There is this really interesting song by the Israeli HipHop group, the Teapacks, called Misparim. The chorus translates as – Me, too, like all of the Jews, immersed in numbers. The song lists important moments in the singer’s personal history and in the history of the Jewish people in the the context of the relevant numbers to the event.
When this song pops up on my playlist, my mind always goes straight to the moon. I see images of the moon, waxing and waning. To me, it is impossible to look at the night sky and not think about counting: counting up from the new moon, sometimes counting down from the full. It is my connection to the Jewish calendar, the calendar that runs inside my heart as so much of my life runs in 2016.
Each Hebrew month begins with the New Moon, the darkest time of the month and the Full Moon is always on the 15th. Almost every single Jewish holiday begins either at the new or full moon or in some purposefully designated proximity to one of those two spots. Only the month of Cheshvan – called Mar Cheshvan – the bitter month – has no holidays whatsoever. So, when I look to the darkened sky, I am almost always thinking about what holiday is around the corner or has just passed.
If you follow me on social media, I assure you that this year, like the past four or five, I will post a picture of the full moon in Elul, the two week countdown to Rosh Hashanah. There is no other full moon that inspires such anticipation and awe in the heart of Jewish clergy. Truly, if we attune ourselves to the rhythm of the Jewish calendar, this particular moon should bring each one of us to that level of spiritual presence.
Look to the sky! Look to the sky and see the heavens arrayed in all of their glory and know that we, the Jewish people are immersed in the numbers that play out in the sky – the moon as it fades and flourishes above.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, who brings forth the evening.
