Did you know that the name of the month of January comes from the same root as the word janitor? They both derive from a Roman myth about Janus, worshipped as the god of doorways and beginnings. At one time, janitor was synonymous with “doorman” and January is of course the entrance to a new secular year. Janus is depicted as a figure with two heads, one staring back at what has happened already and the other gazing forward at what is to come. To the Romans, this month in the dead of winter was a moment to mark the end of the last year and the beginning of the new one.

But what does the Jewish tradition have to say about it?

You might think that the ancient Rabbis would have nothing to say about this secular new year in January since we celebrate our New Year’s Day in the fall, on Rosh Hashannah. And you would be right that the vast majority of Jewish sources deal with Rosh Hashannah and a whole host of other times during the year that have significance as Jewish new years. However, there is a mention of the origin of a celebration on January 1st in the Jerusalem Talmud as it discusses the customs of the world around it. There we find that this Roman new year celebration was called “calendas” (the source of the word calendar) and several theories are put forth as to its origins.

One rabbi tells of a terrible war between the Romans and the Egyptians which seemed to have no end. The rulers of the two countries agreed that whichever could convince a general to fall on his sword, that country would be ceded victory. On the Egyptian side there were no takers, but the Roman’s had a particularly elderly veteran named Januarius who had twelve sons and numerous other kin. By promising Dukedoms and riches would be paid to his descendants, they persuaded Januarius to agree their rather severe offer of early retirment. In memory of his noble (and forward looking) sacrifice, the Romans celebrated the day of his death and named the month Januarius in his honor.

Reading into the story, last year (the veteran) has to go to create room for twelve new months (his sons). Picture the old man with a sash reading 2009 giving way to the baby holding a sign marked 2010.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Michael