Rosh Chodesh ראש חודש

“This month is for you the head of the months. See [the moon] like this and sanctify [the month].

And on your new months you will sacrifice a burnt offering… This is the burnt offering of each new month for the months of the year.

And he said, ‘Why are you going to him today? It’s not [Rosh] Chodesh and not Shabbat.’…

For Rosh Chodesh is called a mo’ed.

Thus said the Lord God: the gate of the inner courtyard facing east will be shut the six days of work, but on the Shabbat day it will be opened and on the day of the [new] month it will be opened... And the people of the land will bow down at the opening of this gate on Shabbatot and on [new] months before God:

(23) And it will be from one [new] month to another and from one Shabbat to another, all flesh will come to bow down before Me…

For it seems that it was their custom not to do labor on Rosh Chodesh, as is the custom of women today. And it may be that on account of the Rosh Chodesh sacrifice, many were free from their labor and came to bow before God, and so it seems in the prophecy of Yechezkel for the future:

Rosh Chodesh will prove it, for it has a musaf offering, but performing labor is permissible [on it].

Come and learn: This is the rule, [on] every [day] where [an additional aliya] would entail taking people away from labor, such as a public fast day and the ninth of Av, we read three [aliyot]. And if it doesn’t entail taking people away from labor, such as Rosh Chodesh and chol ha-mo’ed, we read four.

The women heard and did not take it upon themselves to give their rings to their husbands. Rather, they said to them, ‘You want to make a deplorable [thing] and an abomination, that does not have power to save!’ They did not listen to them and the Holy Blessed One gave reward to women in this world and in the world to come. What reward did he give them for this world? That they would keep Rosh Chodesh, as it is said (Tehillim 103:5) ‘Who satisfies with good your adornment, your youth will be renewed like a griffon vulture.’

And I heard from my brother the Ri a reason for the matter, since the festive days were established corresponding to the patriarchs… And the twelve Rosh Chodesh [days] of the year, which are also called festive days, corresponding to the twelve tribes. And when they sinned with the calf, they [Rosh Chodesh days] were taken away from them and were given to their wives as commemoration that they [the women] were not part of that sin:

It says in Pirkei De-rabbi Eliezer regarding his conclusion that the Holy Blessed One gave women the reward of keeping Rosh Chodesh because they did not sin at the deed of the calf. And in the future, the Holy Blessed One will renew them like Rosh Chodesh as is written, “for like the new heavens and the new earth [that I make stand before me]”(Yeshayahu 66:22⁷) …”your youth will be renewed like a griffon vulture” (Tehillim 103:5). Know that every single month a woman sanctifies herself and immerses and returns to her husband, and she is dear to him as on the day of the chuppa. Just as the moon renews herself every Rosh Chodesh and everyone desires to see her, so too the woman when she is renewed every month, her husband desires her and she is dear to him as a new woman.

And in the midrash it says that because women were quick to donate to the mishkan, as it is written “and the men came in addition to the women”. And it [the mishkan] was erected on the first of Nissan. But [the women] did not want to bring their rings to the calf, so God gave them their reward that they should keep Rosh Chodesh.

…For women do not perform labor on them [Rosh Chodesh]… and I heard from my teacher the elder that this mitzva was given to them because they did not remove their rings for the calf…

…For it is certainly permissible for men to perform labor on [Rosh Chodesh], but women are prohibited from labor because they did not remove their rings in the deed of the calf.

…Women who are accustomed [nohagot] not to perform labor on Rosh Chodesh…

They were not used to performing labor on Rosh Chodesh…and they are used to saying that God added a Yom Tov for women on Rosh Chodesh as a reward for not agreeing to participate in the deed of the calf.

Women who are accustomed not to perform labor…on Rosh Chodesh, it is a [valid] custom

It could be that this is how they originally accepted it, to differentiate it from a true weekday, but not to prohibit labors that they do not do for pay

Gloss: And if the custom is to perform a few labors and not to perform a few of them, we follow the custom

And according to this it seems that there is certainly no prohibition for women if they perform labor…rather, the Holy Blessed One gave them a reward of keeping Rosh Chodesh, [meaning] that her husband cannot force her to perform labor

And the women who practice - ... That every woman needs to take upon herself this custom, i.e., she is not permitted in any event to make this day like a true weekday to be occupied with all labors, for in this matter women stand commanded from ancient days. But not to occupy herself with any labor, that matter depends on her custom. If from the time she grew up she was accustomed to perform some labors, one should not prohibit her, for she is not commanded on this at all. For in this [desisting from labor] there was never a unified custom for all of Israel and even in ancient days there were those who were accustomed to do a few labors and there were those who sanctified themselves and didn’t do any labor…

Women who are occupied with a trade perform labor. And one must say that women did not take [refraining from labor] upon themselves to reduce their livelihood.

Rav Idi bar Avin said in the name of Rav Amram in the name of Rav Nachman in the name of Shemuel: If someone made a mistake and did not mention Rosh Chodesh in prayer [shemoneh esrei], we make him go back. In birkat ha-mazon, we do not make him go back. Rav Avin said to Rav Amram: What’s the difference between prayer and birkat ha-mazon? He said to him: For me too it was difficult, and I asked Rav Nachman, and he said to me…Prayer, which is obligatory, we make him go back. Birkat ha-mazon, where he eats if he wants and doesn’t eat if he wants, we don’t make him go back…

…And all of Israel is accustomed to make a larger meal than on other days because of the honor of the day, which is an atonement for Israel…And in Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer we found a great custom in Israel that we make a festive meal on Rosh Chodesh and on Yamim Tovim so that we remember the musaf prayer, and that women are prohibited from performing labor on Rosh Chodesh, and on Yom Tov [the labor prohibition] is also for men.

Rav Yose said: Like me that in all my days I did not pray musaf without knowing when is the [new] moon