A Special Prayer for Rosh Chodesh

A Special Prayer for Rosh Chodesh

Rabbi Nachman Goldstein (1825–1894) was an outstanding Talmudist and the author of extensive commentaries on the principal works of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. His books—“Parperaot LeChochmah” and “The Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov According to the Teachings of His Disciples”—contain commentaries, sayings, and lessons from Chassidic tzadikim conveying the ideas of all the Chassidic movements. He compiled an encyclopedia of Chassidic wisdom. Reb Nachman Goldstein was an educated and wise man, a learned, capable, and respected rabbi. At first, he was not a great supporter of the Breslov Chassidim, but after becoming acquainted with Rabbi Nachman’s teachings, Rav Goldstein became his lifelong devoted follower and one of the most respected teachers of the Breslov Chassidim. The Jews affectionately called their rabbi the “Tcheriner Rav.” Well versed in the teachings of both the Baal Shem Tov and his great-grandson, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, he composed an extraordinarily profound prayer for Rosh Chodesh.

A Special Prayer for Rosh Chodesh

“Rashei chodashim le’amcha natata zeman kaparah lechol toldotam. Ribono shel Olam, zakeni betoch klal Yisrael legadel et kol baneinu laTorah, lechuppah ulemaasim tovim, vehatzilenu me’atah mikol minei tza’ar gidul banim chas v’shalom, vetamshich me’atah aleinu ve’al kol yotzei chalatzenu chaim tovim vaarukim. Ribono shel Olam, Atah hoda’ta lanu ki mitat habanim k’shehem ketanim, rachmana litzlan, ze nimshach misod pgimat halevanah, shemisham nimshach bechinat ‘me’orot chaser vav,’ shehu askarah lerabbei chas v’shalom, veAtah hoda’ta lanu gam ken sheberosh chodesh, she’az matchilat halevanah lehitmalei ulehittaken, ve’azai zeman kaparah lechol toldotam, ki az nimshach kaparah uslichah vehamtakah al kol toldotam shel Yisrael, sheyihye nimshach aleihem chaim tovim vaarukim, al ken chus vechamol na aleinu vezakenu lekabel kedushat rashei chodashim kara’ui. Vihi ratzon milfanecha sheta’alenu besimchah le’artzenu vetita’enu bigvulenu, vesham na’aseh lefanecha korbanot chovoteinu temidin kesidram umusafim kehichatam, ve’et musafei rashei chodashim na’aseh venakriv lefanecha be’ahavah kemitzvat retzonecha, kemo shekatavta beToratecha al yedei Moshe avdecha mipi Kevodecha ka’amur: “Uverashei chodsheichem takrivu olah la-Ado-nai parim bnei vakar shnayim vea-yil echad, kevasim bnei shanah shivah temimim, uminchatam vechulei. Ki be’amcha Yisrael bacharta mikol ha’umot vehukei rashei chodashim lahem kavata.” Ribono Shel Olam, Atah hoda’ta lanu shekeshe’oskim befarashat hakorbanot nechshav lefanecha ke’ilu hekravnu kol hakorbanot bizmanam uvimkomam kehichatam. Al ken yehi ratzon milefanecha, she’al yedei amirat parashat “uverashei chodsheichem” be’eizeh zeman shenomar otah haparashah, afilu shelo beRosh Chodesh, yihye nechshav lefanecha ke’ilu hikravnu korban Rosh Chodesh bizmano, vetamshich al yedei ze bechinat tikun umilui halevanah, ve’al yedei ze yihye nimshach kaparah uslichah vehamtakah al kol toldoteihem shel Yisrael. Sheyizku lechaim tovim vaarukim, utezakeinu lekayem mitzvat Birkat Kiddush Levanah bechol Chodesh bizmano. Vihi Ratzon milefanecha lemalot pgimat halevanah velo yihye bah shum mi’ut, veyihye or halevanah ke’or hachamah ke’or shiv’at yemei Bereishit, kemo shehayta kodem mi’utah, kemo shene’emar: “Et shnei hame’orot hagdolim,” veyikuyam banu mikra shekatuv: “Uvikshu et Ado-nai Eloheihem ve’et David malkam,” Amen. Translation: “You gave the new moons to Your people as a time of atonement for all their generations. Master of the Universe, grant me the merit, among the entire people of Israel, to raise all our children for Torah, the wedding canopy, and good deeds. From now on and forever, save us from every kind of distress associated with raising children, G-d forbid, and from now on and forever grant us and all our descendants long and good lives. Master of the Universe! You have made known to us that the death of children in infancy, G-d forbid, is connected with the mystery of the Moon’s diminution, which derives from the aspect of ‘the luminaries lacking a vav,’ which brings diphtheria upon infants, G-d forbid. You have also made known to us that at Rosh Chodesh, when the Moon begins to grow and be restored, it is a time of atonement for all their generations, because at that time atonement, forgiveness, and the sweetening of judgments upon all the generations of Israel are drawn forth, so that long and good life may be granted them. Therefore, please have pity and compassion on us, grant us the merit to properly receive the holiness of Rosh Chodesh, and may it be Your will to bring us to our land in joy and plant us within our borders. There we will offer before You our obligatory daily offerings in their proper order and the additional offerings according to their laws, and we will offer the additional offerings of Rosh Chodesh before You with love, in accordance with Your will, as You commanded in Your Torah through Your servant Moses, from Your own mouth, as it is written: ‘On your New Moons, you shall present a burnt offering to the L-rd: two bulls, one ram, seven yearling lambs without blemish, and their meal offerings...’ Because You chose Your people Israel from among all the nations and established the laws of Rosh Chodesh for them.” Master of the Universe! You have made known to us that studying the section concerning the offerings is considered before You as though we had offered all the offerings at their appointed time and place, according to their laws. Therefore, may it be Your will that through reciting the section ‘On your New Moons,’ whenever we recite it—even when it is not Rosh Chodesh—it be considered before You as though we had offered the Rosh Chodesh offering at its proper time. Through this, may the aspect of the Moon’s rectification and fullness be brought about, and may atonement, forgiveness, and the sweetening of judgments upon all the generations of Israel be drawn forth, so that they may merit long and good lives. Grant us the merit to fulfill the mitzvah of Birkat Kiddush Levanah each month at its proper time. May it be Your will to restore the Moon’s defect, so that it will have no diminution whatsoever, and so that the light of the Moon will be like the light of the sun, like the light of the seven days of Creation, as it was before its diminution, as it is written: ‘the two great luminaries.’ And may the verse written, ‘They will seek the L-rd their G-d and David their king,’ be fulfilled through us. Amen!”  (R. Nachman of Tcherin, “Prayers and Supplications” 21; translation and transliteration by Zoya Chaya Tigay) תפילה לראש חודש רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים לְעַמְּךָ נָתַתָּ זְמַן כַּפָּרָה לְכָל תּוֹלְדוֹתָם. רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם: זַכֵּנִּי בְּתוֹךְ כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְגַדֵּל אֶת כָּל בָּנֵינוּ לְתוֹרָהּ וּלְחֻפָּה וּלְמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, וְהַצִּילֵנוּ מֵעַתָּה מִכָּל מִינֵי צַעַר גִּדּוּל בָּנִים חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְתַמְשִׁיךְ מֵעַתָּה עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יוֹצְאֵי חֲלָצֵינוּ חַיִּים טוֹבִים וַאֲרֻכִּים. רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם: אַתָּה הוֹדַעְתָּ לָנוּ כִּי מִיתַת הַבָּנִים כְּשֶׁהֵם קְטַנִּים, רַחְמָנָא לִצְלָן, זֶה נִמְשַׁךְ מִסּוֹד פְּגִימַת הַלְּבָנָה, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם נִמְשַׁךְ בְּחִינַת 'מְאֹרֹת חָסֵר וָא"ו', שֶׁהוּא אַסְכְּרָה לְרַבְיֵי חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, וְאַתָּה הוֹדַעְתָּ לָנוּ גַּם כֵּן שֶׁבְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ, שֶׁאָז מַתְחֶלֶת הַלְּבָנָה לְהִתְמַלְאוֹת וּלְהִתְתַּקֵּן, וַאֲזַי זְמַן כַּפָּרָה לְכָל תּוֹלְדוֹתָם, כִּי אָז נִמְשָׁךְ כַּפָּרָה וּסְלִיחָה וְהַמְתָּקָה עַל כָּל תּוֹלְדוֹתָם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִמְשָׁךְ עֲלֵיהֶם חַיִּים טוֹבִים וַאֲרֻכִּים, עַל כֵּן חוּס וְחַמוֹל נָא עָלֵינוּ וְזַכֵּנוּ לְקַבֵּל קְדֻשַׁת רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים כָּרָאוּי, וִיהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁתַּעֲלֵנוּ בְּשִׂמְחָה לְאַרְצֵנוּ וְתִטָּעֵנוּ בִּגְבוּלֵנוּ, וְשָׁם נַעֲשֶׂה לְפָנֶיךָ קָרְבְּנוֹת חוֹבוֹתֵינוּ תְּמִידִין כְּסִדְרָם וּמוּסָפִים כְּהִלְכָתָם, וְאֶת מוּסְפֵי רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים נַעֲשֶׂה וְנַקְרִיב לְפָנֶיךָ בְּאַהֲבָה כְּמִצְוַת רְצוֹנֶךָ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתָּ עָלֵינוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה עֵבְדֶךָ מִפִּי כְּבוֹדֶךָ כָּאָמוּר: "וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם תַּקְרִיבוּ עוֹלָה לַאֲדֹנָי פָּרִים בְּנֵי בָקָר שְׁנַיִם וְאַיִל אֶחָד, כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה שִׁבְעָה תְּמִימִים, וּמִנְחָתָם וְכוּ'. כִּי בְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּחַרְתָּ מִכָּל הָאֻמּוֹת וְחֻקֵּי רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים לָהֶם קָבַעְתָּ." רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם: אַתָּה הוֹדַעְתָּ לָנוּ שֶׁכְּשֶׁעוֹסְקִים בְּפָרְשַׁת הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת נֶחְשַׁב לְפָנֶיךָ כְּאִלּוּ הִקְרַבְנוּ כָּל הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת בִּזְמַנָּם וּבִמְקוֹמָם כְּהִלְכָתָם, עַל כֵּן, יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, שֶׁעַל יְדֵי אֲמִירַת פַּרְשַׁת 'וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם' בְּאֵיזֶה זְמַן שֶׁנֹּאמַר אוֹתָהּ הַפַּרְשָׁה, אֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא בְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ, יִהְיֶה נֶחְשַׁב לְפָנֶיךָ כְּאִלּוּ הִקְרַבְנוּ קָרְבַּן רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ בִּזְמַנּוֹ, וְתַמְשִׁיךְ עַל יְדֵי זֶה בְּחִינַת תִּקּוּן וּמִלּוּי הַלְּבָנָה, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה יִהְיֶה נִמְשָׁךְ כַּפָּרָה וּסְלִיחָה וְהַמְתָּקָה עַל כָּל תּוֹלְדוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁיִּזְכּוּ לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וַאֲרֻכִּים, וּתְזַכֵּנוּ לְקַיֵּם מִצְוַת בִּרְכַת קִדּוּשׁ לְבָנָה בְּכָל חֹדֶשׁ בִּזְמַנּוֹ. וִיהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ לְמַלְאוֹת פְּגִימַת הַלְּבָנָה, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָּהּ שׁוּם מִעוּט, וְיִהְיֶה אוֹר הַלְּבָנָה כְּאוֹר הַחַמָּה כְּאוֹר שִׁבְעַת יְמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה קֹדֶם מִעוּטָהּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֶת שְׁנֵי הַמְּאוֹרוֹת הַגְּדוֹלִים, וִיקוּיַם בָּנוּ מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב 'וּבִקְּשׁוּ אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֵת דָּוִד מַלְכָּם" אָמֵן. (ר"נ מטשערין, "תפילות ותחנונים" כ"א)     Prayer Concerning the Offerings Prayer Concerning the Rosh Chodesh Offerings