"The first of the months of the year"(Exodus 12:2) Adar II 29, 5782/April1, 2022 The first word one might associate with the 4,000-year-old Torah tradition probably won't be "new." But, in fact, the Torah is all about new - being new and being renewed - renewal! This Shabbat is Shabbat HaChodesh - literally, the Shabbat of the Month. What month is Shabbat HaChodesh referring to? The month of Nisan, "the first of the months of the year." (Exodus 12:2) Every year, on the final Shabbat of the month of Adar, all Israel, in synagogue, in addition to the weekly Torah reading (currently Tazria) read the first twenty two verses of Exodus, chapter twelve. (This Shabbat also happens to be Rosh Chodesh Nisan - the first day of Nisan, making it a very special, very new Shabbat, indeed!) The very word for month - chodesh - is a form of the Hebrew word chadash - which means new. Judaism takes the new moon very seriously, for when the first sliver of the new moon makes its appearance in the heavens it is a sign of the eternal power of renewal. Just as the waning moon is slowly eclipsed by the earth, until it disappears completely, so too the bright light of our own goodness, our own inclination to cleave to G-d and to do His will, can be eclipsed by our lesser urges, our lesser angels, plunging us into self-imposed darkness. But HaShem, in His infinite love for His children, teaches us by the renewing light of the moon that we too can overcome our darker impulses and return - do teshuva - to HaShem. And just as the waxing moon slowly grows fuller, so too, our return to HaShem is a process of growth and the fulfillment of the potential G-d placed in us while still in the womb. "HaShem spoke to Moshe and to Aharon in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year. Speak to the entire community of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth of this month, let each one take a lamb for each parental home, a lamb for each household...'" (ibid 12:1-3) While still enslaved in Egypt, sunk, as our sages teach us, in the depths of forty-nine levels of spiritual darkness and impurity, G-d, in His very first commandment to the not yet born nation of Israel, shared with them the secret of renewal - repentance - teshuvah! Take charge, G-d is telling Israel, of the calendar, of the determination of the new moon: look for it, declare it, sanctify it! For the new moon is a sign of G-d's covenant of teshuvah - of the never dying, always present opportunity to renew ourselves and to return to HaShem. This precious secret shared by G-d with Israel was the green light for Israel's exodus from Egypt two weeks hence. The next nineteen verses of parashat HaChodesh continue to teach Israel how she will affect her very first act of national repentance. By taking possession of a lamb and on the fourteenth day of this first of Israel's months, (of Israel's renewals), and slaughtering the lamb, Israel will be severing all her ties with the evil and iniquities of Egypt, and leaving all those things that kept her shackled and enslaved - forever, with no turning back. We read these word every year just two weeks before the Passover holiday not simply as a reminder that Passover is approaching and we have much work ahead of us, but more importantly, to remind us of the unparalleled power of renewal, of return - and how precious is the freedom that renewal - the grasping of the new, the fresh, the pure and untainted - bestows upon us. Thusly, the physical liberation from Egypt was preceded by a spiritual liberation, which would ultimately reach its fulfillment at Sinai. One may question what parashat HaChodesh's message about renewal could possibly have in common thematically with our weekly Torah reading of Tazria, which focuses on the seemingly arcane subject of biblical impurity. While the power of renewal and repentance readily speaks to us, when we begin to talk about tum’a and tahara (impurity and purity) we tend to draw a blank. But the very essence of the process of returning to purity following a bout of impurity is all about renewal and return to HaShem. "And when the days of her purification have been completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring a sheep in its first year as a burnt offering, and a young dove or a turtle dove as a sin offering, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, to the kohen. And he shall offer it up before HaShem and effect atonement for her, and thus, she will be purified from the source of her blood. This is the law of a woman who gives birth to a male or to a female." (Leviticus 12:6-7) We may have a hard time understanding the why of purity, but certainly the process of purification and return to purity should be very familiar to all of us who work to return to HaShem after we have distanced ourselves and isolated ourselves from Him due to our misdeeds and transgressions. In our daily morning prayers we gratefully acknowledge that HaShem "illuminates the earth and provides light for those who dwell on it, with compassion; and in His goodness renews every day, continually, the work of creation." Whether you adhere to the Hebrew calendar's reckoning of 5782 years, or whether you tend toward the astronomer's calculation that our universe is many billions of years old, the pure (and purifying) simple fact noted in our daily prayer is that G-d, in His goodness, renews creation every day. Every dawn brings a new creation. Every dawn brings a new opportunity for us to get on board and be new ourselves! Every day we are blessed with the opportunity to shed our own dross, to free ourselves of yesterday's negative baggage, to keep stride with HaShem and to experience life anew - refreshed - purified and liberated. "In the beginning" is not just a once in an eternity declaration. "In the beginning" happens every day. If we, like Israel, take charge of our days, the ticking of our clock, and the determination of our new moons, and re-synch our step with G-d's, we too become new! Wishing everyone a Shabbat shalom and a Chodesh tov - a very, very good month, with all the potential vested within us for renewal! |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven discusses the ten crowns of the new month of Nisan - coming this Shabbat, the illness called tzar'at & the boomerang effect of evil talk, and how when the Shechinah enters the Tabernacle purity becomes achievable! Rosh Chodesh Nisan is coming and Passover preparations are going into high gear. The Torah laws of purity are becoming ever more relevant as we advance towards the building of the Holy Temple, from which G-d's presence casts a new light on all reality. Making sure to keep pure what goes in and what comes out of our mouths! |
Help To Build The Holy Temple In Our Time! Donate Generously To Help The Sacred Work Of The Temple Institute! Every contribution helps to rebuild the Holy Temple in our Time! |
Red Heifer Update March 2022 Over the past six months the Temple Institute has greatly expanded its efforts to raise a red heifer in Israel whose ashes can be used to achieve the highest level of biblical purity which will enable kohanim and ordinary Jews to enter into the areas on the Temple Mount where the inner Temple courtyards and the Temple Sanctuary are located, a prerequisite for the renewal of the Divine service in the Holy Temple. |
Haftarah For Shabbat Parashat Tazria
This Shabbat is both Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat parashat HaChodesh. When this occurs the haftarah (additional prophetic reading) is according to the reading for Shabbat HaChodesh, (Ezekiel 45:18 - 46:15), with four verses from the usual Shabbat Rosh Chodesh reading, (Isaiah 66:1; Isaiah 66:23-24; Isaiah 66:23), added on. |
Weekly Torah Study with Rav Gedalia Meyer Rav Gedalia has not been feeling well these past few weeks. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to be able to share a new teaching next week. Click below if you would like to hear Rav Gedalia's teaching on parashat Tazria from 2020. |
The First Of Our Months! This Shabbat we celebrate the new month of Nisan, the first of our months! In two weeks we celebrate Passover, the Festival of our Freedom! The Temple Institute is with you every day of the year, as we go from strength to strength, teaching about the Holy Temple, its daily service and the pilgrimage festivals, recreating the 93 sacred Temple vessels, training kohanim for the Divine service in the Holy Temple, raising a red heifer to achieve the highest level of biblical purity, and sharing the vision of the rebuilt Holy Temple, "a house of prayer for all nations!" Join us and together we will make the dream of the Holy Temple a reality: "And they shall build for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell amongst them!" |
Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Nisan When Rosh Chodesh (the first day of a new month) falls on Shabbat we read from Numbers 28:9-15, which describes both the special musaf (additional) offerings made in the Holy Temple on Shabbat as well as the additional offerings made on Rosh Chodesh: "And on the Sabbath day, two unblemished lambs in the first year, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour as a meal offering, mixed with oil, and its libation..." |
Shabbat Parashat Hachodesh This Shabbat is also Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the first day of the new month (moon) of Nisan, the first of the months. Every year on the Shabbat preceding the new moon of Nisan a special section, (Exodus 12:1-20) is read in synagogues. On years, such as the current year, when Rosh Chodesh Nisan falls on Shabbat, the special section, known as Parashat HaChodesh, is read on that Shabbat. The special section is read in anticipation of the festival of Passover, which begins on the 15th of Nisan. Parashat HaChodesh tells of the first commandment received by Israel, while still in Egyptian bondage, to mark the new moon and to prepare a lamb for their Passover offering... |
Far-Right MK Ben Gvir Visits Temple Mount After Receiving Police Okay Final approval was given after morning assessment, despite concerns firebrand lawmaker could spark fresh violence as Israel contends with terror spurt ahead of Ramadan. Far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir visited the Temple Mount early Thursday morning after receiving approval from police to visit the Jerusalem holy site. News early this week of the planned visit by the firebrand MK had sparked concerns it could significantly raise already heightened tensions and spark fresh violence. |
Am Yisrael Chai - The People Of Israel Lives! A group of IDF soldiers on a tour of the old city of Jerusalem paused for a break just outside the Temple Institute's Holy Temple Visitors Center. Two great symbols of the return of the people of Israel to the land promised by G-d to the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov forever - the Israel Defense Forces and the visionary task of rebuilding the Holy Temple, "a house of prayer for all nations!" (Isaiah 56:7) |
First Temple-Era Jerusalemites Imported Luxury Items From As Far Away India Kingdom of Judah's position on major international trade route gave Jerusalemites access to luxuries from as far away as India, study shows. A surprising discovery in the City of David has been discovered: A new study by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University reveals that in wine jars from the end of the First Temple Period, bearing the symbol of trade from the Kingdom of Judah, remnants of vanilla spice were found - the luxurious spice, which came to Israel from afar. |
King Solomon & The Red Heifer In reference to the red heifer, King Solomon famously stated, “All this I tested with wisdom; I said, "I will become wise," but it was far from me.” (Ecclesiastes 7:23) Midrash explains the meaning behind King Solomon's statement: “Concerning all other the laws of Torah, I can grasp their meaning. But regarding the laws of the heifer, I analyzed, I pondered, I researched, I inquired, and still I could not intellectually comprehend its workings.” |
Springtime Has Arrived In Israel! Spring weather has at last arrived in Israel! Tourists are returning and Jerusalem's old city is coming back to life! This morning tourists (and locals) were gathering around the Temple Institute's golden menorah in the Jewish Quarter's central plaza, having their pictures taken and enjoying the music of a local musician. Hoping to see you all here soon! |
Performing The Ketoret Incense Offering Maimonides writes in the Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Temidin uMusafim (the Laws of the Daily and Additional (Festive) Offerings) - Chapter 3, Mishnah 1: "It is a positive commandment to offer the ketoret incense offering on the Golden Altar in the Sanctuary twice each day, in the morning and in the afternoon, as [Exodus 30:7] states: 'And Aharon shall burn on it the incense of fragrant spices.'" |
This Week: Parashat Tazria (Leviticus 12:1 - 13:59) "And HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male, she shall be unclean for seven days; as [in] the days of her menstrual flow, she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And for thirty three days, she shall remain in the blood of purity; she shall not touch anything holy, nor may she enter the Sanctuary, until the days of her purification have been completed..." |
The Privilege Of Performing The Ketoret Incense Offering A type of lottery was held each morning to determine which kohen currently serving in the Holy Temple would receive which task of the Daily (Tamid) Service to perform. Concerning the commandment to perform the incense offering, an exception was made. A lottery was held, but only kohanim who had never in their lives performed the incense offering were allowed to participate. This was to insure that every kohen would have a chance to perform the offering once in their life. |
Archaeologist Claims To Find Oldest Hebrew Text In Israel, Including The Name Of God Archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling and a team of international scholars held a press conference on Thursday in Houston, Texas, unveiling what he claims is the earliest proto-alphabetic Hebrew text — including the name of God, “YHWH” — ever discovered in ancient Israel. It was found at Mount Ebal, known from Deuteronomy 11:29 as a place of curses. |
Shavua Tov From The Temple Mount! Ascending the Temple Mount and getting ready for the upcoming month of Nisan, "the first of the months," (Exodus 12:2) which begins on Shabbat! Summer hours have come to Israel and the hours for non-Muslims to ascend the Temple Mount are: 7:00-11 AM; 1:30-2:30 PM, Sunday - Thursday. Hope to see you there! Shavua tov - have a good week! |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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