שבת Date: 27 Adar II, 5774 (3/29/14) – Sukkah#54 {Eliezer}

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Spiritual HARMONY –

R’ Safra [54b bottom]: When Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the month) falls out on Shabbos, we sing the songs of both Holy days, but we do Rosh Chodesh’s first. This is done to publicize the fact that this day was in fact the start of the new month [it even pushes aside the law of: Tadir V’she’ainu Tadir, Tadir Kodem (prioritizing whichever is more frequently observed)].

**We see such amazing HASHGACHA PRATIS (Divine Providence) again TODAY, as we specifically read Parshas Hachodesh (the special once a year reading about the New Month) exactly Today when we mentioned the Rosh Chodesh law in Today’s Daf Yomi.

E’s Lesson: Rosh Chodesh has a much deeper appreciation and connection to Jewish life as well. The Greeks especially knew this because it was one of the only three Mitzvos they killed Jews for observing. The Greeks were all about PHYSICALITY and everything anti-spiritual. Circumcision represented an ‘imperfect’ body, Shabbos signified the whole work week was insignificant and only to lead to a purposeful soulful climax, and Rosh Chodesh revealed that Beis Din (Rabbis of the high court) had the spiritual power over physical luminaries in the sky. When the Beis Din set the new month (even if it was the “wrong day” due to when testimony was accepted) that is precisely when all the moon’s tides and womens’ time of the month became set according to. The Greeks refused to accept anything that was SUPER-natural and set a penalty of death accordingly for any of those three observances. We celebrate EIGHT days of Chanukah because the first day’s oil burning (which they had enough for in the jar) was as miraculous as the subsequent seven days which the oil lasted for. “NATURE” is MIRACULOUS. That is why we put the song of Rosh Chodesh ahead of the song of Shabbos. We may, G-d forbid, get desensitized a bit each week to the Shabbos message. Therefore, we sharpen our flat minds to strike a chord with the reJEWvinating Rosh Chodesh melody and sing its song to keep us in a proper perfect spiritual harmony.