The Month of Cheshvan

At the end of the spiritually rich month of Tishrei we declare, "And Yaakov went on his way" — now is the time to take all the light we accumulated during the month of holidays and bring it into the world, into our mundane lives. This begins with the month of Cheshvan.

Cheshvan is the only month that has no holidays or special mitzvot. At first glance it looks like a dreary month leading into the dark winter. In the Bible it is called the month of "bul," from "mabul" — flood; the flood began on the 17th of Cheshvan. Yet from a deeper perspective the flood served as a mikvah, a purifying bath that refined the world and made it receptive to the process of rectification that will culminate with the coming of Moshiach.

Cheshvan is the eighth month of the Jewish calendar — the month of Moshiach. The number seven signifies the perfection of nature; the number eight signifies the supernatural, the Divine light that transcends the limitations of nature. The first Temple, built by King Solomon, was completed in Cheshvan, though its dedication waited until Tishrei; G-d promised the "deprived" month of Cheshvan that the third and eternal Temple will be built and dedicated in Cheshvan.

According to the book of Yetzirah the sense of Cheshvan is the sense of smell, the most spiritual of the senses and the only one not blemished by the sin in the Garden of Eden. Moshiach will use the sense of smell to detect the righteousness of each person. In Hebrew smell is "reyach," similar to "ruach" — spirit; the word "neshama" (soul) shares the letters of Menashe, the tribe of Cheshvan, whose name also shares the letters of "shmone" (eight). Menashe alludes to the power to transform darkness to light through the neshama, the Divine soul that never loses touch with the inner G-dly intent of every experience. This power is represented by the letter Nun, the letter of Moshiach, which signifies the 50th gate of understanding and the number of freedom.

The Zodiac sign of Cheshvan is Scorpio. The scorpion's cold poison represents coldness to holiness — sarcastic rejection of the miraculous. The way to counteract it is by positioning oneself as a "heel," the position of humility, recognizing G-d as the source of all existence: "akrav" transformed becomes "ikar bayit," the permanent dwelling of G-d in this world. On the 11th of Cheshvan we commemorate the passing of Rachel Imeinu, who represents the inner power of the soul to awaken G-d's mercy and to redeem His people from exile; it is the Jewish mother's day of the year. Rachel also represents the sphere of Malchut, uncovering its source in the Divine crown through humility.