8th month of God's year
After sunset today (November 1) we will not only enter the weekly Shabbat but also the 8th month of God’s Year.
This 8th month first named by man, Bul, which is probably of Canaanite/Phoenician origin, thought to have come from the root of the word for flood. Then later man renamed it Cheshvan. I struggled to find out what Cheshvan means, it is more than likely to come from an Akkadian world literally meaning eighth month.
During this month we celebrate.......well actually….. absolutely nothing!! The uniqueness of this 8th month is that it has no festivals, no days set aside for rejoicing.
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. Coming after the busyness and fullness of the previous 7th month. Now we have a time to reflect on the bountiful goodness of our God, and also a time to pray in earnest for the autumnal rains, which is certainly something we all need to do after the long and extremely hot summer. In fact there is a tradition on the 7th day of this 8th month for those living in The Land of Israel to start fervently requesting from the Lord to send rain.
Because of its first ‘man given’ name, Bul, there is a Jewish tradition that this is a reference to Mabul, meaning flood, since according to the Midrash, more rain falls in this month, and it marks the beginning of the Great Flood during the time of Noach. There are various months referred to in the story in Genesis 6: 1st, 2nd 7th month etc. but we need to remember this event of Noah obviously happened way before the Lord told Moshe that the month of Pesach, in the spring, would be the 1st month of their year. So I think it highly unlikely that the references here to various months are in line with the calendar year that God set out some 400 years later. As I said, this is Jewish tradition.
There are, in fact, very few references to the 8th month in the scriptures. Most significant is in 1 Kings 6:38 we read that after King Shlomo had spent 7 years building the first Temple it was in the 8th month that it was completed. We read:
“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:” 7 is seen as a number of completion, as in the 7 days of creation, so the number 8 can be seen as a new beginning. It therefore seems quite appropriate 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.
Then in 1 Kings chapter 12 we have it recorded the disagreements between Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the grandson of David who became the King of Judah, and Jeroboam. Sadly Rehoboam did not take the advice of his elders regarding Jeroboam, but listened to the younger men he grew up with. (BIG MISTAKE!). This caused the people in the northern kingdom of Israel to proclaim Jeroboam as their King, and not acknowledging the line of David.
There is a lot more to this story but Jeroboam decided that the Children of Israel were focusing far too much on Jerusalem and began to institute his own group of Cohaneem, also setting up temples on high places, and it is recorded in 1 Kings 12: 32: “He instituted a festival in the 8th month, on the 15th day of the month, similar to the festival held in Judah.” (i.e. Succot, which is celebrated on 15th of the 7th month).
Jeroboam was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, following this revolt of the ten tribes against Rehoboam, and sadly this put an end to the United Monarchy of the Children of Israel. None of this ended well, and is a reminder that messing with God’s Word, adding to, or taking away from it, really is not a good idea!
Other References in Scripture either to the no. 8 or the 8th month are: in Ex 7:13: God saved 8 people in the Arc (Noach his wife, and 3 sons and their wives. Ex.7: 13) So God chose 8 people to save, and have a fresh beginning after the flood.
In Zechariah 1:1 we read: “In the 8th month of the 2nd year of Daryavesh, the following message from The Lord came to Z’kharyah..”Return to me, and I will return to you. Turn back from your evil ways and deeds, so here we have The Lord talking to His people, again, about returning to him, and having a fresh beginning in the 8th month.
The Passover lamb is chosen on the 10th day of the first month (Nissan) and brought into the house, just as Yeshua went into the Temple in Jerusalem on the 10th day of Nissan, then gave his life on the 14th day when the Passover lambs were killed, and 3 days later rose, which was the 8th day from the day of being chosen – a new beginning.
Yeshua shows himself 8 times after his resurrection. A new beginning for those who accepted him as their Messiah, Redeemer and Savior. Boys are circumcised on the 8th day Lev: 12:3, a new beginning as they enter into covenant with God.
As we think of Yeshua fulfilling, and completing all three of the spring chags, Pesach, First Fruits and Shavuot, and believe he will return to complete and fulfill Yom HaTeruah, Yom Kippur and Succot, the first month of his rule and reign here on earth as in heaven will be the 8th month, the month of new beginnings.
Though I do always need to remind you that NO-ONE knows the time of Yeshua’s return, apart from our Heavenly Father. Yeshua himself clearly stated he did not know, neither do the angels in heaven, so certainly no man knows, though sadly there have been many, and continue to be be, who ‘think’ they do know!
Oh, but my late husband used to love telling people he knew “exactly when Yeshua was going to return!” Drum roll…… “When you least expect it, like a thief in the night.!”
Finally a couple of historical events that happened in this 8th month. On 16 Cheshvan in 1938 the Kristallnach pogrom occurred. 1,400 synagogues and numerous copies of the Torah were purposefully and systematically set on fire and burnt in Nazi Germany.
On 11 Cheshvan in 1995 Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. This is now a national memorial day.
In summary, this next month 8th month is a period of quiet from all the busyness, fasting feasting and rejoicing. I certainly believe there needs to be a balance between being and doing. It is easy to feel important and significant when we are accomplishing something. But life is not always about “doing” so we can rejoice and receive this new month, this new portion of time, a time of “being” a time of appreciating all we have received from The Lord. A time of quiet.
Maybe a new beginning in certain areas of our lives, and even maybe the world, and please God here in the Middle East, and for Your People and Your Land.
So we are entering this 8th month, again in the midst of a year long war, like no other since the Holocaust. With antisemitism rising world-wide, on an unprecedented scale. May The Lord God of Israel give us complete victory over all those who hate us, and desire to exterminate us. A reminder of what God himself said: in Zechaia 2:8 “He who touches his people touches the apple of His eye.”
So let us dedicate ourselves afresh to The Lord now, as we enter this new 8th month, as we receive this new portion of time, a gift from Him, taking a breath from the busyness of our own lives, seeking His face, seeking His will with a new eagerness and resolve.
יהי רצון מלפניך יהוה אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו שתחדש עלינו חודש טוב
באדונינו ישוע המשיח
May it be Your will Lord our God, and God of our fathers, that you renew for us a good month in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Fran has lived in Israel since 1999 and resides in Ma'ale Adumim, outside of Jerusalem. She serves on the board for two Israeli non-profits, Be'ad Chaim and HaTikva Project.
