Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Rosh Chodesh, a Day of Rest?

Men of Yisrael, is the Rosh Chodesh(New Moon) a day of rest?  Bemidbar(Numbers) 10:10, 28:11-15 is all that I can find in the Torah dealing with the New Moon.  Other than recognizing the day as special and offering special sacrifices there is not a whole lot there.  Of course that does not prove that it is not a day of rest.  After all the Torah never says not to buy and sell on Shabbat either.  At least not that I'm aware.  We get that from Nechemyah10:31.  So, how do the prophets interpret these passages in the Torah regarding Rosh Chodesh?

Amos8:5 Saying, When will the New Moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Shabbat, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

Here we have a prophet of Elohim saying that people could not wait for the New Moon and Shabbat to be over so that they could sell corn or wheat.  Implying that it was not done in Yisrael not even by dishonest business men.  Some will say that this only applies to Yom Teruah(Day of Trumpets).  Is there any where that says it more plainly?

Yechezkiel(Ezekiel)46:1Thus saith Adonai YHWH; The gate of the inner court that looketh toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Shabbat it shall be opened, and in the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.

Can we come to any other conclusion after reading this passage?  Rosh Chodesh is placed with Shabbat as a non working day of the week!  This is the prophets understanding of the Torah regarding the Rosh Chodesh.  It is a day of rest.

3 comments:

  1. Interesting. Have you ever heard the premise that only women are allowed a day of rest on New Moon? I'm not informed on this matter, so I'm not sure where they got their interpretation.

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    1. I've never heard that before. As far as I know, it doesn't say anything about it in the Scriptures.

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  2. Well, I must be somewhat accidentally on the women only side since I usually cook waffles for breakfast on New Moon. :)

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