Cycles of Joy in the Midst of Sorrow
The New Jewish Month of Sivan Unveiled

Rosh Chodesh (heb. Beginning of the Month; Head of the Month) is a minor holiday observed at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. We read in Numbers 10:10 — “And on your joyous occasions—your fixed festivals and new moon days—you shall sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being.”

Rosh Chodesh or New Moon is celebrated every month according to biblical culture. When God created the people of Israel and set them aside from the rest of the nations, giving them commandments and directions, He also told them He wanted them to celebrate Him, so that their calendar surrounded the Lord and His joyous occasions. 

First, God said we are to start the month celebrating Shabbat (Saturday). Yeshua said He was our Shabbat, our peace and rest. Celebrating a new month or new moon is a cycle God created in the universe. It was all about celebrating God’s cycles and dedicating a new month to Him. By celebrating Shabbat, we dedicate each week to God.  By celebrating Rosh Chodesh, we dedicate each new month to the Lord. 

This Friday we will be celebrating Rosh Chodesh, the new moon, for the Hebrew month of Sivan. The Torah (Old Testament) portion for this upcoming Shabbat/Rosh Chodesh is Numbers 28 that speaks all about offerings. God is teaching the people of Israel to offer God the best and dedicate everything to Him. After bringing the finest offering to the Lord, people would sit and eat it in the presence of the Lord. It was like partaking with God and Him sharing with His people what they brought to Him. 

It’s a remarkable symbolism of how the Lord wasn’t to partake with us, to dine and commune with us. His desire is to spend time with us, as family spends time with one another. He invites us to His table; the table of blessings, joy and celebration. In a world where we are surrounded by sorrow and grief, God gave us cycles of joy and celebrations so we always have those moments when we sit at His table like family. My prayer is for this new month of Sivan to be a blessing to you and yours, for it to be a time of both sacrifice and celebration for what you have sacrificed. May it be a new month of blessings in the Lord’s presence, goodness and loving kindness. 

Have a blessed Rosh Chodesh — Head of the Month!  

donate

Other Posts today

Voice of the Holocaust Survivors – Ada’s Story

The generation of Holocaust survivors is decreasing daily. Many who lived through the horrors of those years as adults are gone, and the few who are left are too old and frail. Yet there’s a generation of children of the Holocaust, who lived through that terror very young, yet retain a great deal of what […]

Galina’s Story

Israel is a country of immigrants and has always been so, ever since its independence in 1948. Jews have been flocking to Israel from all over the world, whether the Middle East, Asia, the United States, Europe, Africa, or South America since that time, with hope and joy in their hearts of living lives free […]

When God tied Jerusalem’s Peace to our Wellbeing
Jerusalem Outreach Spotlight

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. Isaiah 62:1 There’s no denying that if there’s one city that is dearest to God’s heart, it is Jerusalem. No other city is spoken about more […]

Our latest posts

Praying for you from Biblical Jaffa:
God still has the final Word

Shalom from Jaffa—biblical Joppa, one of the ancient cities of Israel and a place where remarkable events recorded in Scripture unfolded. As I stand here today, I am praying for you. I may not know exactly what you are facing as you read these words, what situation you have been bringing before the Lord, or what has […]

The beginning they didn’t expect
Finding new life in Israel

Anna had only recently made Aliyah with her three children. As a single mother, she was beginning again in Israel with a 20-year-old son and two daughters, sixteen and five—new surroundings, a new rhythm of life, and so much still uncertain. Then, during one of our recent times together with new Olim, our team began […]

When the Stones begin to speak
Six lives changed in Biblical Jaffa

They had made Aliyah only two months earlier, and life in Israel was already weighing heavily on them. So when Irina found herself on a small bus heading toward Jaffa and asked what kind of excursion they had joined, our team gave her a simple answer: “We just want you to spend the day with […]

How will they hear?
Bringing the gospel within reach

There are Israelis who have lived their entire lives in the land of the Bible and have never once heard the Gospel clearly explained to them. They know the names of Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. They walk the same land where Yeshua lived and ministered. Many know His name—but know Him only as the […]

When God Says, “I Myself”

There are seasons when we become painfully aware of everything in our lives that still needs to change. We see the places that feel dry, the things we wish we had done differently, the prayers still waiting for an answer—and almost instinctively, we begin asking ourselves what we must do to make things right. But […]

Hebrew Word of the Week:
Adonai Tzevaot (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת) —
The LORD of Hosts

When David walked onto the battlefield to face Goliath, everything about the situation seemed to favor the giant. Goliath was an experienced warrior, heavily armed and physically intimidating. David was young, carried no sword, and had never fought a battle like this before. Yet when David spoke, there was no uncertainty in his words. He […]