Shabbat morning, July 26, 2025. The weather was warm and humid and the landscape lush with greenery, like a rainforest! It must be summer in the Great Lakes! We had just had a major storm the night before, so the streams and marsh were swollen and overflowing, the water brown and rushing. The contrast of our temperate climate with the heavy heat and dryness of the middle east is especially strong in summer.
Av is the second month of the Hebrew calendar year’s summer, following on Tammuz with much the same intensity of heat and light. However, there is a difference: At Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, we are preparing to descend into the flaming underworld of summer, leading toward the beginning of the Three Weeks of mourning starting with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz, commemorating the siege of Jerusalem. At Rosh Chodesh Av, we are in the midst of the Three Weeks, headed toward the lowpoint of the Jewish Year, Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av, when we fast and mourn, remembering the destruction of our Temples in ancient times and many other catastrophes. And then – the darkness begins to lift. By Tu B’Av, the 15th of Av, we begin to experience some joy again with the Jewish Valentine’s Day, an auspicious day of love and matchmaking.
Rosh Chodesh Av has additional significance: in the Torah, it is noted that Aharon (Aaron, Moses’ brother), who traveled with Moses and the Israelites in the desert, died on the first day of Av. Aharon was the quieter older brother to his “flashy” younger brother: perhaps wiser, perhaps having experienced the loss of his sons – a bit more sober, a better listener, a better sharer of love. Ben Elterman, a blog writer, notes that Aharon worked for peace among the Jews, which was hard to come by even then among the travelers in the desert. This peace was more than a “period of no war” – it was an active peace where people collaborated to listen to each other and create harmony among themselves, making peace, Oseh Shalom. [1] Our sages attributed the loss of the temples to dissension and conflict among the Jews. There is something we can learn here – may we all seek peace actively and by listening, across all of our worlds. – K. Miriam
Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will honor the month of Elul, Monday, August 25, 8:30 am. Contact us for location.
[1] See https://sixdegreesofkosherbacon.com/2025/07/24/aharon-died-on-the-first-of-av-where-did-the-love-go/
Rosh Chodesh Cleveland 