A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem... This Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat. Common among those who write about the subject, is the custom to add a special dish (appetizer, side dish, dessert, or other) to our Shabbat meals, in honor of R"Ch, rather than to add a meal (as would be the custom for R"Ch during the week). It was on R"Ch Sh'vat that the Jewish People arrived at their last place of encampment before crossing the Jordan River. It was there that we reviewed the whole Torah with Moshe Rabeinu, until his death on 7 Adar. Sefer HaToda'ah says that it is appropriate to learn some- thing special (in addition to what we usually learn) and to maintain this extra learning from Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat. [The Parshat Va'eira Homepage]
|
