By Rabbi Alberto Sermoneta
"This month shall be unto you the beginning of months, it shall be the first month of the year to you."
Every calendar, of whatever culture it may be, must have a starting point, a fixed point of reference from which to begin counting the years.
When people speak of the "Jewish calendar" and naturally of its New Year, they usually refer to Rosh Hashanah, that is, the first of Tishri—the day on which, according to Jewish tradition, the shofar is sounded. This is actually inaccurate, because that is not the Jewish New Year, but rather the day when, according to Talmudic tradition, the first man appeared on earth.
We could therefore define it as man's birthday, or a "universal New Year"—an observance that does not concern Jews exclusively, but all of humanity.
Every nation, however, has its own origin, the starting point of its history, and for the Jewish people, history begins in Egypt at the time of the pharaohs, when the Jews were subjected to slavery.
In chapter 12 of Exodus, the preparations for leaving Egypt are narrated, after the ten plagues had struck Egypt and the Egyptians. This is why the Torah defines that month as the first month of the year, since within it begins the history of a new people, a free people: the people of Israel.
We can thus state that the Jewish year begins with the month of Nisan.
The word Nisan derives from the term *nes* (miracle), because throughout this month the most miraculous event in the history of our people is celebrated: the Exodus from Egypt, and above all the acquisition of absolute freedom.
The month of Nisan is defined by Talmudic tradition as the month of redemption because, just as the people of Israel were redeemed from slavery in Egypt in the time of Moses, so too will the whole of humanity be redeemed during this month.
It is for this reason that Nisan is a special month: during it, one must behave in matters of daily conduct in a way unlike any other month of the year.
In the month of Nisan, again according to the biblical account (Exodus ch. 40 vv. 2 ff.), the work of building the Mishkan—the mobile Tabernacle of the desert—was completed, and from the first day of the month the ceremonies for its inauguration began, lasting twelve days.
Throughout the entire month, one abstains from any form of mourning observance, such as celebrating a *limmud* (study session) in memory of someone who has passed away, and even a funeral must take place in the most restrained manner possible, omitting any form of penitential prayer and—crucially for this ceremony—the *hesped* (the elegy delivered in honour of the deceased), almost as if every day of the month were a holiday.
All supplication prayers that are recited daily during the morning and afternoon prayers (Shachrith and minchah) are omitted for the entire month; one refrains from visiting the cemetery except strictly for a funeral; and in cases where it is prescribed, fasting is prohibited.
The only fast prescribed in the month of Nisan is that of the firstborn, as a form of thanksgiving to the Lord for having spared the Jewish firstborn when the Egyptian ones died during the tenth plague.
Even for this fast, however, there are relaxations, meaning that the opportunity is given not to complete the fast and thus not to enter the festival in a state of sadness.
It is for this reason that the Masters of Israel instituted a ceremony that takes place at the end of the morning prayer on the eve of Pesach, or in years like this one, brought forward to Thursday, which is called a *siyum massachtah*.
What is a *siyum massachtah*
The Hebrew word *siyum* derives from the verb *le-sajem*, which means to complete, to finish; while the term *massachtah* in Aramaic means a tractate—that is, the completion of the study of a Talmudic tractate, which usually takes place over the course of a year.
Our masters have established that every Jew has the duty to study the Torah every day, so much so that when we stand before the divine judgment, one of the requirements for our access to the *olam ha-ba*—that world where the souls of the righteous reside—will be how much time we devoted to study.
*Kava'ta ittim la-torah*—have you fixed times for the study of Torah? This will be the first question asked of us.
For this reason, the *chachamim* have codified that one must study at least one folio of Talmud every day: the famous *daf yomi*.
By studying a folio of Talmud every day, one manages to complete an entire tractate within a year, and finishing the study of a tractate is considered a great mitzvah; this is why a banquet is provided for this occasion, called a *se'udat mitzvah* (a mitzvah banquet).
Anyone who attends this moment—that is, the completion of the final part of the tractate—shares in the celebration, in the same way as someone attending a brit milah, a wedding, or other joyful events considered important by Jewish tradition.
The study completed this year is the tractate of Berachot, namely the first tractate of the Mishnah and the Talmud that is usually studied first.
As the name itself implies, the tractate deals with everything concerning not only the blessings to be recited during the day, at what time of day, for what purpose, etc., but also the obligation to recite the *tefillot*, their importance, the times at which they must be recited, and how to make up for their omission.
We will see together later how the Talmud addresses the various issues and how the tractate concludes.
With the festival of Pesach, other special moments of the Jewish year begin:
on the first day, during the recitation of the Musaf, a short prayer is recited in which the *amidah* omits the formula *mashiv ha-ruach u-morid ha-gheshem*—the formula with which we remind God that in winter "He makes the wind blow and the rain descend," a purely winter characteristic—and inserts the one that says *morid ha-tal*, "He makes the dew descend," the climatic characteristic of the summer season.
These two formulas alternate with the change of the two predominant seasons; more precisely, they are changed on the first day of Pesach—the period when spring usually begins, which also marks the start of the three major festivals—and at Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the autumn festivities.
From the second evening of Pesach, the counting of the Omer begins. The *omer* was a unit of measure at the time when the Temple of Jerusalem existed.
During this period, from the second evening of Pesach to the eve of Shavuot, an omer of barley had to be offered at the Temple as thanksgiving to the Lord for granting a good harvest. Indeed, it is precisely during this seasonal period that the wheat and barley harvest takes place.
Today, with the Temple of Jerusalem no longer in existence, we no longer have the obligation of this offering, but the custom remains to commemorate it through the counting of the days, which is preceded by a blessing: Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
This blessing may be recited exclusively by someone who has counted the days of the Omer without ever missing a single one.
Nevertheless, even though we have said that the month of Nisan is a month of joy, the period running from the end of Pesach to the thirty-third day of the Omer is considered a time of mourning (some have the custom not to consider it mourning until the end of the month of Nisan).
It is recounted in the Mishnah that a large number of the disciples of Rabbi Akiva, one of the most famous masters in the history of the Jewish people, died because of a severe plague that struck them in the throat as punishment for treating one another with insufficient respect. The pestilence ceased precisely on the day of Lag BaOmer, that is, the thirty-third day of the Omer.
During this period it is forbidden to celebrate weddings, participate in festive gatherings, wear new items of clothing, or cut one's hair and beard.
With the miraculous event of the re-establishment of the State of Israel and its recognition by the United Nations, which occurred right in the middle of this period, the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem permitted many relaxations and lightenings of the mourning customs, such as the permission to cut one's hair, wear new garments, or hold celebrations in conjunction with this holiday considered of great importance.
The seventh day of Pesach is called *Yom HaEmunah*—the Day of Faith; on this day the Torah portion is read that recounts the episode of the parting of the Red Sea and the immediately preceding passage, which describes the situation of the Jewish people trapped between the sea on one side and the Egyptian army, which had now caught up with them.
At this point, Moses addresses the people with a reassuring speech in which all hope of salvation is placed in the Lord. The text continues by saying: "and they had faith in the Lord and in His servant Moses," thereby earning the merit of crossing the sea on dry ground and escaping the Egyptians, who all perished by drowning.
The Masters say that the merit of their faith in G-d and in Moses saved them, and this is why this day is so named.
The 27th of Nisan is *Yom HaShoah*—the day on which all the victims of the Shoah are remembered and commemorated.
In reality, the origin of this day lies in the commemoration of the conclusion of the dramatic Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the heroic rebellion of the Jews living in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Nazi regime, the tragic climax of which unfolded with their heroic death as they dealt a heavy blow to their oppressors.
The month of Nisan concludes with Rosh Chodesh, which falls on its thirtieth day, since the length of the month is indeed thirty days.
May it be the will of the Eternal that all the misfortunes of the people of Israel cease, and that with the entry into the month of Nisan the era of *geulah shelemah*—the complete redemption—may begin.