November
Rabbi Stephanie Breitsman
This year, the month of November corresponds with the Hebrew month of Cheshvan. Cheshvan is sometimes called Mar Cheshvan, or “Bitter Cheshvan,” because it’s a month with no Jewish holidays. My experience of Cheshvan is anything but bitter – some might say it’s a rabbi’s favorite month.
Pesikta Rabati, a 9th century collection of midrashim, teaches that King Solomon “completed building the Beit HaMikdash (the first Temple) in the month of Cheshvan… and it remained locked up for twelve months… for Hashem wanted to wait until [the Tishrei.” The Temple remained closed for almost an entire year! Tishrei is a time of beginnings, the first month of the new year. Perhaps God is also teaching us that Cheshvan is meant to be a time of rest.
Cheshvan is the month after the harvest season, the month before the darkest time of the year. Cheshvan offers us a chance to pause after the work of the High Holidays and to tune back into the rhythms of our lives. For me, it’s a chance to get back into the rhythm of cooking, exercise, and making sure I get enough quiet time to rest and read.
Among the rhythms of life are anniversaries of important milestones. On Saturday, November 1st, we will celebrate the 60th anniversary of David Seitman’s Bar Mitzvah! Please join us for Shabbat morning services followed by a special oneg lunch.