Wednesday, October 26. A warm but dark, blustery and rainy day – the trees are painted with the most intense color this year, stronger than usual – and in the dark and wet, they glowed. It was wonderful to walk among them. In the middle east, harvest is just about done, olives the last crop. And then the rains come – rejuvenating the soil and preparing it for planting to come.
We spoke today about MarCheshvan, the original and still-used name for the month of Cheshvan. “mar” refers to bitterness – often explained as referring to the lack of holidays in this month. But it also could refer to the need this month to take our inspired commitments of the High Holidays and confirm them in our everyday lives. This often involves digging deep into the roots of our souls, finding the not-so-good truths about ourselves and pulling them out in order to truly start anew. This is not easy work, and even could be bitter work – perhaps this is also the origin of the name.
Orthodox sources we have seen this month seem to also focus on the ethics of clean, kind speech, and business ethics. Bringing our inspired commitments into our everyday lives means being aware of our every action, and its impact on others – whether it is a response to a family member or acquaintance, information shared inadvertently, or a business decision. What do we hear from our ancestors and modern-day advisors about the right thing to do or say? – how good are we at carrying this through, day in and day out? – most of us are works in progress. Let Cheshvan give us many opportunities for this work. — Chodesh tov! — Kirby
Our next Rosh Chodesh Walking Meditation will honor the month of Kislev, Friday, November 25, 7:30 am. Contact us for location!
Rosh Chodesh Cleveland 