Rosh Chodesh
/ˌroʊʃ ˈxoʊ.dɛʃ/noun
The first day of each Hebrew month, traditionally observed as a minor Jewish holiday.
Did you know?Historically, the beginning of Rosh Chodesh depended on witnesses reporting the first visible crescent of the new moon to the Sanhedrin.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ (rosh ḥōdeš)
“Head or beginning of the month”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
רֹאשׁ (rosh)
“Head; top; chief; beginning”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
חֹדֶשׁ (ḥōdeš)
“Month; literally a renewed or new moon period, from a root meaning “new” or “renew””
Second Temple period
Hebrew/Aramaic
ריש ירחא (resh yarcha)
“Beginning or head of the month, an Aramaic equivalent used in Jewish writings”
Medieval Hebrew
Hebrew
ראש חודש (rosh ḥodesh)
“The observance marking the start of a Hebrew lunar month”
Modern English
English
Rosh Chodesh
“The first day of the Hebrew month, observed in Jewish religious practice”
Explore more surprising origins