Rosh Chodesh: the new Jewish month רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ
Rosh Chodesh, “head of the month”, marks the beginning of each month of the Hebrew calendar, which follows the moon. It lasts one or two days and is a minor festival, marked mainly in the prayers.
The new Hebrew month · Rosh Hodesh · ראש חודש · 1st of each Hebrew month (and the 30th of the month before)
What is Rosh Chodesh?
The Hebrew calendar is lunar: each month begins with the new moon, and months have 29 or 30 days. When the previous month has 30 days, Rosh Chodesh lasts two days – the 30th of the old month and the 1st of the new one. A leap month is added seven times in 19 years to keep the festivals in their seasons.
In Temple times the new month was proclaimed by the court in Jerusalem after witnesses saw the new moon. Since the fourth century the calendar has been fixed by calculation, but the day keeps its festive character: the Torah lists it among the appointed times, and the Prophets describe it as a day of gathering and joy.
How Rosh Chodesh is observed
Prayers and customs
- Ya’aleh Veyavo is added to the Amidah and Birkat HaMazon; if forgotten in the Amidah of Shacharit or Minchah, the Amidah is repeated.
- Half Hallel is said in the morning, followed by a Torah reading (Numbers 28) and the Musaf prayer.
- On the Shabbat before, the new month is announced and blessed in the synagogue (Shabbat Mevarchim). In the following days, Kiddush Levanah, the blessing over the moon, is said outdoors at night.
- Fasting and eulogies are avoided; a festive dish at the meal is customary.
Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs
- Women traditionally refrain from some work on Rosh Chodesh, a reward, according to the midrash, for not giving their jewelry to the golden calf.
- Sephardim say the blessing over half Hallel only in some communities (many say it without a blessing); Ashkenazim recite it with a blessing.
- Some observe Yom Kippur Katan, a fast or special prayers on the day before Rosh Chodesh.
Rosh Chodesh dates 2025–2028
Dates follow the Diaspora schedule. Jewish days begin at sundown: a holiday starts in the evening before its first day and ends at nightfall.
| Holiday | Begins | Ends | Hebrew date | In Israel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosh Chodesh Kislev | Sundown, Monday, November 9, 2026 | Nightfall, Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | 30 Cheshvan 5787 – 1 Kislev 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Tevet | Sundown, Wednesday, December 9, 2026 | Nightfall, Friday, December 11, 2026 | 30 Kislev 5787 – 1 Tevet 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat | Sundown, Friday, January 8, 2027 | Nightfall, Saturday, January 9, 2027 | 1 Sh'vat 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Adar I | Sundown, Saturday, February 6, 2027 | Nightfall, Monday, February 8, 2027 | 30 Sh'vat 5787 – 1 Adar I 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Adar II | Sundown, Monday, March 8, 2027 | Nightfall, Wednesday, March 10, 2027 | 30 Adar I 5787 – 1 Adar II 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Nisan | Sundown, Wednesday, April 7, 2027 | Nightfall, Thursday, April 8, 2027 | 1 Nisan 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Iyyar | Sundown, Thursday, May 6, 2027 | Nightfall, Saturday, May 8, 2027 | 30 Nisan 5787 – 1 Iyyar 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Sivan | Sundown, Saturday, June 5, 2027 | Nightfall, Sunday, June 6, 2027 | 1 Sivan 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Tamuz | Sundown, Sunday, July 4, 2027 | Nightfall, Tuesday, July 6, 2027 | 30 Sivan 5787 – 1 Tamuz 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Av | Sundown, Tuesday, August 3, 2027 | Nightfall, Wednesday, August 4, 2027 | 1 Av 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Elul | Sundown, Wednesday, September 1, 2027 | Nightfall, Friday, September 3, 2027 | 30 Av 5787 – 1 Elul 5787 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan | Sundown, Saturday, October 30, 2027 | Nightfall, Monday, November 1, 2027 | 30 Tishrei 5788 – 1 Cheshvan 5788 | Same |
| Rosh Chodesh Kislev | Sundown, Monday, November 29, 2027 | Nightfall, Wednesday, December 1, 2027 | 30 Cheshvan 5788 – 1 Kislev 5788 | Same |
Israel and the Diaspora
Rosh Chodesh falls on the same days in Israel and the Diaspora.
Candle-lighting times
Candle-lighting and havdalah times for Shabbat and Yom Tov in 94 cities, computed for your location: Shabbat & holiday candle-lighting times
Greetings
- Chodesh Tov (חודש טוב) – “A good month” – said on Rosh Chodesh and around it.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does Rosh Chodesh sometimes last two days?
- When the previous month has 30 days, its 30th day is also Rosh Chodesh, together with the first day of the new month.
- Is work allowed on Rosh Chodesh?
- Yes. Rosh Chodesh is not a Yom Tov. Women traditionally refrain from some tasks, according to family custom.
- Which months have Rosh Chodesh?
- Every month except Tishrei, whose first day is Rosh Hashanah and is not called Rosh Chodesh.
- What is Shabbat Mevarchim?
- The Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, when the coming month is announced in the synagogue with a prayer for a good month.
- What is the molad?
- The calculated moment of the new moon, announced on Shabbat Mevarchim; it is used to fix the calendar but is not exactly the astronomical new moon.
Sources
- Exodus 12:2
הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחָדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה
“This month shall be for you the head of months” – the first commandment given to Israel as a people: sanctifying the new moon.
- Numbers 28:11
וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם תַּקְרִיבוּ עֹלָה לַיהוָה פָּרִים בְּנֵי־בָקָר שְׁנַיִם וְאַיִל אֶחָד כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי־שָׁנָה שִׁבְעָה תְּמִימִם
The special offering of the beginnings of the months – recalled today in the Musaf prayer.
- Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 417–428
Ya’aleh Veyavo, Hallel and Musaf on Rosh Chodesh; the blessing of the new month and Kiddush Levanah.
Hebrew verses: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. The explanations on this page are our own, not translations.
This holiday on our Hebrew site · All holiday guides
For learning and general information only. Customs differ between communities; for halachic questions ask your rabbi.