It’s Okay To Be Bitter In Cheshvan

Tonight begins Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, or the beginning of the month of Cheshvan, though you may know Cheshvan by its sad little nickname, Mar Cheshvan, Bitter Cheshvan. We call this next month bitter because it’s the only month without any holidays or special mitzvot associated with it in the Bible or Talmud. We’ve just come out of this holiday high where we couldn’t go 45 seconds without some big feast and instead of easing ourselves back into regular life with some kind of slow holiday weaning, we have to go cold turkey into a sad empty month with nary a hora in sight. The way you hear people talk about mar Cheshvan you’d think it was a time when we’re obligated to walk around crying and being nostalgic for Shmini Atzeret, but in fact there are some cool things associated with Cheshvan. I have no idea how reliable a source The Inner Dimension is, but on their Cheshvan website they note that Cheshvan’s favorite color is purple, and that it’s empty because it has been reserved for the Mashiach, so that when he shows up he won’t have a tough time scheduling the inauguration of the Third Temple. Planning ahead for the time of the Mashiach—Cheshvan is so organized! There are other cool things about this month. Recently Cheshvan was chosen to be Jewish Social Action Month and was officially recognized as such by Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Apparently the Government of Israel’s Ministry for Israeli Society and World Jewish Community, declared Cheshvan an annual international celebration dedicated to the Jewish values of tzedek, chesed and aryevut (justice, kindness, and social responsibility) to be practiced by the entire Jewish people throughout the world. To find out more about Cheshvan check out this website put up by Hillel, or the official Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM) website, where there are listings of all kinds of programs all over the world. The WUJS website about Cheshvan reminds us that it’s a month all about fertility and rain, so if you were thinking of getting knocked up, this might be a good month to go for it. Also, the matriarch Rachel died in Cheshvan, so lots of people do something special remembering her on the anniversary of her death (11 Cheshvan, 23 October). Finally, you can read a fairly lame dvar Torah about Cheshvan that I wrote when I was a sophomore in college. Before I started at Jewcy it was one of the only things with my name on it on the internet, so whenever I’d go on dates the guys would inevitably try to bring it up, “So, I know you’re a fan of Cheshvan…” So awkward, but not without its charms. Much like Cheshvan, come to think of it.