Moon of Gathering (September/October)
It is the month where we gather our families, tribe, ancestors, and final harvest before winter.
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Basics
- Linear Month: 1
- Torah Month: 7
- Season: Autumn
- Holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah
- Offerings1:: Sweet Foods, Lulav & Etrog, Water
- Element2: Air (רוּחַ) within Earth (עָפָר)
- Spiritual Focus3: Community through Resources
- Netivah: Gevirah (גְבִירָה) Matriarch/Queen
- Astrological Sign: Moznayim (מֹאזְנַיִם) Libra
- Letter: Lamed – ל
- Tribe: Ephraim (אֶפְרָיִם)
- Sense: Touch
- Tarot Card4: Justice | Tzedek (צֶדֶק)
- Soul Trait5: Achrayut (אחריות) Spiritual Responsibility
Note: Letter, Tribe, and Sense are derived from the Sefer Yetzirah
See NOTES for additional information on sources of these all correspondences
“The great shofar is sounded… A still small voice is heard…
— from Rosh Hashanah liturgy
Even the angels are frightened… the Day of Judgment is here…
Who shall live? And who shall die?
Who shall find rest? And who shall be restless?
Who shall be raised up? And who shall be humbled?
Who shall be rich? And who shall be poor?
On Rosh Hashanah it is written … and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.”
Tishrei is the head of our spiritual year. It is one of the four Jewish New Years, but over the generations it has become the Jewish New Year. According to the Talmud it is the new year of Kings. Like so many things in Judaism, Tishrei has layers within layers and microcosms within microcosms to explore.
This month is can be a challenging one, for many reasons. The number of holidays alone presents a challenge to our organizational skills. But in the modern world the number of holidays so close together also presents a challenge to our ability balance home, work, and our spiritual worlds. The sign of the month, the scales, I think is not only related to the concept of Divine judgment between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but also asking us to weigh what we value in the world.
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Key Dates in Tishrei
| 1st Tishrei | Rosh Hashanah Creation of cattle, beasts of the earth, and Adam (traditional biblical) Yahrzeit of Sarah Imeinu |
| 4th | Fast of Gedaliah |
| 8th | Dedication of Temple of Solomon 826 BCE (traditional)Shabbat Shuva (2009) |
| 10th | Yom KippurRebecca Emeinu Born 1677 BCE (traditional) |
| 15th – 21st | Sukkot |
| 22nd | Shemini Atzeret Begin Prayers for Rain |
| 23rd | Simchat Torah |
Shabbat Torah/Haftarah Readings
Netivah Readings
These readings were selected by Kohenet Ketzirah HaMa’agelet to pair with the weekly Torah portions.
- Gen 2:20-3:20 we read to honor the first Matriarch – Chavah. We read her beginnings and explore our relationship to them. Do we see her as the bringer of original sin or do we see that she brought choice into the world? Do we see the little girl who matures sooner than the boy and must suddenly understand what it means to be a woman?
- Gen 6:1-6:4 we read to honor the nameless women who bore the races of giants to the sons of heaven. What does this passage mean to you? What is it doing here? Who were the giants and these half angelic half human children?
- Gen 21:1-21:34 we read to honor the first Matriarch of the Hebrews, Sarah and the Matriarch of Islam, Hagar. What happened between these women and the birth of their sons? What can we learn from this breaking of trust between brothers and their mothers? How can we foster peace between the children of Sarah and Hagar?
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Notes
1: Offerings & symbols were developed by Kohenet Ketzirah haMa’agelet for use as physical offering practices or in artwork.
2: Elements follow R’Jill Hammer’s elemental system as explained on her website www.telshemesh.org and her book The Jewish Book of Days. See pages 16-19 for explanation of elemental system.
The interpretations of the Sephirot are also from Rabbi Jill’s teachings. Specifically, they are from her Omer Calendar of Bibilical Women.
3: The spiritual focus is my own concept of sustainable spiritual practice. It is based on my interpretation of the wheel of the year and the Jewish holidays, as taught by many. The specific focus is for a season, as based on the element have/need system taught by R’Jill Hammer in the The Jewish Book of Days, as referenced above. For example Autumn is the time of Air within Earth, we have Earth we need Air and is the spiritual focus of Community (Air) within Resources (Earth) or more simply: communal resources.
4: While tarot is not intrinsically Jewish, it is a derivative of Kabbalah and a can be a useful tool for self discovery and exploration. Tarot correspondences here follow Kabbalistic tree of life by Issac ben Luria, the Ari, as opposed to some of the more common Christian systems.
5: The soul-traits for each month are based on Kesharim K’doshim Mussar, developed by Kohenet Ketzirah HaMa’agelet.