It is customary on Rosh Hodesh to add in Birkat Ha’mazon the prayer, "Ha’rahaman Hu Yehadesh Alenu Et Ha’hodesh Ha’ze Le’toba Ve’li’bracha" ("The compassionate One shall bestow upon us a month of goodness and blessing").
It is advisable to notify one’s family of the occurrence of Rosh Hodesh ahead of time. Often, women and children who do not regularly attend the synagogue are entirely unaware of when Rosh Hodesh occurs, and thus do not add "Ya’ale Ve’yabo" in the prayers and Birkat Ha’mazon, and do not eat a special Rosh Hodesh meal as they should. It therefore behooves the husband, who presumably knows when Rosh Hodesh falls from being in the synagogue, to notify his family in advance.
Rav Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1869), in his work Kaf Ha’haim (listen to audio recording for precise citation), lauds those who make a point of feeding Torah scholars on Rosh Hodesh. This practice, he writes, is assured to bring a person much success and profit during the coming month. Rav Haim Palachi goes so far as to write, "U’b’hanuni Na Ba’zot," inviting his readers to "test" this claim and see for themselves that it is indeed true. It is well known, he adds, that the reward for charity given on Rosh Hodesh exceeds that of charity given on other days, several times over.
A number of years ago, a certain man learned these comments of Rav Haim Palachi, and immediately decided that he would provide meals for Kollel students each and every Rosh Hodesh, realizing how beneficial this practice would be not only for the students – but for himself, as well.
