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In addition to reading Parashat Vayakhel and Pekudei this
week, we also read Parashat HaChodesh which includes a section from Parashat Bo. Parashat HaChodesh talks about the command of Rosh Chodesh and the basic Halachot of the Korban Pesach.
The Mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh is the first Mitzvah given to the Jewish People. However, this seems a little strange. Why didn’t Hashem first give the Jews a more fundamental Mitzvah like Avodah Zara?
There are several answers to this question. First, Rosh Chodesh is a very important Mitzvah and without it we would not survive. Without Rosh Chodesh, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate our holidays or know when the year starts and ends. Our entire calendar is based off of the moon. During the Chanukah story, the Greeks banned the practice of Rosh Chodesh because they knew that the Jews would have great difficulties without it. Also, we Jews are compared to the moon. The moon after the 15th day starts to wane but eventually it grows. Just like the moon we sometimes are “waning” and becoming weak, but eventually we become stronger. A third answer is that just like the moon is a reflection of the sun’s light, we are meant to do our best to reflect Hashem’s Shechina.
We see from here that it was indeed appropriate for Rosh Chodesh to be the first Mitzvah to be given to the Jewish People. It shows the centrality of this Mitzvah and to how much we must strive. As the moon reflects the sun, we must reflect the light of Torah and Hashem.