It determines our calendar, festivals, sacrifices etc. Is part of the Creation. Other things are also natural -water - mikveh; brit milah is biological; animals and wheat for sacrifices..
taanis (28b) Rav happened to come to Babylonia, where he saw that they were reciting hallel on a New Moon. Unfamiliar with this practice, he thought to stop them, as he assumed that they were reciting hallel unnecessarily. Once he saw that they were omitting portions, he said: I can learn from this that they are maintaining the custom of their forefathers, i.e., they know that it is a custom, not an obligation…
Part of it is the symbolism - the waxing and waning mirrors the ups and downs of Jewish history with a reminder that there is always a recovery after every downfall. The other part is the moral lesson - the moon is a secondary source of light that waxes and wanes because it wasn't satisfied sharing the sky with the sun and complained in the hopes of being the main luminary. It's a reminder that one should be happy with one's role as assigned by the Creator.
“Rosh Chodesh Why is the new moon significant in Judaism? It is a purely natural occurrence! ” Interesting todays’ Daf Hayomi Baba Metzia 13a “Samuel has his own reason. For Samuel stated: R. Meir used to say: A note of indebtedness which has no clause mortgaging property does not [entitle the creditor to] exact payment from either encumbered or unencumbered property. But since it does not [entitle one] to exact payment, why should it be returned? ” Beautiful Talmudic rulings/discussions on returning or not found document not marked cancelled, void and not torn returning to owners or to who lost the document. People must watch over and not lose their documents whether paid/cancelled or still valid. Our Sages are trying to minimize fraud, mischief making, underpaying tax obligations whatever. Of course a found document marked paid, marked cancelled whatever, Sages wisely advocate don’t return for fear of fraud. Shmuel wisely argues to return a found document only if no possibility of an unjust/illegal payment. Fair beautiful. I have a PhD in economics from CUNY June 1991. Plenty possibilities of fraud with found documents. The dates signatures details etc could be fraud etc. The Gamara is so interesting.
It determines our calendar, festivals, sacrifices etc. Is part of the Creation.
ReplyDeleteOther things are also natural -water - mikveh; brit milah is biological; animals and wheat for sacrifices..
Why hallel? It is obviously more than a technical requirement!
DeleteWho instituted Hallel, or rather Hallel on Rosh Chodesh?
Deletehttps://outorah.org/p/66/
DeletePerhaps Rosh Chodesh has a taste of Rosh hashana to it - as the Torah says that R'Ch Nissan is actually the head of the year.
taanis (28b) Rav happened to come to Babylonia, where he saw that they were reciting hallel on a New Moon. Unfamiliar with this practice, he thought to stop them, as he assumed that they were reciting hallel unnecessarily. Once he saw that they were omitting portions, he said: I can learn from this that they are maintaining the custom of their forefathers, i.e., they know that it is a custom, not an obligation…
DeleteWaxing and waning of the moon is representative of israel's various stages of growth and reset
ReplyDeleteS0?
DeleteIt is being celebrated as a model?
Part of it is the symbolism - the waxing and waning mirrors the ups and downs of Jewish history with a reminder that there is always a recovery after every downfall.
ReplyDeleteThe other part is the moral lesson - the moon is a secondary source of light that waxes and wanes because it wasn't satisfied sharing the sky with the sun and complained in the hopes of being the main luminary. It's a reminder that one should be happy with one's role as assigned by the Creator.
“Rosh Chodesh Why is the new moon significant in Judaism? It is a purely natural occurrence! ” Interesting todays’ Daf Hayomi Baba Metzia 13a
ReplyDelete“Samuel has his own reason. For Samuel stated: R. Meir used to say: A note of indebtedness which has no clause mortgaging property does not [entitle the creditor to] exact payment from either encumbered or unencumbered property. But since it does not [entitle one] to exact payment, why should it be returned? ”
Beautiful Talmudic rulings/discussions on returning or not found document not marked cancelled, void and not torn returning to owners or to who lost the document. People must watch over and not lose their documents whether paid/cancelled or still valid. Our Sages are trying to minimize fraud, mischief making, underpaying tax obligations whatever. Of course a found document marked paid, marked cancelled whatever, Sages wisely advocate don’t return for fear of fraud. Shmuel wisely argues to return a found document only if no possibility of an unjust/illegal payment. Fair beautiful. I have a PhD in economics from CUNY June 1991. Plenty possibilities of fraud with found documents. The dates signatures details etc could be fraud etc. The Gamara is so interesting.