1. THE “FIRST MITZVAH” PARADOX
The commandment “to sanctify the months and to calculate the years and months, exclusively through a court (Beis Din)” is derived from the verse: “This month shall be for you the head of months; it shall be the first for you of the months of the year.” Regarding this mitzvah, Rashi notes in his commentary elsewhere {at the very beginning of the Torah} that, seemingly, the Torah “should have begun with {the verse} ‘This month shall be for you,’ since it is the first mitzvah commanded to Israel.” (Rashi then proceeds to explain why the Torah nevertheless chose to begin with the narrative of Creation.)
However, the enumerators of the mitzvos — such as the Rambam — do not list the sanctification of the new month as the “first” mitzvah. For example, the Rambam explicitly states that “the first positive commandment is to know that that there is a G-d, as it is stated, ‘I am the L-rd your G-d.’”
{On a practical level,} the logic behind this {discrepancy} is straightforward: One can only fulfill — or even know about — the mitzvos after first possessing the {foundational} knowledge that “there is a G-d.” As the Rambam writes at the beginning of Mishneh Torah, this awareness is “the foundation of all foundations and the pillar of all wisdom.”
Rashi’s intent, therefore, is entirely literal: he means that this is the first mitzvah written in the chronological order of the Torah’s narrative. Nevertheless, because every detail in the Torah is precise, we must conclude that while, from the human perspective (gavra), the first obligation is “to know that there is a G-d” — {or,} as the Sages put it, to “accept the yoke of Heaven” before “accepting the yoke of the mitzvos” — from the perspective of the Torah itself, {understood in terms of the mitzvah’s essential nature} (cheftza), the first mitzvah — the point at which the Torah, theoretically, should have begun — is “This month shall be for you.”
{This indicates that} this commandment embodies a foundational theme that is essential to the entire Torah and all its commandments. Specifically, it addresses three core points:
- The manner in which the Torah was given.
- The unique authority and power vested in the Torah and its mitzvos.
- The ultimate goal and purpose of the mitzvos.
2. THE ORAL TORAH AND THE SANCTIFICATION OF TIME
Ibn Ezra, in his commentary on our parshah, raises the following difficulty:
Now Moshe did not explain to us in the Torah how we should establish years or months. {Neither did he tell us} what we should do if we do not find it to be spring. One can pose a difficult question from all this, namely, why did Moshe explain all the laws of the skin afflictions of a Metzora, which apply to a single individual and do not occur at all times, and leave out {of the Torah} the laws of the Festivals, which all of Israel are obligated to observe at all times? {Furthermore,} eating chametz on Pesach and eating on Yom Kippur are punished with excision (kares)!
Ibn Ezra then explains: This is a sign that he relied on the proclamation of the court in every generation.
In other words, the mitzvah of sanctifying the new month provides us with a sign — a clear and open demonstration — that the Torah was given together with its interpretation. That is, the Oral Torah, as revealed and transmitted by the Sages in every generation, is inseparable from the Written Torah.
This is especially evident considering that the fulfillment of many of the mitzvos in the Torah — those tied to the seasons of the year — is dictated entirely by the determination of the months, as established by the Sages in the Oral Torah.
3. THE TORAH AS THE MASTER OF THE WORLD
The mitzvah of sanctifying the month further illustrates that the Torah is the “Master” of the world. This idea is reflected in the well-known statement of the Sages on the verse, “I call to G-d, the Most High; to the G-d who makes His determination {dependent} on me.” The Sages illustrate this principle through a legal ruling: “If a girl is three years and one day old, and the court {subsequently} decides to intercalate the year {by adding an additional month}, the signs of her virginity return. If, {however, the court does} not {intercalate the year}, the signs of her virginity do not return.”
{This teaches a profound principle: the physical reality of the world — including the biological status of a person — is determined by the rulings of the Torah as rendered through the Beis Din.}
Accordingly, the sanctification of the month is described as the “first mitzvah commanded to Israel” (to the extent that the Torah itself “should have begun” with it). From this mitzvah we derive a foundational principle that underlies the entire giving of the Torah: faith in the truth and validity of the Oral Torah, together with the recognition of the absolute authority of the Torah and its mitzvos, which possess the power to {shape — and even} alter — the very nature and reality of the world.
This principle helps clarify another point: Rashi explicitly states that the reason the Torah “opened with Bereishis” was to establish {Hashem’s sovereignty over the world and His right to grant the Land of Israel to His people, as indicated by the verse} “He has declared the power of His works to His people, {to give them the heritage of the nations}.” However, since “Bereishis bara Elokim” {“In the beginning G-d created”} takes the place of what would have been the Torah’s expected opening — {namely,} “This month shall be for you” — it stands to reason that, even in the way the Torah is ultimately structured, these two themes share a deep connection.
This connection can be understood through Rashi’s own commentary on the words “Bereishis bara Elokim”: {the world was created} “for the sake of the Torah, which is called ‘the beginning (reishis) of His way,’ and for the sake of Israel, which is called ‘the first (reishis) of His crops.’” Since the entirety of creation exists to serve the Torah and the Jewish people, it follows that when Beis Din rules, in accordance with the Torah, to intercalate a month, that ruling defines the very reality of the world. {Physical existence itself aligns with the Torah’s determination,} since creation as a whole was brought into being for the sake of the Torah and of Israel.
4. THE ESSENCE OF THE MITZVAH
This explanation, however, is not yet sufficient {to define why this mitzvah is called the “first”}. While {it is indeed true that} Beis Din’s proclamation regarding the new month {has the ability to alter physical reality, even to the point that a person’s biological status is affected} — “the signs of her virginity return” — this phenomenon is not intrinsic to the mitzvah, nor does it pertain to the moon itself. Rather, {the fact that nature “responds” to the court is simply a general consequence of the Torah’s authority over the world;} it remains an external result {rather than part of the actual content of sanctifying the month}.
From the expression “the first mitzvah commanded to Israel,” it is evident that the quality of being “first” is linked to the mitzvah itself. This suggests that the essential content and purpose of the mitzvah are highlighted {through this designation}.
5. SANCTIFYING THE FOUNDATION OF EXISTENCE
We may offer the following explanation:
The fundamental objective of the mitzvos of the Torah is to draw holiness into the physical world. This is the central point of every mitzvah: a mundane object is transformed into an object of a mitzvah (cheftza shel mitzvah), until the physical object itself becomes an entity of holiness.
This same principle defines the essence of Kiddush HaChodesh (the sanctification of the new month). The unique achievement of the Beis Din is that by “sanctifying” a specific day as Rosh Chodesh, they transform it from {a mere ordinary weekday} — a “day of action” — into a day of holiness. {The status of the day itself is legally redefined:} it requires a unique {communal} sacrifice {and is governed by specific laws}. It is thus elevated to the level described in the prophecy: “And it shall be from New Moon to New Moon {just as it will be}... from Shabbos to Shabbos, {that all flesh} shall come {to prostrate themselves before Me.”
In the Rambam’s language: {The new month does not begin} until it has been sanctified by the court, and it is the day that they establish as Rosh Chodesh that is Rosh Chodesh.... For the astronomical sighting {alone} does not establish the day; rather, it is the Beis Din who declare ‘It is sanctified’ who determine its status.
(This authority also underlies the sanctity of the Festivals, for “the foundation of the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh is to ensure that the Jewish people can observe the Festivals of the year in their proper times.” This is why the blessing on the holidays concludes, “Who sanctifies Israel and the seasons” — because it is “{the people of} Israel who sanctify the {festive} times.”)
We can now understand why this mitzvah is designated as the “first.” Beyond the fact that it clearly demonstrates the general objective {and power} of mitzvos to create a cheftza shel mitzvah (as explained above), it is “first” in a deeper and more essential sense — {by virtue of its rank in the order of creation}:
Although the physical world is defined by two dimensions — time and space — and they are interconnected — in the order of existence, time precedes space. This is because every act of “coming into being,” including the creation of space, represents a change in the present relative to the past — the state that existed prior to that creation. {Since the very notion of “before” and “after}” is the definition of time, it follows that time must exist as a precursor to all other existence — including space itself.
In other words, the very first layer of the world’s existence — the foundation from which all beings emerge — is time.
We see this reflected in human experience as well: a person first encounters time itself — the onset of the day — and only afterward begins to act, using the physical objects of the world within that temporal frame.
Therefore, Kiddush HaChodesh is the “first mitzvah.” The Beis Din first effects holiness within time, which constitutes the beginning {and foundation} of all existence. Only after time is sanctified can a person perform the subsequent mitzvos, which are carried out through human action involving the physical objects of the world — the dimension of space.
6. THE CHALLENGE TO THE “SANCTIFICATION” THEORY
However, this explanation — {that the essence of the mitzvah lies in the act of sanctification} — is seemingly insufficient, {for several reasons}:
- {Sanctification is not always required:} The explicit proclamation of “It is sanctified!” (mekudash) by the Beis Din was not made in every instance, even in the era when the month was established based on the sighting of the moon. This is because the law states that “the new moon is sanctified only when it is sighted at its appropriate time” — that is, only when Rosh Chodesh falls on the 30th day. Furthermore, “the sanctification {of the months} is dependent solely on the sighting {of the moon}.”
- {“Intercalation” vs. “Sanctification”:} According to the Rambam, the mitzvah of “This month shall be for you” also includes the obligation for the Beis Din to calculate {and establish leap} years. Notably, the term used for this process is Ibbur Shanim (intercalation of the years), not Kiddush Shanim (sanctification of the years). {This suggests that the essence of the mitzvah lies in the calculation and establishment of the calendar, rather than in an act of sanctification per se.}
- {The Fixed Calendar:} The Rambam rules that “This concept is a halachah communicated to Moshe on {Mount} Sinai: When there is a Sanhedrin, the monthly calendar is established according to the sighting of the moon. When there is no Sanhedrin, the monthly calendar is established according to the fixed calendar that we follow now, and the sighting of the moon is of no consequence.” Thus, it appears that even the establishment of the calendar by calculation is part of the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh — and yet, in such a case, no act of sanctification takes place, since, as noted above, “the sanctification {of the months} is dependent solely on the sighting {of the moon}.”
7. THE RAMBAM’S PRECISE DEFINITION
We can understand this by first examining the precise language the Rambam employs:
When the Rambam mentions this mitzvah in his enumeration of the mitzvos {at the beginning of Mishneh Torah}, he uses the formulation, “to sanctify months and to calculate years and months.”
However, in his actual presentation of the laws — at the very opening of Hilchos Kiddush HaChodesh (the Laws of Sanctifying the New Moon) — he defines the commandment differently:
One positive commandment: to calculate, to know, and to establish on which day the beginning of each month of the year falls.
He employs similar language later in the text:
It is a positive commandment from the Torah for the Beis Din to calculate and to know whether the moon will be visible or not.”
Notably, in these formulations the Rambam does not define the essence of the mitzvah as “sanctifying the month.”
The straightforward explanation for this shift in language is that, according to the Rambam, the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh also encompasses those situations in which the months and leap years are established solely through calculation — and not only through sanctification based on sighting during the era of the Sanhedrin. {Consequently, the definition must center on “calculating and knowing,” as these requirements apply universally to every era.}
However, this still requires explanation: {even if calculation is the common denominator of the mitzvah,} why would the Rambam omit the element of sanctification altogether from his formal definition? {After all,} when the moon is sighted {during the era of the Sanhedrin, we are explicitly commanded to} perform an act of sanctification.
8. THE COSMIC PURPOSE OF CALCULATION
We may suggest the following explanation:
The entire creation exists “for the sake of the Torah... and for the sake of Israel.” This applies to every element of creation — the heavens, the earth, and all their hosts — not only at the moment of their creation, but as a constant and ongoing reality.
A Jew’s service consists of bringing this {truth} into expression — revealing that the world exists for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of Israel. When a Jew performs a mitzvah using a physical object, the very purpose for which that object was created is fulfilled. It is thereby transformed into a cheftza shel mitzvah (an object of a mitzvah).
For example, when a Jew takes the hide of an animal and processes it into parchment for a Torah scroll, tefillin, or mezuzos, the ultimate purpose for which that hide was created is realized. The parchment thus becomes, in a revealed manner, an “object of Torah.”
Since time is also a created entity, it follows that time, too, exists “for the sake of the Torah... and for the sake of Israel.” This is the inner essence of the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh. Through the sanctification of the months — establishing Rosh Chodesh and the Festivals — the Jewish people reveal that the true reality of time is centered on the Torah and Israel. As King David explicitly states: “He made the moon for the Festivals.”
Throughout creation, the Divine intent is not only that a specific object fulfill its purpose {in isolation}, but that it contribute to the purpose of creation as a whole, in all its details. This is achieved when every element of the world assists a Jew in his Divine service — whether as a direct facilitator of a mitzvah (machshirei mitzvah) or something that facilitates such facilitators (machshir l’machshir).
The same principle applies — with even greater force — to time. The fulfillment of the purpose of the months of the year is not achieved solely through the establishment and sanctification of Rosh Chodesh or the Festivals — that is, particular days within the month. Rather, the idea that time exists “for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of Israel” must extend throughout the entire continuum of time — including the days between the sanctified dates.
This is accomplished through Beis Din fulfilling the “positive commandment: to calculate, to know, and to establish on which day the beginning of each month of the year falls.” In order to do so, the Beis Din must calculate the intricate details of the moon’s orbit and “know the positions of the stars and their paths....”
In other words, {there are two ways to view} the effect {this mitzvah} has on the flow of time throughout the months of the year:
- On one level, the mitzvah operates through the establishment and sanctification of Rosh Chodesh, which in turn serves to fix the dates of the Festivals. Viewed this way, the “intermediate time” — {the days between the Festivals} — is merely a form of preparation (hechsher) for the sanctity of the actual Festival (since in order to arrive at Rosh Chodesh and the Festivals, one must necessarily pass through and account for the entire duration of the month).
- But there is something deeper still: the calculation itself — the obligation of the Beis Din to “calculate and know whether the moon will be visible” — is an integral part of the positive commandment. {Because} this calculation spans the moon’s entire orbit throughout the whole month, {it reveals that} the mitzvah is not limited to sanctifying the specific day of Rosh Chodesh. Rather, the Mitzvah includes the “calculating and knowing” itself. {Through this intellectual process,} it becomes manifest that the entire continuum of time — {every moment of the moon’s cycle} — exists for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of Israel.
9. THE DIRECT ELEVATION OF TIME
We may suggest that this is also the reason Kiddush HaChodesh is described as the “first mitzvah commanded to Israel.”
The principle that creation exists “for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of Israel” is not uniformly manifest throughout the natural world in a direct and revealed manner. {Within the physical realm, objects may be distinguished by their proximity to holiness:} some become entities of holiness or objects of a mitzvah themselves; others serve as accessories to holiness and mitzvos (tashmishei kedushah and tashmishei mitzvah); and there are lower levels still — objects that a Jew employs “for the sake of Heaven” or “to know Him in all your ways.”
There are also things whose role is purely preparatory, serving as facilitators of a mitzvah, or even as facilitators of such facilitators. Still further removed are elements of creation that possess no direct or visible connection to the Torah or the Jewish people. These are elevated only when a specific act is performed with a single representative of their type, which then brings about an elevation for the entire type.
[This echoes the Alter Rebbe’s discussion in Tanya regarding sacrificial offerings, where he explains that through the offering of a single animal, “the entire animal kingdom was elevated to Hashem... and the entire vegetative kingdom {was elevated} through {the ‘meal offering,’ which consisted of merely} ‘one-tenth of a measure of fine meal mixed with oil,’ and so on.” He makes a similar — and perhaps even more far-reaching — statement regarding the mitzvah of tzedakah: “The one-fifth {given to charity} elevates with it the {remaining} four parts {of one’s earnings} to Hashem so that they, {too,} become an abode for Him.”]
With respect to the dimension of time, however, the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh {operates differently}. It consists of the obligation placed upon the Beis Din “to calculate, to know, and to establish on which day the beginning of each month of the year falls.” Here, the mitzvah, and the action of the Jewish people — {i.e., the intellectual labor of} the Beis Din — relates to the entire duration of the month directly and immediately.
