Have you ever run a marathon? Neither have I.
But I imagine that while running, it is not the time to calmly strategize on a plan of action.
You could call the month of Tishrei a sort of marathon. (And I don’t just mean because of all the cooking!) With a whole assortment of holidays ranging from serious and sedate to joyous and jubilant, Tishrei is like a spiritual marathon. Cheshvan, on the other hand, is the month when we can catch our breath, so to speak, and internalize all the inspiration from the holidays and integrate it into our lives.
This Friday and Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. Though bereft of any special holiday, there is still a lot of insight and inspiration that you can find on our Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan site.
This week, we also read the Torah portion of Noach. In the month of Cheshvan, the flood waters began and, a year later, in this same month, Noach and his family left the ark to begin a new life on dry land.
As we enter the month of Cheshvan, we too are back to real life.
This week, we explore lots of great new topics. We learn tips to outsmart clutter both within our homes as well as in our negative thought patterns. We feature a poignantly touching account of a woman whose pregnancy ended, bereft of a longed-for child. And we apply Noach’s strategies to regain our own equilibrium in dealing with the sometimes overwhelming ”flood waters” of life.
As Noach emerged from the ark, he beheld a beautiful new world.
We can too.
Wishing you a Chodesh Tov (a good month)!
Chana Weisberg,
Editor, TJW
