Pipeline Torah Gem #922 2026-04-17: Song for Rosh Chodesh
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Vaughn Seward
Apr 19, 2026, 5:42:32 PMApr 19
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Song for Rosh Chodesh
"He made the moon for festivals, the sun knows its distination." (Psam 104:19) Psalm 104 is the Song of the Day for Rosh Chodesh, the first day the new month. Tur (Orach Chaim 423) expains that the Psamist alludes to the new month in verse 19. Rav Yitzchak Abohab explains that these words, "He made the moon for the festivals," are not merely a casual allusion to the new month. Rather, they set the tone of this entire psalm, whose main theme is God's complete mastery over every aspect of creation. Throughout the monthly lunar cycle, the size of the moon visibly waxes and wanes, to demonstrate dramatically that God has total mastery over His creations. No other natural phenomenon conveys this message as vividly and forcefully as the moon's cycle. Thus, the theme of the New Moon complements the theme of the entire hymn of praise to the Master of Creation. Adapted from Artscroll's "The Writings; Psalms" by Rabbi Nossom Scherman / Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz, 2018, page 450-451 and 455-456. Torah Gem Archives: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/torahtidbits
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Yiddish Corner
Khasene hoben un shtarbn iz keyn mol nisht tsu shpet.
It's never too late to marry or die.
Itlikher shidekh vos me tut iz gut, nokh a yor vert men gevor.
Lit.Every match that is made is good; after a year, one finds out (the truth).
Every match is a catch, after a year it becomes clear.
Ikh gey oys nokh a glezl tey.
I'm dying for a cup (glass) of tea.
Dos gute ort
Lit. The good place
Cemetery
[From "In Praise of Yiddish" but Maurice Samuel]
"He made the moon for festivals, the sun knows its distination." (Psam 104:19) Psalm 104 is the Song of the Day for Rosh Chodesh, the first day the new month. Tur (Orach Chaim 423) expains that the Psamist alludes to the new month in verse 19. Rav Yitzchak Abohab explains that these words, "He made the moon for the festivals," are not merely a casual allusion to the new month. Rather, they set the tone of this entire psalm, whose main theme is God's complete mastery over every aspect of creation. Throughout the monthly lunar cycle, the size of the moon visibly waxes and wanes, to demonstrate dramatically that God has total mastery over His creations. No other natural phenomenon conveys this message as vividly and forcefully as the moon's cycle. Thus, the theme of the New Moon complements the theme of the entire hymn of praise to the Master of Creation. Adapted from Artscroll's "The Writings; Psalms" by Rabbi Nossom Scherman / Rabbi Gedaliah Zlotowitz, 2018, page 450-451 and 455-456. Torah Gem Archives: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/torahtidbits
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Yiddish Corner
Khasene hoben un shtarbn iz keyn mol nisht tsu shpet.
It's never too late to marry or die.
Itlikher shidekh vos me tut iz gut, nokh a yor vert men gevor.
Lit.Every match that is made is good; after a year, one finds out (the truth).
Every match is a catch, after a year it becomes clear.
Ikh gey oys nokh a glezl tey.
I'm dying for a cup (glass) of tea.
Dos gute ort
Lit. The good place
Cemetery
[From "In Praise of Yiddish" but Maurice Samuel]
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