בס”ד 21 November 2024 - כ׳ במרחשוון ה׳תשפ״ה‎

The month of Cheshvan

Name of the month: CHESHVAN
Other names of the month: MARCHESHVAN
Mazal of the month: AKRAV (SCORPION)
Tribe of the month (according to the Arizal): MENASHE
Tribe of the month (according to the Zohar): NAFTOLI

question markQuestions on the month of Cheshvan:

  1. Are there any special days in the month of Cheshvan?
  2. What does the word “Cheshvan” mean?
  3. Is it Mar-Cheshvan or just Cheshvan?
  4. What events in history occurred during the month of Cheshvan?

RainDropsThe nature of the month of Cheshvan

The month of Cheshvan is the only month that has no day that stands out as being especially good or bad. This is why it sometimes is given an additional name of “Mar-Cheshvan” where “Mar” means bitter expressing the lack of sweetness of festive days. This month has the nature of being the time of davening for rain in earnest – with the adding of Visein Tal Umotor in Shemona Esra in Eretz Yisroel. This is again alluded to in the name “Mar-Cheshvan”, where “Mar” means a drop (of water – see Yeshayahu 40), referring  to the supplications for plentiful rain. The month of Chesvan, together with the month of Kislev, 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. The mazal, astrological sign, for Cheshvan is Akrov, the scorpion. The tribe that this month parallels is Naftoli, according to the order of birth, or Menashe, according to the Degolim, camps. The month of Chesvan is called “Bul” in Nach (Melochim I 6).

What happened in this month?

This month of Cheshvan has a mixture of good and bad events in Jewish History. There is an opinion that in this month the Mabul started, seven days after the death of the tzaddik Mesushelach. This ties in with the theme of water connected to this month seen in the supplication of Visein Tal Umotor only added in Cheshvan. Rochel Imeinu died and Binyomin HaTzaddik was born on the 11th of Cheshvan. After King Yerovom rebelled and separated from Malchus Yehuda, he did not want people to be oleh regel to Yerushalayim where the Malchus Yehuda was in power. He therefore instituted a new festival paralleling Sukkos to be celebrated on the 15th of Cheshvan. The building of the first Beis Hamikdosh of Shlomo HaMelech was finished in the month of Cheshvan (Melochim I 6) and therefore Cheshvan should have had a festive day. It will be paid back in the future when the third Beis Hamikdosh will be built in Cheshvan (Yalkut Melochim 184). Perhaps this is why nowadays we do not remember as a designated day any events in the month of Cheshvan since it is so-to-speak “reserved” for the future building of the third Beis Hamikdosh.

Cheshvan – A month of continuation

The word Cheshvan is related to the word Merachashon meaning to continue what was previous done in an automatic way. This is referring to the previous month of Tishrei that was full of mitzvos. It was the last summer month and from this spiritual high we enter the first winter month of Cheshvan to continue this momentum.

question markQuestions on BeHaB:

  1. What does this mean?
  2. Why does BeHaB occur in the month of Cheshvan?
  3. Why have them on these particular days in the week?
  4. Why have three fasts? Why not just one?

BeHaB – three days of fasting

There are three fasts during the month of Cheshvan (Shulchan Oruch, O.C. 492). This is either because it is a time of rainfall upon which we are so dependent on. Alternatively, it is a follow on from the month of Tishrei that was full of festivals and rejoicing and this could have been a cause for sin.  As an atonement these three fasts known as BeHaB standing for the Beis-Hei-Beis, referring to the second-fifth-second days of the week – namely Monday-Thursday-Monday, are designated for fasting on.

The reason why the days of Monday and Thursday are chosen is because these days represent a time of din in the world. This is seen in that the Beis Din would sit and judge on these days of the week (first Mishna in Kesuvos). Perhaps the idea of three fasts to achieve this is that when something happens three times it sets a precedence that fixes things, known as chazoke.

Some deeper questions on the month of Cheshvan:

  1. Cheshvan  is the eighth month in the year. How is this significant?
  2. The gematria of Cheshvan, חשון=364=השט”ן.
  3. ‘חשו”ן אותיות נח”ש מלא ו- Is this significant?