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P.O. BOX 1808 ANGIER, NC 27501 ROSH CHODESH – pronounce "ROSH"
with a long "O." The "CH" is the Hebrew guttural from the back
of the throat. "CHODESH" is pronounced with a long "O" and a
short "E," with the accent on the first syllable – ROSH CHODESH
– "NEW MONTH," "HEAD OF THE MONTH." "Had Israel merited no other
privilege than greeting the presence of their heavenly Father
once a month by reciting the benediction over the new moon, they
would be contented!" - school of Rabbi Ishmael. By astronomical
calculation, the beginning of the month occurs at the moment
when the moon’s location is exactly between the earth and the
sun, and it cannot be seen. That moment is known, in Hebrew, as
the "molad," or "birth," of the moon. About six hours later, a
fraction of the moon can be seen, and the New Month, or New
Moon, can be proclaimed. The exact date and time, to the second,
of the beginning of each month are announced in the synagogue on
the Sabbath pr