We are entering the singular month of the Jewish calendar in which there are no holidays, festivals, fasts or observances other than Shabbat.
November is the month of Cheshvan, or what is known as mar Cheshvan, meaning bitter. After three months of preparation for, or observance of Elul, Selichot, Rosh Hashonah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, it’s certainly understandable to feel a bit of post-holiday let down or even emptiness (hence the word bitter). But I’m guessing that many more of us may be ripe for a rest.
I know I was.
Enter Cheshvan. These weeks before we prepare for Hanukah (December 20) and then, winter (December 21) offer an opportunity to find ways to refuel, refresh and replenish.
I write this blog entry from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where I took a last minute weekend to leave town, quiet my electronic devices and catch the last of the fall colors before they fell to the ground.
View theses as a visual prompt to take Cheshvan up on its offerings.
And feel free to comment here about what that will look like or has looked like for you. I’d be interested to know ….
Ellen Blum Barish
