Question:
What is the appropriate way for a Jewish woman to celebrate Rosh Chodesh? I would like to start this tradition, as I have two little girls and I think that it would be wonderful to do this together.
Answer:
Rosh Chodesh, the day (or days) that celebrate the arrival of the new Jewish month, has long been recognized as a woman's holiday. In the Talmud1 we read that Rosh Chodesh is a day when there is some form of work abstinence. The Talmudic commentators Rashi and Tosaphot explain that this refers to women, who traditionally celebrate Rosh Chodesh as their exclusive holiday.
Why do women merit a special holiday once a month? In the incident of the Golden Calf, the women refused to relinquish their jewelry to the men who were building the calf. They had faith in G‑d and His servant Moses, and refused to take part in the creation of the Calf. As a reward, G‑d gave them an extra holiday each month.
According to kabbalistic teachings, women share a special relationship with the moon (see The Moon and Us for more on this topic), and as such they have special reason to celebrate Rosh Chodesh, the new moon.
Exactly what types of work women abstain from on Rosh Chodesh depends on community and/or family custom. Some women don't work at all, while others simply abstain from tedious household chores, such as laundry or sewing. If you don't have a family or community custom, you can start your own!
As to how you can celebrate with your daughters: In some communities, it is customary for women to wear new clothing on Rosh Chodesh in celebration of the day's special character. Some communities have special gatherings for women, where they will learn some Torah together. They might learn together about the month ahead and its qualities or upcoming holidays, or anything related to the month and/or women. In some gatherings the women will pray together, either from the special prayers of the day, or from the book of Tehillim, Psalms.
These are all special things that you can do with your daughters as well. But the main part is making them realize that this day is a special one, especially for women, ushering in a beautiful new month.
Click here for more on Rosh Chodesh.
Chana Weisberg for Chabad.org
BH today is rosh chodesh elul and i was looking for something to share with our grandchildren when i saw this article by Chana Weisberg and the comments. Thank you chana for your insightful words. If i may add based on some comments - It is correct that we do not add or detract from a mitzvah from the Torah. However to enhance a mitzvah is laudatory. It is called ‘hiddur mitzvah’.
For our family i chose to enhance rosh chodesh with a special pastry called rogelech. Since rosh chodesh was a regular school day, the children would take some to school and share with their friends and teachers. Thus they remembered the specialness of the day and shared it with others. Even now when they are grown and thank Gd have children of their own our family celebrates rosh chodesh by the addition of rogelech to the mitzvot connected to this special day.