Rosh Chodesh Kislev: Where You're Lost Is Where You're Found

Today we usher in the new month of Kislev. The month of Light. The Rebbe explores the inner Kabbalistic meaning of Rosh Chodesh (Celebration of the beginning of a new month) against the backdrop of the Biblical story of David and Jonathan.

King Saul, Jonathan's father, is hosting a feast on Rosh Chodesh. Jonathan tells David, “Machar Chodesh, tomorrow, at the new month banquet your absence will be noticed…”

The Rebbe uses this dialogue to analyze the ontological nature of memory and forgetfulness, and the similar ways they play out, in both the Divine and human nature. He develops these themes by linking the concealment of the moon at the end of the month and its subsequent reappearance, to the complex cycles that constitute the basis of human experience. The ways we fluctuate between sadness and joy, for example, or the ways we sometimes gain hard-won clarity, after feeling utterly lost, or vice versa, can be frustrating, prompting us to ask ourselves questions like, “Why can't I be consistent, or what is wrong with me?”

The answer is, there is nothing wrong with you at all. The Rosh Chodesh link between Astronomy and Psychology forms the basis for a monthly mindfulness check-in. The ebbs and flows that we experience make us who we are.

The flashbacks that we are sometimes hit with, when our mind is instantly flooded with memories of who we used to be, and nostalgia for what was, surface, typically, when we are in an existentially dark place —when in panic, we are beset with the sudden realization that we have no idea who we are any longer. That anguished reality check can go both ways. We can surrender to what is, and shut down, or we can see this as a refueling moment, a chance to step back onto the path, towards the unknown lands of our “Venifkadita” - and who we have yet to become.

Today is a good day to realize that the distance between where we are now, and where we want to be is entirely up to us. We can choose to be paralyzed by the "forgetting" and dwell on the light that has gone out, or we can choose to be re-energized by the "remembering" and begin to identify with the light that we have yet to shine!

Yehuda Solomon wrote a beautiful song with the lyrics “Where you’re lost is where you’re found.” This should be a Rosh Chodesh anthem, an ode to fighting for renewed purpose and meaning in life!