The Special Pre-Natal Gift
If there is a topic that rivals the Torah Tidbits frequency of the Significance of Living in Israel for a Torah Jew, then it must be the Jewish Calendar. We’ve explored the calendar in many different ways, but we’re going to do it again, because this is Shabbat Parshat Bo, and it’s where it all started, on a warm early spring day, 3315 years ago.

G-d gave a precious gift to the not-yet Nation of Israel. We were still in Egypt. Most of the plagues had come and gone. The Big One was yet to come. And G-d spoke to Moshe and Aharon and told them of a vital pre-requisite of Nationhood, namely the Jewish Calendar.

Let’s simplify things by saying this: G-d gave two Jewish Calendar Plans: One for when we have a Sanhedrin and one for when we don’t. Plan A involves eye-witness testimony of the first visibility of the lunar crescent and a good working knowledge of astronomy on the part of a committee of Sanhedrin members. Plan B involves mathematical calculations and an\ knowledge of astronomy as well.

Using the Jewish Calendar does not preclude using the secular calendar; they can both be part of our daily lives. But we should always remember that the Jewish Calendar was given to us by the Creator in order to make us His junior partners, so to speak, in the very important task of setting the calendar and the Holidays it contains.

We should know how our calendar works, and we should seize opportunities to use it. The Jewish Calendar is officially recognized by the State of Israel and all of its bureaucracy. This means, for example, that we can date our checks with the Jewish date. Do we have to? Is there a problem in using secular dates? Probably not to both.

On the other hand - why not date our checks in Hebrew. (Remember, this is only an example.) It might be a “fulfillment” of HACHODESH HAZEH LACHEM. Not the “official” fulfillment, but certainly in the spirit of the “gift”.
There are opinions that one should avoid using numbers for secular months. How can we number January as the first month when G-d tells us that Nissan has that status?

But don’t look at these issues as halachic. Look at them for the feelings they can evoke in us and the attitude they can project. Try to imagine – and relive – the mounting excitement as the night/day of Yetzi’at Mitzrayim approached. And look at how we started on the road to Nationhood.