Most people know we are in the middle of the eight-day festival of Chanukah, but tonight is also the beginning of the new month of Tevet.
The hebrew calendar is unique in that we have a solar year (365 days), but a lunar month (approximately 29.5 days from new moon to new moon).
The english word “month” comes from the word “moon” which shows its origins in the hebrew calendar.
However, the hebrew word for month is “Chodesh” based on the root “Chadash” which means “new.”
Each month, the moon ebbs and flows, and just when you think it will disappear, it is renewed.
The sages compared the Jewish people to the moon. Our task is to reflect the light of the Almighty and be a “Light to the Nations.”
And throughout our long history, with its glorious moments, and with its darkest times, we can always trust God to protect us and give us the opportunity to be renewed and become a better nation each month as we progress toward our destiny.