After sunset this coming Sunday (15th October) we will enter the 8th month of the biblical year, named by man Cheshvan, which is a word most probably of Babylonian origin. Before that man gave it the name “Bul”. But when it is mentioned in the scriptures this month is always referred to as the eighth month, it is only called Bul once. This name Bul maybe of Canaanite origin, but closely related to the Hebrew word “מבול – mabul” meaning flood.
For this reason there is a Jewish tradition that Noach’s flood occurred in this 8th month, as recorded in Genesis 7: “. …… On the 17th day of the 2nd month of the 600th year of Noach’s life all the fountains of the great deep were broken up. It rained on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.”
It seems the reference to the 2nd month here, has been thought of as being the month Cheshvan. But this would be the 2nd month of the man made Civil Year. As this story of Noach is way before The Lord told Moshe that the month of Pesach (in the spring) would be the 1st month of their year, and way way before the man instituted Civil Year, it really is not clear at all what time of year the reference to the 17th day of the 2nd month means here. As I said, this is Jewish tradition.
There are actually very few places where this 8th month is mentioned in scriptures. The most significant is in 1 Kings 6:38 where we we read that after King Shlomo had spent seven years building the first temple it was in the 8th month that it was completed:
“In the month of Bul, which is the 8th month, all parts of the house were completed exactly as designed. Thus he was seven years building it:”
Seven is seen as a number of completion, as in the 7 days of creation, so no. 8 is seen as a new beginning. It seems quite appropriate then that Shlomo took seven years to complete the temple and then in the 8th month there is a new beginning when the House of The Lord is completed.
The other mention in 1 Kings 12: is when Jeroboam gets worried people will turn against him, and we read. “Jeroboam instituted a festival in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, similar to the festival held in Judah. He went up to the altar in Beit-El to sacrifice to the golden calves he had made……” Not surprisingly, however, this did not end well for him! Another reminder not a good idea to add or take away from The Word of God and go our own way!
And finally in Zechariah 1:1 we read: “In the eighth month of the second year of Daryavesh, the following message from The Lord came to Zechariah……”
Yet another occasion when The Lord pleads with the descendants of the Children of Israel. “Return to me and I will return to you..… do not be like your ancestors….. turn back from your evil ways and deeds…….”
So during this 8th month, we celebrate, well.. ……actually …….nothing! The uniqueness of this eight month, Cheshvan, is that it has no festivals, no days set aside for rejoicing, and not even a single fast day, in fact because of its lack of holidays Cheshvan is often referred to as Mar Cheshvan, Mar meaning bitter, expressing the lack of sweetness of festive days. So the month has the nature of being a time of praying for rain in earnest, a time of reflection after all the busyness and activity.
However, as we all now know, on Shemini Atzeret a terrible evil fell on the people of Israel. So we enter this 8th month in the midst of a war like no other since the Holocaust, and Mar Cheshvan seems a very appropriate name.
Reeling from the horrendous barbaric, heinous, inhuman actions perpetrated by Hamas on innocent Israeli civilians, we pray this new month may be a month of continued and increased unity among the people, and the government, as we stand and fight together against our enemy, and the enemy of the God of Israel, The God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov. May Adonai Tzva’ot go before us, with us, and behind us in these dark days ahead.