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Heshvan - Mar Heshvan - Bul, By whatever name, it is still the eighth month of the year. Tanach refers to the month as Bul (First Kings, 6), though no one is quite certain for what reason. Some of our teachers of old believed the name comes from the fact that the Great Flood (mabul) took place in Heshvan. Others believe the name comes from the fact that the grass of the field withers (baleh) during this time of year. Still others believe the name is a play on the word yevul (produce) because this is the season of harvest. Nor is there agreement about how the month came to be called Mar Heshvan. Some say it is so named because the month was a bitter one (mar) over the centuries. Yet others claim the name derives from the Hebrew word for a drop of water (kemar) because life-giving rains come at this time.
One could also refer to Heshvan as the "Break" Month. We finally get a "break" from all of the holidays that filled the previous month of Tishrei. There is not a single Jewish holiday in this month. There could have been. We’re told (First Kings, 6) that King Solomon completed the building of the First Temple on the 11th of Heshvan. However, its doors stayed locked for nearly a year and its dedication was not celebrated until the following Tishrei. While some lament this "loss of a holiday," Jewish educators and homemakers across the world give thanks for having the time to catch up on such mundane things as teaching the rest of their curriculum, having time to take down their sukkot and getting ready for Chanukah, which arrives in the next month. | |||||||||
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CREDITS: The JCC Association would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to the Heshvan portion of the "This New Month" Project. © 2002 - 2006 JCC Association 'This New Month' Project | |||||||||