Renewal Through Lunar Months

ובמדרש החודש הזה כו' בנ"י מונין ללבנה כו'.

“And in the Midrash: ‘This month…’ Israel counts by the moon…”

The Sefat Emet begins by citing the Midrash that Israel’s calendar follows the moon.

הטעם שהזמן הוא בתוך הטבע כי התורה היא למעלה מהזמן ובכל עת שנמשך התחדשות להזמן מלמעלה נתקן עי"ז גם העשי' וכל הטבע ג"כ.

“The reason is that time exists within nature, for the Torah is above time; and whenever renewal is drawn down to time from above, action and all of nature are thereby repaired.”

He explains that time belongs to the realm of nature, whereas Torah transcends time. When divine renewal flows downward, it elevates human action and nature itself.

ולאשר בנ"י מבטלין עצמם תמיד להשי"ת הזמן משתנה להם בכל עת.

“And because Israel constantly nullify themselves to God, time changes for them at every moment.”

Since Israel maintain self‑nullification to God, they experience time as dynamic and continually renewed.

לכן הלבנה שמתחדשת בכל חודש היא לחלק בנ"י.

“Therefore the moon, which is renewed every month, belongs to Israel.”

The cyclical renewal of the moon mirrors Israel’s spiritual capacity for continual renewal.

ובגמ' שנה שאין עמה חדשים ושנה שיש עמה חדשים זה ניסן ע"ש במס' ר"ה והענין [כמ"ש אני ישנ"ה ימות החמה שס"ה ולבי ער] הוא התחלקות הי"ב חדשים שזה מביא התחדשות תוך השנה שהוא התלבשות הזמן והטבע וזה שנה שיש עמה חדשים כנ"ל.

“And in the Gemara: ‘A year without months and a year with months—this is Nisan,’ as stated in Rosh Hashanah; and the matter (as in the verse ‘I sleep—these are the 365 solar days—and my heart is awake’) is the division into twelve months, which brings renewal within the year, meaning the clothing of time and nature, and this is a year that has months.”

He interprets the Talmudic distinction to mean that the subdivision of the year into months creates inner renewals. These renewals allow divine energy to enter time and nature, producing a year “with months”—a year infused with spiritual renewal.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that Torah transcends time, while time belongs to nature. When divine renewal flows into time, nature and human action are elevated. Israel, through constant self‑nullification, experience continual renewal and therefore align with the moon’s cycles. The structure of months brings divine renewal into the year, clothing time and nature with holiness.