Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan

Tonight starts day 1 of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. Cheshvan is the eighth of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar.Cheshvan comes at the same time as the secular months of October/November. Pumpkins, squash, and gourds have arrived, reminding us of the cycle of planting and harvesting. Nature begins to hibernate, and mirroring this process, we too slow down and turn inward. This coming Saturday and Sunday weather permitting we will not only be able to say Kiddash Levanah we will also be able to say the blessing over the meteor shower called the Orionids B'H' Look for them in the southern sky between the star Sirius and the planet Jupiter after midnight until dawn.
 

The mazel (constellation) for Cheshvan is Scorpio, akrav (the scorpion).Cheshvan is often referred to as mar Cheshvan, "bitter" Cheshvan, because the month contains no holy days, and because it often coincides with the arrival of colder weather. "Mar" can also mean a drop of water. According to a midrash, more rain falls in "watery Cheshvan" since it marks the beginning of the great flood during the time of Noah. We can also think of Cheshvan as a quiet time to reap the benefits of the spiritual growth of the preceding month of Tishrei.

Cheshvan contains the yahrzeits (annual commemoration of a person's death) of many important women in Jewish history. Tradition teaches that our fore-mother Rachel died on the 11th of Cheshvan and that she is buried in Kever Rachel (Rachel's tomb), outside of Bethlehem, where she is said to weep for all of us, her children. In some communities women make pilgrimages to Rachel's tomb and say special prayers for fertility and childbearing. Our fore-mother Rachel is remembered for her compassion, perseverance, and devotion.

Emma Lazurus (1849-18887) teaches us to welcome people from all backgrounds, to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and to pursue our artistic passions. She wrote the famous sonnet welcoming new immigrants to America that is engraved on the Statue of Liberty. Lazarus' paternal ancestors were among the first twenty-three Jews to settle in New York in 1654. Her yahrzeit is the 19th of Cheshvan.

Author, Zionist and war hero Hannah Senesh (1921-1944) was born in Hungary and made immigrated to Palestine. Senesh was captured and executed while courageously trying to save Hungarian Jews from the Nazis. Her numerous poems and stories are widely published. Her yahrzeit is the 20th of Cheshvan.
Hannah Senesh's poem Halihah Lekeysaryah became popularized as the lyrics to the beloved song Eli, Eli.
Eli, Eli she lo yigamer le'olam
hahol vehayam
rishrush shel hamayim
berak hashamayim
tefilat ha'adam     
My God, my God, I pray that these things never end -
the sand and the sea,
the rush of the waters,
the crash of the heavens,
the prayer of the heart.

 May this month bring us that much closer beloved~Elisheva