Rabbi Levi Cunin prepares Malibu residents for Friday's new moon.
Jack and Jim were walking home from a late night at the bar. Jack says to Jim, "What a beautiful evening, look at the moon."
Jim stops and looks at Jack, saying, "What are you talking about! That’s not the moon, that's the sun!"
After arguing for a while, they bumped into a drunk walking in the other direction.
"Excuse us sir, could you please help settle our argument? Tell us what that thing is up in the sky that's shining. Is it the moon or the sun?"
The drunk looked at the sky and then looked at them, and said, "Sorry, I don't live around here."
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As residents of Malibu, we get to have a more upfront seat in observing the effects the moon has on our planet. We witness the daily changes in the tide that are affected by the movement of the moon.
And since tonight -- Friday night -- we will be welcoming the new moon cycle, let me share some interesting information.
Firstly, have you ever wondered why the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, comes out on at a different time of the calendar each year? At times in September and at times in October? And Chanukah, the festival of lights, sometimes early in December, other times late in December?
Unlike the secular calendar, which is based on the solar cycle, the Jewish calendar has been established according to the cycle of the moon. The twelve months on the Jewish Calendar are twelve cycles of the moon. And if not for the extra month on the Jewish calendar, twice every seven years, the Jewish holidays like Chanukah would eventually make their way throughout every season.
Why the moon?
In Kabbalistic liturgy, the moon represents the penitents who have done wrong but who change their ways and return to their soul's inner truth. Much like the moon, penitents are in a perpetual process of rise and fall, diminished light and increased light. Yet because of their challenges, the penitents actually reach a higher spiritual level than what the consistently righteous can achieve.
The moon has no light of its own, its light simply reflects the light of the sun. This can be seen as an important metaphor; indeed, we best serve our visit on earth when we emanate light. And like the moon, the light that we emanate happens when we surrender ourselves to be a reflector of the infinite light that is bigger than any one individual. How do we get out of our own way? By taking an action of goodness and kindness, even if we are not feeling that we are in a position to be a "light." We must realize simply that the light we are emanating is not our own!
This particular renewal of the moon, the new Hebrew month of Nisan (beginning March 24), the month of Passover, will mark the 3324th anniversary of this observance.
Happy new moon!