If you were G-d and you wanted to build a relationship with the Jewish people, what would be your first commandment?
G-d’s first commandment to the Jewish people as a nation, not to individuals, is given when the Jews are preparing to leave Egypt. As is told in this week’s Torah portion, Bo, G-d told the Jewish people that they should sanctify the new moon, and through the act of sanctification, will have Rosh Chodesh—the new month.
Of all the fundamental Mitzvot in the Torah, G-d chose THIS Mitzvah to welcome us? Shouldn’t it have been something more befitting, such as, “Know that I am your G-d,” “Believe in Me” or “Fear Me?” Why choose Rosh Chodesh?
From here we glean a fascinating idea: G-d is not trying to dictate to us; rather, G-d is giving us the opportunity to transform the world around us into good.
But first we must come to understand the roles that “time” and “space” play in our lives. Time comes before space. If we don’t have time, then we cannot measure space (e.g., how long it takes to go from Point A to Point B). Therefore, we must recognize the role that time plays in our lives. Once we come to respect it, we can elevate it and move onto the next step—to engage in the “space” around us, and elevate it.
That is why the first commandment that we are given is to sanctify the new moon. To do so properly, we must know the cycle of the moon, which means that the whole month has to be taken into account; hence, every day is elevated in the process.
Once we have elevated time, we can move onto the world around us and elevate the space in our lives.
And once we understand who we are and where we are, we can work on ourselves and transform our own little worlds into G-dly worlds.
May this be an elevated week!
Edited by geminiwordsmiths.com