A special Rosh Chodesh celebration in Sajal, India with the Bnei Menashe
Lighting candles for Rosh Chodesh
On the first day of each month, the Bnei Menashe women in northeastern India celebrate “Rosh Chodesh” (the start of the Hebrew month) by coming together to sing, pray and eat. The programs rotate among the 37 synagogues in different towns and villages across the Indian state of Manipur where there are substantial Bnei Menashe communities.
This month – Elul on the Hebrew calendar – is especially auspicious, as it comes just before the month of Tishrei during which the High Holydays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur fall. So, to mark its importance, Shavei Israel’s “Fellows” in India assembled the largest Rosh Chodesh gathering to date. 220 women from all around Manipur traveled to the small village of Sajal to celebrate with the 70 Bnei Menashe women living there with their families.
Getting to Sajal
Shavei Israel arranged for the hire of six jeeps and nine auto rickshaws (you can see pictures here) to transport the group. The timing worked out perfectly for Rabbi Yehuda Gin a Bnei Menashe rabbi, who arrived from Israel just in time to join the celebration. Rabbi Gin will be in India for the rest of the month teaching Judaism to the Bnei Menashe in Manipur – see our story here.
The Rosh Chodesh events are a very important social and spiritual experience for the Bnei Menashe women. The Rosh Chodesh “Nightingales” and “Spices” informal singing groups perform and, during the meal, several women make blessings over the different types of food traditionally eaten on Rosh Chodesh, followed by loud cries of “Amen!” from the other women.
This is followed by prayers for the sick, for livelihood and for successful matches between young men and women in the community. Indeed, the sages teach that on Rosh Chodesh, the gates of heaven are opened to prayer that comes from the heart, and that certainly is true with the Bnei Menashe women.
The Sajal Waterfall
The trip to Sajal also gave the group the opportunity to do a little touring. They visited the bazaar in the village of Moirang along the way, and trekked into the forest to take in the stunning waterfall just outside Sajal.
A full gallery of pictures from Sajal can be found here.