This post about Rosh Chodesh is not intended to be understood by everyone.

This Friday starts Rosh Chodesh Iyar. The Sefarim bring that Iyar stands for Ani Hashem Rofecha.

I heard once from my Rosh Kollel decades ago an explanation for the seemingly surprising statement by Chazal that regarding the Korban Chatas of Rosh Chodesh that the Aibershter asks us to offer up for Him a Korban “al she’mei’ateti es halevana”.

During creation, during the hishtalshelus ha’olomos, as things progressed downward so to speak, they became more and more megusham, until finally it developed into our physical world as we know it. About the Name Shin Dalet Yud chazal express themselves “she’amar le’olamo dye”. If I remember correctly from the Mesilas Yesharim, or maybe from Derech Hashem, the Bashefer created the velt as far away as possible from the source, so to speak, but with the condition that it is still possible to come all the way back. This is in order to maximize our reward. Any further, any more megusham, it would be impossible to get back, but any less so would not give us the greatest opportunity possible. Thus, “she’amar le’olamo dye”, no more, no less.

However, such hitgashmut leads for the possibility that one can get lost meanwhile, by illusury falsehoods.

When the levana asked, “is it possible for two kings to share one crown?”, the immediate question that must be asked in response is, “You’re a king?”. But that’s the way of olam hazeh, it is quite possible to forget who the King is.

So the Aibershter asks of us to offer up a Korban, which in itself is a growing closer, which in itself is a recognition who’s the King, “al she’mei’ateti es halavana”, that I bashefert a velt that is so full of hester, so easy to get lost, (all for the sake of Klal Yisroel to maximize the schar), that the lavana can think that she’s a king.

A gutten chodesh.

Boruch Rappaport