Noach 5785: Rosh Chodesh

NAVIGATING THE SPIRITUAL BENDS

Yeshayahu 66:1-24

After a month at spiritual heights, we might feel the “spiritual bends.” It can feel like a sharp transition, transcending from holiness to the mundane. We’re adjusting to days without extra Tefilot, without Yom Tov meals, and without focused time with family and friends. How do we reorient ourselves in a period with no clear spiritual landing points?  

Rather than seeing Cheshvan as a calendar anomaly with no chagim, Rav Hirsch explains the intention behind it. He notes that Cheshvan comes from חש—hush, as in seen in Tehillim 39:3, 

נֶאֱלַ֣מְתִּי ד֭וּמִיָּה הֶחֱשֵׁ֣יתִי מִטּ֑וֹב וּכְאֵבִ֥י נֶעְכָּֽר׃ , I was dumb, silent, I as very still while my pain was intense. It is the quiet of Cheshvan that allows us to land gently back into our routines. This calmness grants space to integrate ideas and inspiration into action, and to bring Hashem into the ordinary rhythms of daily life.

In the penultimate posuk in this week’s haftorah, we find the phrase, מִֽדֵּי־חֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ בְּחׇדְשׁ֔וֹ וּמִדֵּ֥י שַׁבָּ֖ת בְּשַׁבַּתּ֑וֹ, month by month, Shabbat by Shabbat, suggesting a regular rhythm. The word, מִֽדֵּי, denotes continuous action, uniting moments close together or far apart, such as week to week or month to month. This resonates now, after a Tishrei filled with holy gatherings from Rosh Hashanah to Sukkot. Each week brought us closer to each other and to Hashem.

Now, we step into Cheshvan, a month without holidays. The transition feels stark, almost a descent. But perhaps מִֽדֵּי־חֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ בְּחׇדְשׁ֔וֹ וּמִדֵּ֥י שַׁבָּ֖ת בְּשַׁבַּתּ֑וֹ offers a reminder: our connection is unbroken, extending our holy days into all time. This rhythm invites us to carry the kedusha of Tishrei into Cheshvan’s quiet spaces, grounding our closeness to Hashem in everyday moments.

May we find strength in the unbroken rhythm of Cheshvan to take Tishrei with us as we navigate the quieter days ahead.