Shabbat HaChodeshשַׁבַּת הַחֹדֶשׁ

Shabbat HaChodesh (“Sabbath [of the] month” שבת החודש) falls on the Shabbat before the first of the Hebrew month of Nisan, in which Passover is celebrated, or on the first of Nisan itself when that day is Shabbat. Its maftir, Exodus 12:1-20, gives the first laws of Passover. On the first day of Nisan, G-d presented the first commandment of how to “sanctify the new moon” (kiddush hachodesh) for the onset of Rosh Chodesh and thus Nisan becomes the first month of the Jewish year (counting by months). Shabbat HaChodesh is the fourth and final of the Arba Parshiyot, the four special Sabbaths that lead into Passover, and it serves as the formal gateway into the month of Nisan. Its name, "Sabbath of the Month," points to its central theme: the very first commandment given to the Jewish people as a nation. In Exodus 12:2, God designates Nisan as "the first of the months," and the mitzvah of kiddush ha-chodesh, sanctifying the new moon, places the rhythm of the calendar and the timing of the festivals into the hands of the people. In this sense the day is about more than a date; it marks the moment Israel was entrusted with sacred time itself. The special maftir then moves into the original Passover in Egypt, the paschal lamb, matzah, and bitter herbs, so the Shabbat bridges directly into the season of redemption. Coming after Shekalim, Zachor, and Parah, Shabbat HaChodesh completes the cycle of preparation and signals that Pesach, with its themes of renewal and freedom, is near.

Shabbat HaChodesh falls on the Shabbat immediately preceding Rosh Chodesh Nisan; if Rosh Chodesh Nisan itself lands on Shabbat, it is observed on that day. As the last of the Arba Parshiyot, it follows Shekalim, Zachor, and Parah. On the civil calendar it generally arrives in late Adar (Adar II in a leap year) or on 1 Nisan, typically March or early April. The date and the observance are the same in Israel and the Diaspora; the one rite-dependent difference is the exact verse range of the Haftarah (see the readings note).

Two Torah scrolls are used. The weekly parashah is read from the first scroll, and the special maftir, Exodus 12:1-20 (from Parashat Bo), is chanted from a second scroll, covering the commandment to sanctify the new moon, the designation of Nisan as the first month, and the laws of the paschal offering, matzah, and the first Passover in Egypt. When Shabbat HaChodesh coincides with Rosh Chodesh, three scrolls are used: the weekly parashah in six aliyot from the first, the Rosh Chodesh reading, Numbers 28:9-15, as the seventh aliyah from the second, and the HaChodesh maftir, Exodus 12:1-20, from the third. The Haftarah is Ezekiel 45:16-46:18 in the Ashkenazi rite and, by most accounts, Ezekiel 45:18-46:15 in the Sephardi rite, describing the future Temple offerings for Nisan and Passover. Both the maftir and the Haftarah are chanted in the standard, everyday Torah and Haftarah cantillation; there is no distinctive melody for Shabbat HaChodesh, unlike the Eicha trope of Tisha B'Av, the Esther trope of Purim, or the High Holiday trope. What sets this Shabbat apart is the added reading, not a special tune.

As the final Arba Parshiyot Shabbat, Shabbat HaChodesh formally opens the run-up to Passover and is a customary signal for congregations and households to begin their Pesach preparations in earnest. When it precedes Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the new month is announced in the synagogue (Shabbat Mevarchim). A second Torah scroll is taken out for the special maftir. When the day coincides with Rosh Chodesh a third is added: the Rosh Chodesh reading comes from the second, and the maftir from the third. The Shabbat has no unique liturgical melody, special foods, or megillah of its own; its distinctiveness lies entirely in the added Torah portion and prophetic reading.