In
this week's Torah reading, the Israelites
receive their first mitzvah: "This month
shall be to you the head of the
months..." (Exodus 12:2). This is the
commandment to sanctify the new month upon the
appearance of the crescent new moon.
Undoubtedly,
the fact that G-d chose this commandment to be
the first mitzvah to be given to the Jewish
people has special significance. And, indeed,
our sages tell us that "[the People of]
Israel are similar to the moon, and
[therefore] count [their calendar months]
according to the moon." On a basic level,
this means that just as the moon waxes and
wanes, so, too, the condition of Jewry is
constantly in flux – at times we are small
and oppressed, and eventually we will shine in
our full glory with the arrival of the
Messianic Era.
On
a deeper level, we are compared to the moon
because the moon has no light of its own;
rather, it reflects the light of the sun. G-d
is the source of all energy and sustenance,
and we are meant to be the "moon" to
His "sun," ref lecting the truth of
G-d's radiance in a world of darkness.
The
fact that the moon emits light, is more
remarkable than the fact that the sun emits
lightThe sun and the moon both emit light, but
there is an intrinsic difference between the
two: the sun is composed of hydrogen, a gas
which by its nature is conducive to giving off
light and energy. The moon, however, is not
fuel. It is a mass of solid matter. So
actually, the fact that the moon emits light,
is more remarkable than the fact that the sun
emits light.
With
the first mitzvah, G-d conveys the very
essence of the Jewish mission, which is
accomplished through observing the mitzvot.
Yes, we inhabit a world which consists of
physical matter, a world which on the surface
does not appear to be "fuel" for the
holiness of the Torah. And the Jewish soul is
clothed in a physical body which has very
mundane perceptions, desires, and temptations;
seemingly a body which can never radiate the
G-dly truth. Yet we have the obligation, and
therefore the G-d given extraordinary ability,
to cause ourselves and the world around us to
glow with spirituality.
The
task may appear daunting. Most of us are a
long way away from being human reflectors of
Torah and mitzvot. But we must remember that
we are commanded to sanctify the crescent
moon. We must only take the first step on our
spiritual journey. Even if we only manage to
sanctify a small part of our day or character
– we are already sanctified. And eventually,
through much effort and self refinement, we
too will reach our "full moon";
where our entire being becomes a reflection of
G-d's holiness.
