B"H

Friday, Menachem Av 1, 5778 / July 13, 2018

Today is Rosh Chodesh (first day of the new month), Menachem Av.  On Rosh Chodesh we recite the additional prayers of Hallel and Musaf. We read the Torah portion about the Rosh Chodesh sacrifices. On Rosh Chodesh four people are called up to the Torah.

Q. "Rosh Chodesh" means "Head of the month."  Why “head” and not beginning of the month?

A.Just like the first day of the year is called, “Rosh Hashana,” Head of the year, because whatever happens during the year is decreed on that day, so too, Rosh Chodesh affects the entire month.

Q. When the Torah is read during the week, like Mondays and Thursdays, only three people are called to the Torah.  Why are four people called up to the Torah on Rosh Chodesh?

A.  Rosh Chodesh is a special day which enjoys a higher degree of holiness and special sacrifices were brought in the Temple on Rosh Chodesh.  With the holiness of the day increasing, so do the amount of people called to the Torah. For this reason, on holidays we call five; on Yom Kippur six are called and on Shabbat seven people (excluding Maftir) are called to the Torah.

Q.    What is the meaning of the name, Menachem Av?

A.  Menachem in Hebrew is comfort and Av means Father.  On the 9th day of this month, we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temples which were both destroyed on that day. 

The name "Menachem Av" expresses our prayer and wish that G-d, our "Father" in heaven shall grant us "comfort" and rebuild the Holy Temple speedily in our days.

Our sages say that when the Jewish people are in Exile, G-d is also in exile.  Thus, in a deeper sense "Menachem Av" can also be translated as "comfort to our Father."  In this context it is we who commit to bringing comfort to our Father-in-Heaven through the observance of Torah and mitzvot, which will hasten the redemption.

Today in Jewish history: The first time Rosh Chodesh Av is mentioned in the Torah in connection with the story of Noah and the Great Flood.  The Torah tells us that after the Flood, as the waters receded, it was on Rosh Chodesh Av that the “tops of the mountains were visible” (Genesis 8:5)." 

Rosh Chodesh Av is mentioned in the Torah in this week’s Parsha, Masei. The Torah tells us that Aaron, the High Priest, passed away on this day, Rosh Chodesh Av.

SHABBAT SHALOM & A WONDERFUL CHODESH-MONTH

Montreal candle lighting time: 8:23 / Shabbat ends: 9:42