Rosh Chodesh and Women

From the Shiur
Rosh Chodesh and Women
Teacher: Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller Class: Jewish Calendar I (Elul and Rosh Hashana)

The women did not worship the golden calf. They were able to use the attribute of Mulchut, seeing Hashem as king instead of themselves. When they saw the men worshiping the golden calf, they were able to say, "But Hashem said not to worship graven images" The reward for this was that the women were given Rosh Chodesh as a partial holiday.

Since we are taught that real reward is not in this world but in the world to come, what is the meaning of a reward in this world?

A reward in this world is the means to move further.

Rosh Chodesh is the time when the spiritual powers for the month is coming down. We can use this time to grow spiritually.

What brought the Jews to worship the golden calf?

From the Shiur
Rosh Chodesh and Women
Teacher: Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller Class: Jewish Calendar I (Elul and Rosh Hashana)

What brought the Jews to worship the golden calf? They had a sub conscious agenda that they wanted to do what ever they wanted. Once they created their own object of worship, they could justify anything they wanted.

One of the hardest things in the world is surrendering our will to Hashem, but that is what we are in the world for. As we make an effort to really change and do Hashem's will, we have to be careful not to let our own agenda creep in.

A Rosh Chodesh Insight

From the Shiur
Rosh Chodesh and Women
Teacher: Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller Class: Jewish Calendar I (Elul and Rosh Hashana)

When Hashem created the sun and the moon, the moon asked Hashem, "Can there be two great lights in the sky" and Hashem said the moon was right and made the sun less. We always think that the moon was asking to be greater, Rebbetzin Heller says we have to look at it from the other perspective and realize that the moon was offering to be the lesser light. This is a true sense of greatness, when someone is willing to make them self less in order to build up another.

One of the greatest female qualities is malchus, putting the crown on Hashems head and not on our own. The moon was willing to give away its greatness in order to let the sun be greater. We should always strive to put the crown on Hashem and not on ourselves.