Marking Sacred Time: At The Well’s New Family Rosh Chodesh Initiative

Marking the new moon of Nissan, and counting the months of the year from that point, is the first commandment given in the Torah, right in Exodus. In fact, owning one’s time is how the Jewish people came to understand freedom. This is why Rosh Chodesh, the monthly Jewish holiday of the new moon, is considered a sacred time for reflection, renewal, and hope. To observe Rosh Chodesh, one only has to notice the moon, offer gratitude, and recognize the Divine Oneness in the world.

For a decade, At The Well has made this spiritual, reflective practice accessible with monthly virtual events, regional programs, and spiritual learning products. The organization has always focused on helping women understand the power of Rosh Chodesh as a source of spiritual nourishment, emotional resilience, and connection.

Now, At The Well is engaging a new audience through its Family Rosh Chodesh Initiative. Parents can access beautifully designed, age-appropriate monthly toolkits that make Jewish time tangible and joyful for their children. Developed with Jewish child development experts, the curriculum helps families pause, reflect, and mark the new month together, even amid busy schedules.

Many of the women who first engaged with At The Well are parents today. They told us how much they wanted tools to translate their in-home experiences. This initiative helps them introduce their children and spouses to the wisdom of the Hebrew calendar and sacred mindfulness, with age-appropriate activities and thoughtful social-emotional takeaways every month. It makes Jewish learning a lived, relational experience that unfolds naturally within their family life. We want Rosh Chodesh to be as well-known as Shabbat, anchoring Jewish rituals and time for families.
– Sarah Waxman, Founder and CEO, At The Well

The Family Rosh Chodesh initiative builds on what At The Well does best: translating Jewish wisdom into embodied, emotionally resonant practice, now intentionally designed for intergenerational learning and connection. The initiative was piloted with eight in-person and virtual parent workshops in 2025, along with a virtual toolkit, on-demand training, and a free Mini Guide to Rosh Chodesh at Home. At The Well’s approach invites families into this ancient wisdom through modern pedagogy: storytelling, sensory ritual, open-ended questions, and reflection prompts that meet children where they are developmentally.

My biggest takeaway from the workshop is that there is no wrong way to do this ritual—it’s about connection, family time, and connecting with our Judaism. I so appreciate the family blessing and the beautiful manuals to give us structure!
– Family Workshop Participant

While Rosh Chodesh is an easy opportunity to mark time together and create sacredness in the home, many parents have not previously engaged with the Hebrew calendar in this way. For them, this ritual is a new, powerful way to use Judaism as a foundation for well-being and meaning.

Despite an extensive Jewish education in my upbringing, I truly had no idea about Rosh Chodesh or anything about the spiritual aspects of the Hebrew calendar.
– Family Workshop Participant

At The Well’s founder and CEO Sarah Waxman leads a Family Rosh Chodesh training at the Jewish Community Day School of Greater New Orleans.

The initiative’s launch coincided with At The Well’s 10th anniversary and the creation of the At The Well Collective, a new digital platform and app designed to support sustained learning and belonging. This infrastructure made it possible to offer ongoing family toolkits, an instant-access virtual workshop, and “It’s almost Rosh Chodesh!” reminders straight to parents’ phones. The Collective also offers optional peer connection, events, and discussion spaces—turning one-time inspiration into month-by-month practice.

Building on these successes, At The Well is hoping to expand access in the next few years to Family Rosh Chodesh resources through:

• Additional family toolkits and on-demand trainings
• Family-oriented products like books, calendars, and moon “lovies”
• Partnerships with JCCs, synagogues, and Jewish day schools
• More integration into the Collective so families can connect with other parents and deepen their practice over time.

As At The Well hits its milestone anniversary, and as more people seek spiritual practices, the organization is investing in sustainable growth: strengthening earned revenue, expanding the Collective, and supporting families through life transitions with ritual and learning resources rooted in Jewish tradition.

Learn more about At The Well and the Family Rosh Chodesh Initiative here. The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of At The Well.