freuden@ucla-cs.UUCP (10/07/84)
Does anybody know why we do not say birchat ha-chodesh the shabat before Rosh Hashannah???? This question just ocurred to me, and I cannot find anybody who discusses this.
martillo@mit-athena.ARPA (Joaquim Martillo) (10/08/84)
This has puzzled me too. I seem to remember one answer that since announcing the beginning of the month (rosh hahodesh) announces the days of atonement (los dies di perdon) and during this period we want to be particularly carefule not to yield to the evil inclination (yetzer hara`) we do not announce this hodesh (month) so that the Satan (adversary) will not be working particulary hard to make us stumble during this period. But I have always found this explanation somewhat unsatisfactory.
dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (10/09/84)
In article <1521@ucla-cs.ARPA> freuden@ucla-cs.UUCP writes:
~| Does anybody know why we do not say birchat ha-chodesh the shabat before
~| Rosh Hashannah?
I heard this explained two weeks ago by Rabbi David Schochet
at the Lubavitch shul in Toronto (Thornhill). On the Shabbos
before Rosh Hashanah, G-d blesses the new month. It is on the strength
of this blessing, which lasts a whole year, that we say Birchas
Hachodesh the other eleven months. I don't know whether this explanation
has its roots in Chabad Chassidus or more widely read sources.
From a practical perspective, you can see why Birchas Hachodesh need
not be said. I find it very useful the rest of the year, since it
reminds me that Rosh Chodesh is coming up during the week. I don't
normally go to shul on weekdays, and I might otherwise forget to
say ya-aleh v'yavo, Hallel, Musaf, etc. But I'm not likely to forget
Rosh Hashanah. (This is my own theory only.)
Dave Sherman
Toronto
--
{ allegra cornell decvax ihnp4 linus utzoo }!utcsrgv!davealex@aecom.UUCP (Alex S. Fuss) (10/10/84)
> Does anybody know why we do not say birchat ha-chodesh the shabat before > Rosh Hashannah???? This question just ocurred to me, and I cannot find > anybody who discusses this. So as not to alert the Satan to prosecute us, whatever that means. Also, the verse Ti'ku bahodesh shofar b'kese l'yom hagenu, with a play on the word kese, says to blow the shofar at the HIDDEN holiday, i.e., Rosh Hashana. I don't, off hand, know where the verse is found. -- from the philosophical outlook of: Alex S. Fuss {philabs, esquire, cucard, ihnp4}!aecom!alex