There’s a meme that has been going around the internet the past few years that is a chart of the Jewish holidays. Within the chart are the categories: They Tried to Kill Us. We’re Alive! Let’s Eat! TREES!
This translations to: Does this holiday commemorate our survival after people tried to kill us? The answer of course being “yes” or “no.”
The next category has to do with whether or not we are commemorating death (like on Yom HaShoah). The answers again being “yes” or “no.”
Then there’s the question of whether this is a holiday of eating. For this one they add the option of “ok,” because on certain holidays it is okay to eat, but it’s not a major theme.
Finally, there is the category of whether or not the holiday involves trees (like Tu Bishvat) where again the answers are “yes” or “no.”
In many ways, it’s just a fun and silly chart. In other ways, it is a reminder that the Jewish calendar keeps us VERY busy.
That is until the Jewish month of Cheshvan, also referred to as Marcheshvan. The word mar means “bitterness” (coming from the same word as maror – the bitter herb that we eat on Passover).
Some say that the month is given this bitter name is because there are NO holidays or significant days celebrated by the majority of the Jewish community during the month of Cheshvan (though Ethiopian Jews have a special holiday known as Sigd celebrated on the 29th of the Cheshvan).
No holidays or significant days…makes for a bit of a bitter month. At the same time, I titled the article “When Bitterness is Celebrated” for a reason!
Two things can be true. Sometimes a month without is a reminder…
- to pump the breaks on the business of life and to enjoy a slowdown.
- of why we love to celebrate and commemorate special days together.
Embrace the bitterness this Shabbat. Pump the breaks on the busyness of life. Shabbat is still there for us as a time to be together. We just need you.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rachael
