Look Up! New Moon Musings - Sivan
By Cantor Rebecca Joy Fletcher, Director of Jewish Life
Introducing New Moon Musings: A Monthly Reflection Series
At Coastal Roots Farm, we believe that Jewish time and ecological awareness go hand in hand. We’re launching a new monthly series - New Moon Musings - to mark each Rosh Chodesh, or new month in the Jewish lunar calendar.
Each edition will explore the spiritual, seasonal, and agricultural dimensions of the month ahead, through an eco-Jewish lens grounded in tradition, sustainability, and justice. As the moon begins its next cycle, we’ll pause to look up—and look inward—to ask: What is renewing? What is ripening? What are we called to offer, grow, or let go?
Rosh Chodesh in Jewish Tradition
In Jewish tradition, the new moon is a sacred threshold. It invites us to reset in rhythm with nature—our calendar flows not in straight lines, but in cycles of fullness and return. The moon teaches us about hidden light, patient growth, and sacred timing.
The Shekhinah, the feminine aspect of the Divine, is said to journey with the Jewish people through wilderness and exile, often symbolized by the waxing and waning of the moon. In many communities, this connection is honored through a special monthly blessing - Kiddush Levana - offered under the night sky.
Rosh Chodesh Sivan: A Time of First Fruits and Revelation
Rosh Chodesh Sivan 2025 begins on Tuesday night, May 27. This month brings with it the festival of Shavuot, which arrives just a few days later on Sunday night, June 1.
Shavuot commemorates the Israelites receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, but it is also an agricultural celebration of bikkurim, the first fruits. These weren’t the earliest to appear, but the best and most ripened, brought to the Temple in Jerusalem with gratitude.
Before offering these fruits, farmers waited for years, practicing restraint as trees matured. When the time came, the ripest harvest was brought not for personal use, but as a collective gesture of humility and thanksgiving.
First Fruits at Coastal Roots Farm
At Coastal Roots Farm, our early summer bikkurim include juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and sun-sweetened melons. But our harvests go far beyond produce:
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Campers discovering pollinators, compost, and connection
- Emerging creators in our new Jewish Climate Artists for California Incubator
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Community gatherings like our Farm Film and Music Series that educate and inspire
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Thousands of pounds of fresh food shared with neighbors through our food distribution efforts
This season, Shavuot asks: What are your first fruits? What has ripened within you, ready to be given?
Seasonal Invitations for Sivan
Let this new moon guide you toward generous, grounded action:
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Join our Dayenu Circle for Jewish climate advocacy grounded in courage and care
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Support our food distribution work or a local food pantry—many face urgent need
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Take time each day to notice small miracles: a budding plant, a crawling worm, a cool breeze
Explore More First Fruits with Our Partners
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Adamah Farm Fellowship (Summer 2025) – A 3-month immersive in Jewish farming
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Retreat Yourself! (Aug 11–13) – A farm-to-table retreat for Jewish educators
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Jewish Farmer Network Workshop (May 27, online) – Learn about Shmita and the solidarity economy
Closing Blessing: Give from What Has Ripened
This Shavuot, may we offer the ripest parts of ourselves - our talents, our time, our truths. May our gifts nourish more than just our own circles.
As Jewish wisdom teaches: Everything we receive, we receive in order to give.
Let this new moon, and this new series, be a beginning. A reminder to look up, root down, and share what is growing within.