New Moon in January: Rosh Chodesh Shevat

Eternal One-ness, 

Living outside of time

Blessed HaMavdil,

The One Who Divides:

We imagine that long ago

We might have been afraid

When the moon disappeared.

It was so dark at night

Like the end of the world.

We howled at the empty sky

And then, like a miracle,

A sliver appeared.

The moon, it's back!

We gave thanks for the new moon.

This new month,

Rosh Chodesh Shevat,

The new month of winter,

Begins as the month of Tevet ends.

Tevet is the month of resting and darkness.

Shevat is the month of days growing longer

But somehow also colder,

January and February.

When the world seems the most devoid of life,

We give thanks for the future.

Yes,

This is the month when we tell the story

Of the escape from the narrow place.

This is the month of Shabbat Shirah,

When we sing the song of liberation

And Martin Luther King.  

We give thanks for the freedoms we have and we work for the ones we do not.   

This is the month when we talk of wine and nuts and fruit,

The New Year of the Trees,

We give thanks to the earth

This is the month of Tu Bishvat

When we eat the gifts of our planet.

And pray that we are doing enough to preserve it.  

Blessed One-ness 

Outside of Time, Eternal,

Blessed HaMavidil

Dividing time into years and days.

And every month,

Sharing the new moon with us, 
Sharing the future.

For that and so much more, we give thanks.

Amen