There is always a light at the end of the tunnel; just sometimes the tunnel seems to extend miles and miles. The sun will come up tomorrow (bet your bottom dollar) but sometimes tomorrow feels much more than a day away. Often when we find ourselves in the darkest most difficult moments of life we feel hopeless and as if there is no way out of our pressing situation. The Torah, however, teaches us that it is that very feeling of despair that allows us hope for better times ahead.

In this week’s parsha, Bo, we as Jews are given our first Mitzvah (commandment) as a people. What is the first mitzvah given to the Jewish people you may ask. So many to choose from: Shabbat, Kosher? Nope, the first Mitzvah the Torah commands us of is that of Rosh Chodesh: to bless each new month.

What is it that makes this mitzvah so significant that it should be our first charge?

The Jewish calendar is a lunar one, each month beginning with the new cycle of the moon. Our story as a people is also compared to the cycle of the moon. Towards the end of each month the moon’s light diminishes more and more until in the final days hardly a glimmer of light can be seen. But just as much as that darkness is a sign of the end of a month, it is also a sign that a new month is about to begin.

So is the history of the Jews. We have experienced many dark moments.  Each of those, though, moments also produces a glimmer of hope for brighter days in the future.  It is this message that in many ways defines us as Jews. Therefore, God, sees fit that our first Mitzvah should be one that teaches the lesson of how to navigate life and live all the others. Persevere, never give up, brighter days do lie ahead.