The Wolf Moon took my breath away on a recent Saturday night. It stirred something deep within me, inspiring me to read about the moon and reflect on how my own moods rise and fall with the steady rhythm of that great orb. The moon moved me to pray softly aloud in admiration.

Rosh Chodesh arrives quietly, marking the molad, the birth of the new moon, when the moon has been hidden from our sight. Its light hasn’t vanished but has simply been beyond our vision. Rosh Chodesh is the day when that light becomes visible once again, reminding us that what is unseen is not lost, that incredibly defined slice, a twinkling crescent.

I felt the moonlight most clearly on that wintry night, walking my daughter’s dog, Milo. The night was hushed, the cold sharpened my awareness, and even Milo seemed attentive and present, sensing the holiness of the moment. Ice on the street glistened, and our breaths rose in soft clouds toward the sky. We paused together, heads lifted, as if creation itself were on full display and inviting us to notice.

I thought, too, of JSL residents who share their lives with dogs, appreciating how that companionship brings comfort, rhythm, and connection, especially on winter nights. A winter walk strengthens purpose, and a loyal canine presence brings warmth and companionship. These quiet moments draw us back into our relationship with the world, often in ways words just cannot describe.

This is the Jewish month of Tevet, a time that teaches patience and trust in hidden light. Like the moon when revealed, the soul is not newly created each day; it is returned, renewed and entrusted to us once again.

Rosh Chodesh Tevet invites us to notice and give thanks for moments of full illumination, and the hidden light that sustains us through winter. We can recognize and give thanks for souls restored, for faith placed in us again, for the quiet holiness found in companionship and routine, and for the gentle pull of a dog’s leash beneath a glowing moon.

Hoping you take time and care to notice all the special moments of your days and nights.

Shabbat Shalom