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God said to Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt: This month is to be the first [rishon] of all the others for
you, the first month of your year. Exodus 12:1-2
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Rabbi Yeḥiel Michel Epstein comments that
just as the various body parts are not of equal importance, so it is with the
months of the year.
The head is the most important part of the
body. For this reason, the first month is called rishon (literally the
“head” month).
Rabbi Epstein notes that the Torah
consistently refers to Nissan as “Ḥodesh haRishon,” always using the
ordinal number, never the cardinal.
While the nations of the world count time
from Tishrei, from the creation of the world, Israel counts from Nissan, the
time of its freedom from Egyptian bondage.
The root word of Nissan is “ness” (miracle).
Perhaps the difference in choice of the first month between Israel and the
nations symbolizes the fact that Israel’s existence is essentially a miracle,
while the nations of the world function on a natural level.
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