In the game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" there is an underlying principle, that some pieces beat other pieces. It's not exactly a ladder of rungs, more like a jungle gym, in this case in items you would find at Staples. What I love is that it is a complicated system. Rock might beat scissors, but paper covers rock... I have a deep desire to make a metaphor out of how people interact with each other, but I am taking this image in a whole different direction, focussing on how we make decisions in the Jewish calendar. You see, this Shabbat we have a proverbial "Rock, Paper, Scissors" scenario. It is Shabbat as well as Rosh Hodesh. How do we honor both? There is another time of year, when we would throw in Chanukah and we would have a real show down. You might be asking how supremacy comes into play. Here are a few questions that we raise:
1. What Torah portion do we read? Ans. 7 Aliyot for Shabbat and one for Rosh Hodesh. 2. What Haftorah do we read? Ans. The one for Rosh Hodesh, foregoing the Haftorah for this week's Torah portion. 3. What about extra prayers? We add a paragraph to the morning Amidah, and change the Musaf Amidah to one special for Rosh Hodesh.
For those who think this kind of discussion is boring, I encourage you to think more deeply. There is a hidden conversation going on and it revolves around how we balance stability with special events. In the life of a parent, it might come down to a regular bedtime, and unique occasions like a birthday or New Year's. When and how do we make exceptions in healthy ways? Too many exceptions and stability means nothing. Think about a diet. Special exceptions may be healthy so you don't feel deprived, but too many lead to weight gain.
The Jewish calendar is an exercise in life and time management and it gives us one prevailing principle: "Tadir v'eino tadir, tadir kodem." Between the routine and the exception, the routine prevails. It does not mean that the exception has no place, but we cannot live a life of exceptions. What does this mean for us? Think about those special routines that you have in place and if you feel that maybe you need to add a routine to your morning or bedtime, consider something Jewish, perhaps rise with the words of Modeh Ani or go to sleep reciting the words of the Shema. Play with the balance of routines and exceptions in your life and see how it affects your sense of inner calm and peace.
Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Bernstein
If anyone is interested in reading Torah for the High Holidays, contact Cantor Diamond at cantor.diamond@cbohr.org.
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