Name of the month: KISLEV
Other names of the month:
Mazal of the month: KESHES (BOW)
Tribe of the month (according to the Arizal): BINYOMIN
Tribe of the month (according to the Zohar): GAD
The nature of the month
The month of Kislev, together with the month of Cheshvan, is different to all other months. Usually a month alternate between a full month of 30 days or a missing month with only 29 days. However, these two months can either both be 30 or both 29 or one 30 and one 29 days. It has the mazal, astrological sign, of the rainbow and parallels the tribe of Gad, according to the order of birth, or Binyomin, according to the order of the Degolim, camps.
The festival of the month
The month of Kislev contains in it the miracle of Chanuka where the Jews were miraculously saved through the few Chasmonoyim, Kohanim, against the physical might of the Yevonim, Greeks. They were able to push them away from the holy Beis Hamikdosh. This came together with the miracle of the one flask of oil that was only enough for only one day and yet it lit miraculously for eight days until new pure oil could be produced. The date for this was on the 25th of Kislev. We celebrate this with the lighting of our menorah for eight days.
Kislev and rain
The month of Kislev is the time when the start of the public fasting for rain occurred. There were thirteen public fasts for a lack of rainfall and the first of these took place on Rosh Chodesh Kislev. (Mishna Taanis 1:5)
The month of Kislev and the Keshes, Rainbow
We mentioned that the mazal for the month of Kislev is the Keshes, Rainbow. How does this reflect the nature of Kislev? The first rainbow, after the Mabul, was seen in Kislev. The rainbow is physical and yet has spiritual connotations…