Leah Molodoy
In the Kabbalistic works of our Sages, a woman is compared to the moon.
Just as the moon is constantly changing, shifting its shape and position, a woman is subject to changes in mood and in her perception of the world. Just as the moon reflects the light of another celestial body, a woman receives light and strength from outside herself, then passes that light on and brings everything around her to life with it. This is precisely what allows her to feel the universe as part of herself and, on an intuitive level, to be inseparably connected to the Creator. A woman has a special, natural sense of time and a special monthly (lunar) cycle; incidentally, this is precisely why women are exempt from time-bound commandments.
Rav Yosef Chaim, also known as the Ben Ish Chai, writes in his book “Compendium of Torah Laws” (in the section on Vayikra) that the first day of a new month—Rosh Chodesh—was originally meant to be a holiday for the Jewish people, just like the Shalosh Regalim—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Unfortunately, after the people of Israel made the Golden Calf, the Creator took this privilege away from the men... But for the women, who did not take part in making the calf, every Rosh Chodesh remained a true holiday!
Why did the men begin building an idol without waiting for Moshe to return? The Sages say it was because they miscalculated the time, something the women could not have done. When all the men had already given up waiting for Moshe and were certain that he had died, the women sensed that the time had not yet come, that it was not yet time…
King Solomon writes in the famous Book of Ecclesiastes (7:28): “I seek a faithful man; among these I found no woman.” The Ben Ish Chai explains this passage, writing that there were no women “among these”—that is, among those who built the Golden Calf!
And just as Rosh Chodesh is the royal crown of the month, a woman will always be the royal crown of her husband (ateret baalah).
In Jewish tradition, the beginning of a new month is a special day on which people try to avoid unnecessary work and renew their spiritual and material worlds. It is customary to buy something new, and an addition is made to the prayers and to Grace after Meals.
This day holds the potential of the entire month, and it is important not to miss the opportunity to fill this day—and therefore the whole month—with the energy of life and a connection to the Almighty.
For a woman, it is a true holiday. Today, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, the Creator gives you your day—your holiday.
Devote it to yourself, renewing your strength so that you can continue to be a worthy royal crown of all creation.
Chodesh TOV!