Introduction
Rosh Chodesh marks the beginning of the Hebrew month. Rosh Chodesh can be a single day, but it often is two days long. The first day of every Hebrew month is Rosh Chodesh, and whenever the preceding month was 30 days long (instead of 29), the last day of that month is also considered Rosh Chodesh. For example, the thirtieth of Tishrei functions as the first day of Rosh Chodesh of the month of Cheshvan.
Historically, Rosh Chodesh was declared on a monthly basis by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem (the highest court, which consisted of seventy-one judges). The judges would interrogate witnesses who claimed to have seen the new moon, and when they were found to be telling the truth, the Sanhedrin would send word to Jewish communities throughout the country and the world that Rosh Chodesh had been declared. Nowadays, we rely on a fixed calendar that was established by Hillel, the president of the Sanhedrin, who instituted a set calendar cycle in which the date of every Rosh Chodesh throughout the generations was predetermined.
On Rosh Chodesh, the prayer services vary from those of a regular day in several ways, as we will explain.
Shacharit
The Shacharit service takes place as usual, as on every day, but Tachanun is omitted.
During the Shemoneh Esrei, we add a special paragraph before Modim that is entitled Yaaleh V’Yavo. It is a request from G-d to remember us for good things, to remember our ancestors, and to remember His promise to send us the Messiah and to rebuild the holy city of Jerusalem and the holy Temple.
Hallel
The Shemoneh Esrei is followed by Hallel even when one is praying privately.
Hallel is a special section of the prayers that is preceded by a blessing and consists of several chapters of Psalms (113- 118) that deal with praise of the Creator of the world.
At the beginning of Hallel, one should stand and recite the blessing, “Blessed are You, G-d, our Lord, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to read the Hallel.”
On Rosh Chodesh, the Hallel is not recited in its entirety. We omit two paragraphs, which begin with the words “Not for us” and “I have loved.” This version of Hallel is known as “half Hallel,” in contrast to the full Hallel, which is recited on festivals.
- The procedure for Hallel is similar to that which is followed during the rest of the prayer services. One should wait after each paragraph until the chazzan concludes it aloud before proceeding to the next paragraph.
- The entire Hallel should be recited while standing and focusing on the meaning of each word.
- The Hallel should be recited with joy and with song.
There are two paragraphs in Hallel which the congregation repeats aloud and in unison, following the chazzan: “Hodu— Give praise to G-d for He is good” and “Ana—Please, G-d, save us now.”
The responsive repetition of Hodu is somewhat complicated. The chazzan recites the first line aloud, and then the congregation repeats it after him. The congregation recites the second line in a whisper, and the chazzan recites it aloud. The congregation then repeats the first line aloud, followed by the third line in a whisper. The chazzan repeats that line aloud, and the procedure is repeated, with the congregation reciting the first line aloud again and then the fourth line in a whisper. The chazzan then recites the fourth line aloud, and the congregation concludes with one more recitation of the first line.
The recitation of Ana is much simpler. The chazzan recites the phrase “Ana Hashem hoshia na—Please G-d, save us now,” and the congregation repeats it after him. He repeats this line again, and the congregation repeats it after him. The next line (“Ana Hashem hatzlichah na—Please, G-d, make us be successful now”) is recited twice by the chazzan and the congregation alternately, in the same fashion.
We conclude Hallel with another blessing: “Blessed are You, G-d, the King Who is lauded with praises.”
It is customary to recite the verses that appear in the siddur after Hallel (“Abraham was old, coming with his days” and “Zevadyah should protect me and keep me alive”) three times.
In a communal prayer, the chazzan recites the Full Kaddish after Hallel.
Hallel is followed by the following order of prayers:
- The Song of the Day, without the preceding paragraphs beginning with “House of Israel.”
- Psalm 104, a special Psalm recited in honor of Rosh Chodesh. It begins with the words “Barchi Nafshi— Bless, my soul” and is an expression of our wonder at G-d’s incredible handiwork—the world and all of nature. It also describes how G-d supplies the needs of every living creature on earth. Indeed, “You have made them all with wisdom.” This Psalm appears in the siddur after the Song of the Day.
- During a communal prayer service, a mourner or orphan recites the Orphans’ Kaddish at this point in the prayers, and then the Torah reading begins.
Torah reading
We recite the paragraph beginning “When the Ark traveled,” open the Ark, remove the Torah scroll, and bring it to the bimah for the Torah reading.
The customs associated with the Torah reading are described earlier in this booklet.
On Rosh Chodesh, four honorees are called to the Torah, rather than the usual three. A kohen is called, followed by a levi, and then two yisraelim. The Torah reading is drawn from Parshat Pinchas and discusses the daily sacrificial offering as well as the sacrifices that were brought in the Temple on every Rosh Chodesh.
After the Torah reading, the reader recites the Half Kaddish. The Torah scroll is lifted, “dressed,” and returned to the Ark while the usual prayers are recited.
Ashrei, Uva L’Tzion, and Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin
After the Torah reading, we recite Ashrei and Uva L’Tzion and remove our tefillin. The procedure for removing the tefillin is described above.
As soon as the tefillin have been removed and put away, one should put on the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam and recite the passages that are normally recited while wearing them. These tefillin should then be removed as well. Married men remain wearing their tallitot only as we begin the Mussaf service.
Mussaf
Background
The Mussaf service is recited on special days when the Mussaf sacrifices were brought in the Temple: Shabbat, festivals, Rosh Chodesh, and Chol Hamoed. Since there was a daily sacrifice that was brought on a daily basis, the “extra” sacrifices offered on these days were called the “Mussaf” (literally, “additional”) sacrifices. The time frame for this prayer service parallels the time frame when the Mussaf sacrifice was brought, and the Mussaf service may be recited only until the end of six or seven hours after sunrise.
The Mussaf Shemoneh Esrei
The first three blessings and the final three blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei of Mussaf are exactly identical to those of the Shemoneh Esrei prayers of other prayer services. The middle of the Shemoneh Esrei of Mussaf consists of a single blessing which deals at length with the day on which it is said—in our case, Rosh Chodesh. The prayer discusses the sacrifices that were brought in the Temple on Rosh Chodesh and includes the text of Yaaleh V’Yavo as a part of the prayer itself.
In this prayer, we ask G-d to return the sacrificial service to the Temple so that we can once again serve Him properly and offer the Rosh Chodesh sacrifices before Him.
The Procedure for Mussaf
The chazzan recites the Half Kaddish, and the congregation begins to recite the Mussaf of Rosh Chodesh.
The Mussaf service is generally printed in prayer books after Hallel. It can be located via the table of contents at the beginning of the siddur.
We recite the first three blessings, followed by the middle paragraph, which begins with the words, “You have given the beginnings of months to Your nation” and concludes, “Blessed are You, G-d, Who sanctifies Israel and the beginnings of months.” We then conclude with the final three blessings and the standard conclusion of Shemoneh Esrei.
As in Shacharit, the chazzan repeats the Shemoneh Esrei and Kedushah is recited during the course of his repetition. The Kedushah of Mussaf, however, differs; it begins with the words “Keter yitnu lecha–They will give a crown to You.”
The congregation responds with Amen to the chazzan’s blessings, and the Rabbis’ Modim is recited.
At the conclusion of the chazzan’s repetition, the chazzan recites the Full Kaddish. We then recite the usual prayers to conclude the service.
- Married men may remove their tallitot at the conclusion of the prayers and return them to their places in accordance with the procedure outlined above.
Minchah and Maariv
Minchah of Rosh Chodesh.
On Rosh Chodesh, we recite the Minchah service just as on any other day, but we add the prayer of Yaaleh V’Yavo before Modim. The chazzan also recites this prayer during his repetition.
Tachanun is not recited at Minchah of Rosh Chodesh. After his repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, the chazzan recites the Full Kaddish and the prayers conclude with Aleinu.
Maariv of Rosh Chodesh
On Maariv of the night before Rosh Chodesh, we recite the standard Maariv but we add Yaaleh V’Yavo in the Shemoneh Esrei, before Modim.
- When Rosh Chodesh is two days long, we recite Yaaleh V’Yavo in the Maariv service of the second night as well.
