not alter their task . . . Blessed are You, L‑rd, who renews the months.”
- After lifting our heels three times, we then address the moon, so to speak: “Blessed is your Maker; blessed is He who formed you . . . Just as I leap toward you but cannot touch you, so may all my enemies be unable to touch me harmfully . . .” We emphasize these ideas by repeating this paragraph (and some of the subsequent stanzas) three times. Each time we begin, we lift ourselves to stand on our toes three times.
- Next we address the deeper significance of the lunar cycle: “David, King of Israel, is living and enduring.” The kingdom of David is compared to the moon. Though it may have lost much of its former radiance, it will be restored to its glory in messianic times.
- Since we just finished speaking of our enemies, we make a point of wishing peace to those who are peaceful. We turn to three of our fellow congregants and wish them peace, “shalom aleichem,” and they wish us peace in return, “aleichem shalom.”
- Inspired by the joy of greeting the Divine Presence, we exclaim three times, “May this be a good sign and good fortune for us and the entire Jewish nation.” This is also why we greet those around us, since joy is always greater when shared with others.
- We then recite two verses from the Song of Songs (2:8–9)
Hark! My beloved!
There he comes,
Leaping over mountains,
Bounding over hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
Or like a young stag.
There he stands behind our wall,
Gazing through the window,
Peering through the lattice.
- that describe G‑d “looking through the windows, peering through the crevices,” just as the light of the moon does on a clear night.
- G‑d’s omnipresent protection is described again in the next Psalm we say (121): “The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night… The L‑rd will guard your going and coming from now and for all time.”
- We then repeat King David’s words (Psalm 150): “Praise G‑d in His holiness, praise him in the firmament of His strength . . . Let every being that has a soul praise the L‑rd.”
- This is followed by a passage from the Talmud that describes the Sanctification of the Moon: “It was taught in the academy of Rabbi Yishmael: Even if Israel merited no other privilege than to greet their Father in Heaven once a month, it would be sufficient for them . . .”
- Next is a psalm (67) that was recited in the Holy Temple, describing how G‑d’s miracles will cause the nations to recognize and praise Him: “The nations will extol You . . . The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on the earth forever.”
- We conclude with the “Aleinu” prayer, in which we say that the nations of the world “bow to vanity and nothingness. But we bend our knee, bow down, and offer praise before the supreme King of Kings . . .”
It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to acclaim the
greatness of the One
who forms all creation. For God did not make us
like the nations of other
lands, and did not make us the same as other
families of the Earth. God did
not place us in the same situations as others, and
our destiny is not the same
as anyone else’s.
And we bend our knees, and bow down, and give
thanks, before the Ruler,
the Ruler of Rulers, the Holy One, Blessed is God.
The One who spread out the heavens, and made the
foundations of the Earth,
and whose precious dwelling is in the heavens
above, and whose powerful
Presence is in the highest heights. Adonai is our
God, there is none else.
Our God is truth, and nothing else compares. As
it is written in Your
Torah: “And you shall know today, and take to
heart, that Adonai is the only
God, in the heavens above and on Earth below.
There is no other.”
Therefore we put our hope in You, Adonai our God,
to soon see the glory of
Your strength, to remove all idols from the Earth,
and to completely cut off
all false gods; to repair the world, Your holy
empire. And for all living flesh
to call Your name, and for all the wicked of the
Earth to turn to You. May all
the world’s inhabitants recognize and know that to
You every knee must
bend and every tongue must swear loyalty. Before
You, Adonai, our God,
may all bow down, and give honor to Your precious
name, and may all take
upon themselves the yoke of Your rule. And may
You reign over them soon
and forever and always. Because all rule is Yours
alone, and You will rule
in honor forever and ever.
As it is written in Your Torah:
“Adonai will reign forever and ever.”
And it is said: “Adonai will be Ruler over the
whole Earth, and on that day,
God will be One, and God’s name will be One.
- This prayer emphasizes that our blessing on the moon is in no way a form of idol worship.
- If there is a quorum of ten men, the mourner’s kaddish is recited.
Once we are done, we dance as at a wedding celebration.
WOW! what a rich and loving tradition we have?!?!?!?!
I love being able to share with others the greatness and love of the Jewish way of life. I think sometimes others may fear what they don’t know or understand.
.. Bridges are being Built.
I pray these bridges lead to a better tomorrow and peace for all of us and Israel.
Oseh Shalom prayer – Shabbat Songs
Oseh shalom bimromav
Hu ya’aseh shalom aleynu
Ve’al kol yisrael
Ve’imru Amen
Submitted by Palikari on 2015-04-13
English translation
He who makes peace
He who makes peace in His high places
May He bring peace upon us
And upon all Israel
And say ye Amen.
May He bring peace, may He bring peace
Peace upon us and on all of Israel
May He bring peace, may He bring peace
Peace upon us and on all of Israel.
And let us all say…. Amen
#thankyouHaShem
This weeks word was selected at random from my personally owned The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic 2001 copyright 1st edition.
I’m not paid to endorse nor affiliated. This book is from my personal library. I purchased this book from Thriftbooks.com you can get your own personal low price copy using the link below.
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Until next time, with G-d’s beautiful Mercy and Grace we will see each other soon.
with love,
Marie.
Disclaimer: Sources and resources have been hyperlinked in BLOG for an easier reading during podcast.
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