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The conjunction of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh engenders some interesting halachic discussions that reflect intriguing facets of the interrelationship between these two pillars of kedushat ha-zeman.
At first glance, Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh are a study in contrasts. Shabbat is a Divine creation, commemorating Hashem's fashioning of the world. It is a symbol of stability and permanence. We articulate kedushat Shabbat that is kavua ve-kaiyma mei-sheishet yemei bereishit - absolutely fixed on the calendar- by saying mekadeish ha-Shabbat. Rosh Chodesh, on the other hand, highlights man's initiative and his partial role in defining time itself, and by extension, determining the moadim. We affirm this motif by referring to the human input in the chatimah of mekadesh Yisrael ve-hazemanim. The fact that the midrash and mefarshim debate whether the Torah should have begun with a discussion of kiddush ha-chodesh or with creation [climaxed by Shabbat - "vayechal" (as mentioned in arvit on Shabbat) - tachlit shamayim va-aretz] accentuates the different, yet competitive themes. Ramban emphasizes the transition from permanently - determined Shabbat and the Rosh Chodesh - contingent - holidays in his analysis of the festival presentation in Parshat Emor (Vayikra 23).
From this perspective the consequences of the coincidental convergence of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh should be limited and reflect only the individual demands of each that need to be addressed. And mostly this analysis is consistent with the halachic rulings relating to this circumstance.
However, we do encounter several halachic positions that indicate not merely convergence, but conjunction and even significant integration between these two days and their motifs. We will briefly examine just one example. While the insertion of retzei on Shabbat is a mandatory condition for proper fulfillment of Birkat ha-Mazon since there is an obligation to eat bread on Shabbat, the Talmud (Berachot 49b) rules that neglecting the parallel requirement of reciting Yaaleh ve-Yavo during a Rosh Chodesh meal does not disqualify the Birkat ha-Mazon because consumption of bread on Rosh Chodesh is not compulsory. However, some rishonim (see Meiri ad loc) argue that omitting Yaaleh ve-Yavo in the Birkat ha-Mazon of a Shabbat- Rosh Chodesh meal does obstruct the fulfillment of the mitzvah! Why does the confluence of these days impact the Rosh Chodesh requirement itself? While the normative view codified in the Shulhan Aruch (Orach Chaim 188:7) rejects this synthesis, the minority position still needs to be clarified. Moreover, the notion that the convergence of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh impacts the rules or requirements of Rosh Chodesh, is debated by the poskim, albeit in a more subtle application.
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 188:6)rules that when one omits retzei but recalls the omission prior to "hatov ve-hameitiv", one inserts a statement regarding kedushat Shabbat that requires a chatimat ha-berachah, as well. On Rosh Chodesh, a parallel insertion is required, but it will not include a chatimah (see Berachot 49a and Orach Chaim 188:7). Yet, the poskim debate (See Magen Avraham 188:14 ) whether on Shabbat- Rosh Chodesh the insertion of a combined expression of kedushat Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh should also include a reference to Rosh Chodesh in the chatimah as well! While this debate may be explained variously (and the Magen Avraham's justification is indeed based on a different set of considerations), it certainly may also reflect the idea that the convergence of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh creates a merged sanctity, that is halachically expressed (see the sources cited in Shaarei Teshuvah ad loc).
[See a similar discussion regarding the insertion of a reference to Rosh Chodesh in the birkat haftorah of Shabbat - Rambam Hilchos Tefilah 12, Orach Chaim 284. See also Aruch ha-Shulchan's(425:2) penetrating critique of the text of atah yazarta, which seems to eviscerate some basic Shabbat themes in the process of integrating Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh! The question of which Birkat ha-Mazon insertions should be integrated into meals that begin on Shabbat- Rosh Chodesh, but conclude after dark is extremely relevant to this analysis as well. I hope to elaborate these details and nuances in another context.]
This phenomenon attests to the fact that even as Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh represent different and distinctive models of kedushah, there is also a great deal of overlap between the two basic categories of kedushat ha-zeman. While Rosh Chodesh reflects human choice and initiative, the procedures are rigorous, the guidelines are halachically defined, and the flexibility is limited to a single day. While Shabbat is firmly fixed in by Divine fiat, many mefarshim suggest that Klal Yisrael's responsiveness to Shabbat impacts the quality of its kedushah (see, for example, Ohr haChayim's explanation (in his comments on "asher bara Elokim laasot") of Shabbat 119a- that Klal Yisrael's recitation of vayechulu constitutes partnership in Creation, and Rav Hirsch's comments on tefillat Shabbat in Hirsch siddur). The Talmud (Shabbat 69b) asserts that a lost traveler who cannot identify Shabbat, is obligated to observe a personal Shabbat until he can reconnect with the objective Shabbat! [See the comments of Magid Meisharim and responsa of Radvaz.]
Rosh Chodesh constitutes the beginning of monthly time, and determines the moadim; Shabbat is the foundation of all time (see Bereishit Rrabbah 9:14 - ad kaan leminyano shel olam, mikaan ve-eilech monin leminyan aher! See also Rav Hirsch commentary on Bereishit 2:3, new translation, p.62). As Ramban repeatedly notes the fact that days are defined by their proximity to Shabbat is highly significant. The fact that the week is halachically divided into pre-Shabbat (mafligin besefinah etc.) and post-Shabbat (havdalah) reinforces this motif. Thus, the debate about the optimal introduction to the Torah is not only about competing paradigms, but also partly, about competing parallels.
Moreover, the halachah perceives the different perspectives and paradigms represented by Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh as mutually enhancing rather than mutually exclusive. The synthesis of Divine imprimatur and appropriate human involvement and initiative constitutes an ideal in halachic life. This is reflected pervasively in the comprehensive halachic worldview, but is particularly evident regarding kedushat ha-zeman. The permanence and stability of kedushat Shabbat serves as the necessary framework for all of the Rosh Chodesh -determined festivals delineated in parshat Emor precisely because these dimensions are mutually enhancing. Thus, Shabbbat is sometimes referred to as a moed, even as the moadim are occasionally depicted as Shabbat (see Rashi Emor 23:2; Chizkuni Bereishit 2:3.)
In this light, it is unsurprising that the coincidental calendar convergence of Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh, accentuating both parallels and contrasts, generates its own compelling halachically merged kedushat ha-yom.