Announcement Despite the existence of a fixed calendar, Rosh Chodesh is still announced in
synagogues on the preceding
Shabbat (called
Shabbat Mevarchim — The Shabbat of Blessing [the new month]). The announcement is made after the reading of the
sefer Torah, before returning it to the
Torah ark. The name of the new month, and the day of the week on which it falls, is given during the prayer. Some communities customarily precede the prayer by an announcement of the exact date and time of the new moon, referred to as the
molad, or "birth". In the morning service "half
Hallel" (
Psalms 113–118, with two paragraphs omitted) is recited (except on Rosh Chodesh Tevet, which is during Chanukkah, when the full Hallel is recited). The
Torah is read, specifically which includes the
sacrifices of Rosh Chodesh. An additional prayer service, called
Mussaf, is added to commemorate the Rosh Chodesh sacrifices in the
Temple. Its middle blessing begins "Roshei Chadashim". After the service, many recite Psalm 104. If Rosh Chodesh falls on
Shabbat, the regular
Torah reading is supplemented with a reading of Numbers 28:9-15. The German custom is to sing the Half Kaddish preceding Maftir to a special tune. In most months (if it does not coincide with another special Haftarah), the regular
Haftarah is replaced by a special Rosh Chodesh Haftarah. The
Mussaf prayer is also modified when Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat. The central benediction is replaced with an alternative version (
Ata Yatzarta) that mentions both the Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh. If Rosh Chodesh falls on a Sunday and not on the Sabbath, the special Haftarah of
Mahar Chodesh ("Tomorrow is the New Moon",
I Samuel 20:18-42) is read if it does not coincide with another special Haftarah.
Kiddush Levanah is recited soon after Rosh Chodesh, although most communities wait until three or seven days after the Molad (the time of the "birth" of the new moon). It is common to wait until Saturday night to recite Kiddush Levanah. Many have a custom to eat a special meal in honor of Rosh Chodesh, as recommended by the
Shulchan Aruch. This gives one the opportunity to recite the ''Ya'a'le Ve-Yavo'' in Birkat Hamazon. Some Hasidic Jews sing Psalm 104 during this meal.
Work Jews nowadays generally treat Rosh Chodesh as barely different from any other weekday (except for expansion of the prayer service). and the Talmud states that work is permitted on Rosh Chodesh. The
Jerusalem Talmud states that women refrain from work on Rosh Hodesh, but only by custom as opposed to law. This custom is recorded in the
Shulchan Aruch, but does not seem to be commonly practised in modern times. Yet for much of early Jewish history, Rosh Chodesh was observed much more seriously. In some Biblical sources, Rosh Hodesh is described as a day when business is not conducted and which seems to have been devoted to worship and feasting. This is corroborated by an inscription from the
Arad ostraca (c. 600 BCE) in which a military commander is told to deliver goods on the first of the month, but only to record this delivery in writing on the second of the month (seemingly because writing was considered a forbidden
melakha). In the Second Temple period, too, Rosh Chodesh was considered a day of rest according to some sources. In the Talmudic period, one passage considered Rosh Chodesh to be a day on which work ceased (
bittul); another passage suggests that work ceased (
bittul) but was not forbidden (
assur). To explain the current acceptance of working on Rosh Chodesh,
Shaagat Aryeh proposed that there indeed was a general prohibition on Rosh Chodesh work while the Temple stood, as the
mussaf sacrifice was offered on behalf of the entire people, and a general principle exists that a person may not work on a day when their sacrifice is offered.
Rosh Chodesh and women According to the
Talmud, women do not engage in work on Rosh Chodesh.
Rashi, in commenting on this passage, delineates the activities from which they must refrain: spinning, weaving, and sewing—the skills that women contributed to the building of the Mishkan (
Tabernacle). The
Shulchan Aruch writes that "Those women whose custom is not to do work on [Rosh Chodesh] have a good custom". In modern times, female-centered Rosh Chodesh observances vary from group to group, but many are centered on small gatherings of women, called Rosh Chodesh groups. There is often a particular interest in the
Shekinah, considered by the
kabbalah to be a feminine aspect of God. These groups engage in a wide variety of activities that center around issues important to Jewish women, depending on the preference of the group's members. Many Rosh Chodesh groups explore spirituality, religious education, ritual, health issues, music, chanting, art, and/or cooking. Some groups also choose to educate young Jewish women in their community about sexuality, self-image, and other women's mental and physical health issues. Miriam's cup (for the prophet
Miriam) originated in the 1980s in a Boston Rosh Chodesh group; it was invented by Stephanie Loo, who filled it with mayim hayim (living waters) and used it in a feminist ceremony of
guided meditation. Some seders (including the original Women's Seder, but not limited to women-only seders) now set Miriam's cup as well as the traditional cup for the prophet Elijah, sometimes accompanied by a ritual to honor Miriam. Miriam's cup is linked to the
midrash of
Miriam's well, which "is a rabbinic legend that tells of a miraculous well that accompanied the Israelites during their 40 years in the desert at the Exodus from Egypt". ==See also==