Cheshvan Chaburah: Making the month sweeter

Additionally, with regard to this psalm, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Why is there no verse beginning with the letter nun in ashrei? Because it contains an allusion to the downfall of the enemies of Israel, a euphemism for Israel itself. As it is written: “The virgin of Israel has fallen and she will rise no more; abandoned in her land, none will raise her up” (Amos 5:2), which begins with the letter nun. Due to this verse, ashrei does not include a verse beginning with the letter nun.

Fallen, not to rise again, Is Maiden Israel; Abandoned on her soil With none to lift her up.

This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you.

Look down from Your holy abode, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the soil You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.”

The LORD your God commands you this day to observe these laws and rules; observe them faithfully with all your heart and soul.

But Shem and Japheth took a cloth, placed it against both their backs and, walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness; their faces were turned the other way, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.

This is the line of Noah.—Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with God.—

בדורותיו IN HIS GENERATIONS — Some of our Rabbis explain it (this word) to his credit: he was righteous even in his generation; it follows that had he lived in a generation of righteous people he would have been even more righteous owing to the force of good example. Others, however, explain it to his discredit: in comparison with his own generation he was accounted righteous, but had he lived in the generation of Abraham he would have been accounted as of no importance (cf. Sanhedrin 108a).

Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the Flood.

מפני מי המבול BECAUSE OF THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD — (מפני properly means ‘‘from before”) — Noah, also, was of those people who are wanting in faith: he believed and he did not believe that the Flood would come, and he would not enter the Ark until the waters forced him to do so (Genesis Rabbah 32:6).

These twelve letters, he designed, formed, combined, weighed, and changed, and created with them the twelve divisions of the heavens (namely, the zodiacal constellations), the twelve months of the year, and the twelve important organs of the frame of man, namely the right and left hands, the right and left feet, two kidneys, the liver, the gall, the spleen, the intestines, the gullet, and the stomach. God produced Hei, predominant in Speech, crowned, combined, and formed Aries in the world, Nisan in the year, and the right foot of man. God produced Vav, predominant in Mind, crowned, combined, and formed Taurus in the world, Yiar in the year, and the right kidney of man. God produced Zayin, predominant in movement, crowned, combined, and formed Gemini in the world, Sivan in the year, and the left foot of man. He produced Chet, predominant in Sight, crowned, combined, and formed Cancer in the world, Tammuz in the year, and the right hand of man. He produced Tet, predominant in Hearing, crowned, combined, and formed Leo in the world, Ab in the year, and the left kidney in man. He produced Yud, predominant in Labor, crowned, combined, and formed Virgo in the world, Elul in the year, and the left hand of man. He produced Lamed, predominant in sexual desire, crowned, combined, and formed Libra in the world, Tishrei in the year, and the gall in man. He produced Nun, predominant in smell, crowned, combined, and formed Scorpio in the world, Marchesvan in the year, and the intestines in man. He produced Samech, predominant in sleep, crowned, combined, and formed Sagittarius in the world, Kislev in the year, and the stomach of man. He produced Ayin, predominant in Anger, crowned, combined, and formed Capricornus in the world, Tebet in the year, and the liver in man. He produced Tsade, predominant in Taste, crowned, combined, and formed Aquarius in the world, Shevat in the year, and the gullet in man. He produced Quph, predominant in Mirth, crowned, combined, and formed Pisces in the world, Adar in the year, and the spleen in man.

In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, when I was in the community of exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.