Miller's Musings Parshas Bo: New Moon, New Beginnings

בס''ד

There had to be some Mitzvo chosen to be the first given to the Jews as a nation, but why this one?  Why would it be that Hashem would select this particular commandment, to sanctify the new moon, as the one among all the others to be the inaugural instruction for the Jewish people’s lives as a Torah abiding nation?  

A fundamental principle of Jewish thought is that whatever occurs in this physical world has an exact parallel in the higher spiritual worlds.  That which we see in nature is in truth analogous to what is happening at that time in loftier realms.  Pesach, for example, falls in spring, a time of renewal and rebirth, which means that in the upper worlds it is also a moment of regeneration.  In actuality it is that higher spiritual energy above which leads to the corresponding manifestation of this energy in the world we inhabit.  The corollary of this is that within every moment in time there is a potential for us to tap into that unique power and utilise it for our spiritual betterment.  The moon’s reappearance every month is a sign that this is a time imbued with the capacity for new beginnings, therefore it was most fitting that it should be given at this moment, the genesis of the Jewish nation.  In doing so, says the Ohr Gedalyohu not only was Hashem providing the required energies for the foundation of something new, He was also showing us an essential element of who we are.  Although within nature almost everything eventually stagnates and decays, the Jews as a people are not bound by the natural laws, and have an infinite potential for rebirth, just like the moon.

Change is scary and often difficult, sometimes because it’s scary.  It can be so daunting to have to begin again and such a challenge to our sense of identity and who we have thought ourselves to be.  This is why many live the lives they have always lived and do the things they have always done, unwilling to change even when they know the profound benefits of doing so.  In those very first moments as a people Hashem revealed that inbuilt into the very fabric of creation, is the potential to begin anew.  He taught us that the ability to start afresh is something that is an essential part of who we are and who we need to be to achieve our purpose. Yes change is frightening and fraught with risk, but sometimes it is the only way that we can move forward and the only means to becoming the person Hashem knows we can be.  Embracing change may be the single most important choice we ever make.

*May this Shabbos inspire us towards meaningful change*

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