The Moon!

God made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars.

Rabbi Zechariah said: After (the words) "the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year" (ibid.), what is written? "And one he-goat for a sin offering unto the Lord" (Num. 28:15). For what purpose was the sin offering? When the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, He created two great luminaries, as it is said, "And God made the two great lights" (Gen. 1:16). The one He made larger and the other smaller, and the moon obstinately refused to do the will of its Creator so as to be made smaller; therefore Israel offered on its behalf the he-goat for a sin offering heavenwards as one of the burnt offerings of the New Moon, as it is said, "And one he-goat for a sin offering unto the Lord" (Num. 28:15). What is the meaning of "unto the Lord"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: This he-goat shall be an atonement for Me, because I have diminished the (size of the) moon.

On the New Moon, the associations of elders, leaders and students were assembled in session from the time of the afternoon service onwards until the sun had set and the moon appeared in the night [sky]. It is necessary to say [after the ceremonial meal] in the benediction over the wine, ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who createst the fruit of the vine. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Who hast revealed the secret of the renewal of the moon, Who didst instruct and teach us the [courses of] the seasons, New Moons and Festivals and Who didst appoint men of understanding who determine the times [of the New Moons and Festivals]. Thou, our Rock, hast weighed and calculated the minutest divisions of time whereby those New Moons and Festivals are determined, as it is written, Who appointedst the moon for seasons; the sun knoweth his going down, and it also states, For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make’; and one concludes with ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Who sanctifiest Israel and the New Moons’. [Then one says,] ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good; on this day we all in Jerusalem rejoice and are happy in the All-present. May Elijah the prophet soon come to us; may the king Messiah cause to spring forth in our days the [happy] time like the years when the Temple will be rebuilt, and may joyous occasions multiply in Israel’; and the people answer and say ‘Amen’. [The prayer is then continued,] ‘May good tidings multiply in Israel, may happy days multiply in Israel, may disciples of the Torah multiply in Israel. Consecrated is the New Moon, consecrated at the beginning of the month, consecrated in its proper time, consecrated in its intercalation, consecrated according to the Torah, consecrated according to the halakah, consecrated in the celestial regions, consecrated in the terrestrial regions, consecrated in the land of Israel, consecrated in Zion, consecrated in Jerusalem, consecrated in all the habitations of Israel, consecrated by the order of our Rabbis, consecrated in the House of Assembly. O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good’. Then [the reader] says, ‘You are all blessed’. After every benediction, moreover, [the reader] says, ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good’, except after the benedictions of the Levites.

The benediction over the moon must not be said except at the conclusion of the Sabbath when one is in an exhilarated mood and well dressed. [43a] He directs his eyes towards the moon, places his feet together and pronounces the benediction ‘Who didst create the heavens by Thy word and all their hosts by the breath of Thy mouth. Thou didst set for them a fixed law and time that they should not change their ordained task. They are glad and rejoice to perform the will of their Possessor. They act loyally, for their action is truth. To the moon Thou didst say that it should renew itself with a precious light and a diadem of beauty for those who have been sustained from the womb who, like it, will be renewed in the future and glorify their Creator for the majesty of His kingdom. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Who hallowest the New Moons’.

It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir says: When the heavenly lights, i.e., the sun and the moon, are eclipsed, it is a bad omen for the enemies of the Jewish people, which is a euphemism for the Jewish people, because they are experienced in their beatings. Based on past experience, they assume that any calamity that afflicts the world is directed at them. The Gemara suggests a parable: This is similar to a teacher who comes to the school with a strap in his hand. Who worries? The child who is accustomed to be beaten each and every day is the one who worries.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Reish Lakish: However, if that is so, you should likewise say with regard to “the Festival of gathering” (Exodus 23:16): On which Festival is there gathering? You must say it is the festival of Sukkot. When exactly? If we say it is on the Festival day itself, is labor permitted on a Festival? Rather, it is referring to the intermediate Festival days. But on the intermediate Festival days, too, is it permitted? One may perform only work that, if neglected, would result in irretrievable loss. Rather, you must explain that “the Festival of gathering” is referring to the season of the year, i.e., the Festival that occurs during the time of gathering. Here too: “The Festival of harvest” means a Festival that occurs during the time of harvest.

Therefore, the verse states: “Sound the shofar at the New Moon, at the full moon [keseh] for our feast day” (Psalms 81:4). Which is the Festival on which the month, i.e., the moon, is covered [mitkaseh]? You must say that this is Rosh HaShana, the only Festival that coincides with the new moon, which cannot be seen. And the Merciful One states: “Sound the shofar at the New Moon,” which indicates that on Rosh HaShana one sounds a shofar and nothing else.