The nature of the lunar calendar from a religious perspective

In the solar calendar, the sun rises each day with little variance from the day before. There is a quotidian repetitiveness to this endlessly repeating, arithmetically calculated cycle of sun rise, sun set. Day follows night in an unvarying cycle of time.

The moon, on the other hand, appears to us in a constant state of change, of flux and renewal. Every day the moon seems to takes a different shape than the day before. It begins as a dark and heavy orb, waxes crescent, and wanes to a sliver. And every month the moon disappears and then renews itself again. For thirty days, we live in a state of constant change.

The Israelites, a fledgling nation just barely out of chains, faced the very real danger of remaining in thrall to the past. We all know of slave nations that, once liberated, retain their slave mentality, sometimes for decades or even centuries thence. Yet here was a nation which stood at Mount Sinai, a mere 49 days after leaving Egypt, to receive the Ten Commandments. Three and a half thousand years later, these same commandments blaze forth from inscriptions on countless schools and courthouses, expressing the ideals of the administration of justice and serving as the foundation of Western jurisprudence.

Amazing that there always is an active movement to eradicate any scriptural references from our public buildings, eliminate the name of God from oath taking, and even more ridiculous, to rename counties, cities, streets and more bearing the identity of a Saint (e.g. Santa Fe; Santa Clara; San Francisco; St. Paul; San Miguel; San Josa; Santa Ana…we can go on and on). These are the same people who hold up less than classly icons to replace the former!

Be mindful! As anthropologist Margaret Mead said “ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Changing the world works both ways!

Diane Fausel