Rosh Chodesh Sivan

Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh (Hebrew: ראש חודש; trans. Beginning of the Month; lit. Head of the Month) is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. It is considered a minor holiday, akin to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot.

Origin

The Book of Exodus establishes the beginning of the Hebrew calendar:
"And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: 'This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.'" (12:1-2)

In the Book of Numbers, God speaks of the celebration of the new moon to Moses:
"And on your joyous occasions - your fixed festivals and new moon days - you shall sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being." (10:10)

In Psalm 81:3, both new and full moon are mentioned as a time of recognition by the Hebrews:
"Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob."

The occurrence of Rosh Chodesh was originally confirmed on the testimony of witnesses observing the new moon. After the Sanhedrin declared Rosh Chodesh for either a full month or a defective, 29-day month, news of it would then be communicated throughout Israel and the diaspora.

A custom was developed in which an additional day could be added to the month to ensure that certain holidays (such as Yom Kippur) did not fall on the days before or after Shabbat.

The Month of Sivan

Beginning of new Hebrew month of Sivan. Sivan is the 3rd month of the Hebrew year. Corresponds to May or June on the Gregorian calendar.

Rosh Chodesh Sivan is distinguished as the day on which the Jewish people camped before Mount Sinai. When describing this encampment, the Torah emphasizes that it came, "after the Jews left Egypt", i.e., after the process of refinement associated with the Egyptian exile.

Special Biblical Significance of Rosh Chodesh Sivan

"In the third month after the Exodus of the Jewish People from Egypt, on that very day, they came to the Desert of Sinai" (Shemot 19:1)

Jewish Tradition says that "that very day" refers to Rosh Chodesh Sivan. About that day it is written, "And the People of Israel encamped there, opposite the Mountain." The verb written in Hebrew for "encamped" is "vayichan," a singular, rather than plural, form. This is to indicate that the acceptance of the Torah by the Jewish People was as if with a single mind, and a single heart. This was necessary because the Torah was like a marriage contract between G-d and Israel and, as such, there was no room for any hesitation or disloyalty between the parties.

In Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles II) (15:9-12), we find, regarding King Asa of Yehudah, "And he gathered all of Yehudah and Binyamin, and from those who lived with them, from Ephrayim and Menasheh and from Shimon, for they gathered unto him in multitudes, because they saw that the L-rd was with him. And they were gathered to Yerushalayim in the third month, of the fifteenth year of King Asa. And they sacrificed to the L-rd on that day, bringing from the booty, seven hundred cattle and seven thousand sheep. And they entered into the Covenant to seek the L-rd, the G-d of their fathers, with all their heart and all their soul."

And Jewish Tradition teaches us that this entry into a Covenant with G-d by the Jewish People, approximately six hundred years after the Covenant at Sinai, occurred on Rosh Chodesh Sivan.

Modernity

The above describes not only what happened in the past, but also relates to our present circumstance. On the verse, "and these days were remembered and celebrated," the AriZal explained that when a Torah event is remembered in a complete way, it is celebrated not only as a commemoration of the past, but as a present reality. All the spiritual influences which were revealed originally are expressed at present. Thus, we will relive the revelation at Sinai when, "your eyes saw your teacher," i.e., G‑d’s essence will be revealed in the midst of the exile and will serve as "a teacher," guiding the way for every Jew, men, women, and children.

This will also bring about the unity of the Jewish people. In the verse, "And Israel camp before the mountain," the verb vayichan ("camped") is stated in a singular form (in contrast to the other verbs in the narrative). This reveals how the entire people camped "as one man, with one heart," expressing true unity. What brought about this unity? The fact that they were "before the mountain," close to the giving of the Torah.

This is also connected with the portion of Torah associated with the present day which describes the census of the Jewish people. The literal translation of the command to take the census is "Lift up the heads of the children of Israel," implying that G‑d will lift up the aspect of the soul which is truly a "head" and cause it to control every aspect of a Jew’s behavior. This is done by Moshe, the spark of Moshe which every Jew possesses within his soul.