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Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow
Delving into the Daf A Rosh Chodesh Holiday
By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow
Some people always looking for creative excuses for failing to show up for work or completing their projects. The wicked Haman told Achashveirosh that the Jews are always saying that they are too busy for work. The Jews say that they need to prepare for Shabbos or the holidays.
Can a person justifiably excuse him/herself from an assignment by saying, “It was Rosh Chodesh! I couldn’t work!”? The answer may depend on when this statement was uttered and the gender of the person using this excuse.
The Gemara in Megilla (21b) states that four people are called to the Torah on Rosh Chodesh and Chol Hamoed mornings because there is no concern about causing people to be late to work. On a regular Monday or Thursday, we limit the number of aliyos to three, because it is a workday. However, the Gemara indicates that Chol Hamoed and Rosh Chodesh are not workdays. Hence, an extra aliyah is added on those days.
Chol HaMoed is most certainly not a workday. Many activities are forbidden on Chol Hamoed. Permitted labor on Chol HaMoed must fall into one of the established exceptions such as yom tov need or to prevent a loss. Rosh Chodesh, though, is harder to understand why it is not considered a workday. Rashi states that it is a holiday for women. He quotes his rebbi who says that at the time of the Golden Calf, the women refused to give up their jewelry to make the forbidden creation. Therefore, Hashem rewarded them with a holiday celebration that is just for them. (In addition to the reward waiting for them in the World To Come.) While men celebrate Rosh Chodesh, they may engage in any form of labor. The cessation of some mundane activities on Rosh Chodesh is unique to women.
Still, it seems difficult to understand the Gemara in this way. Even if women do not engage in labor on Rosh Chodesh, men still do. The extra aliyah will still cause them to come later to work. Some suggest that women used to regularly attend shul to hear the laining on Mondays, Thursdays, and Rosh Chodesh. Since the extra aliyah only affected the men on Rosh Chodesh and not the women, Chazal chose to add it. (The Birchei Yosef suggests that Rashi was of the opinion that women are actually obligated to hear laining on Mondays and Thursdays. This is not the accepted custom.)
The Turei Even suggests an alternate and fascinating explanation. The Gemara states that when one brings a korban to the Beis Hamikdash that day is a personal holiday. The Korban Mussaf on Rosh Chodesh is brought on behalf of all of Klal Yisrael. Therefore, Rosh Chodesh is a holiday for everyone, since it is tantamount to everyone offering a sacrifice on that day.
Perhaps one could use this logic to suggest that one should never do any work. After all, isn’t the Korban Tamid brought every day? That korban is also brought on behalf of all Klal Yisrael. Can we suggest that every day is a holiday? That we know is impossible. The Torah discusses engaging in labor. Therefore, we can conclude that offering the Korban Tamid is not a reason for a cessation of labor. No such argument though can be made against the establishment of a holiday on Rosh Chodesh due to the Korban Mussaf. Therefore, the Turei Even suggests that at the time of the Beis hamikdash, Rosh Chodesh was a national holiday for everyone, both men and women. Therefore, Chazal added a fourth aliyah on Rosh Chodesh because it would generally not cause people to come late to work.
Nowadays, we sadly do not have a Beis Hamikdash and the Korban Mussaf is not offered, and so people may go to work on Rosh Chodesh as they usually do. However, the fourth aliyah on Rosh Chodesh remains as a vestige from happier times, when both men and women didn’t work on Rosh Chodesh.
The Mordechai mentions that even nowadays men have a custom of refraining from labor-intensive work on Rosh Chodesh. The Ben Ish Chai suggests that at the very least it is meritorious for men to refrain from labor on Rosh Chodesh.
However, the Shulchan Aruch does not seem to follow their opinions. He states (OC 417): “It is permissible to engage in labor on Rosh Chodesh. Some women have a custom not to engage in labor, and it is a good custom.” The Mishna Berura is even more explicit. He writes (ibid. 2), “A custom that men have not to engage in labor on Rosh Chodesh is not considered a custom at all.” A custom for a man not to engage in labor on Rosh Chodesh should not be followed. Nowadays, according to the Mishna Berura, only women have a legitimate custom to refrain from work on Rosh Chodesh.
The issue is that “work” is undefined. Rabbeinu Yerucham seems to indicate that women should treat Rosh Chodesh as a bona fide yom tov like Shavuos. However, his opinion is not accepted. The Rema writes that on Rosh Chodesh, women only have to refrain from the specific labors that they have a tradition to refrain from. The Dirshu cites examples of activities some women have a custom to refrain from on Rosh Chodesh: sewing, tailoring, weaving, washing clothes, and hanging up laundry. The list is by no means exhaustive, and everyone should follow their one custom as the Rema indicates. If a woman has a custom not to write on Rosh Chodesh, that custom may be followed.
In that situation, Rosh Chodesh may be used as a legitimate excuse for failing to complete an assignment.
