While observance of the solstices and equinoxes may not taught in Hebrew school, there is a long tradition of observing these moments drawn from the talmud. In Hebrew a solstice or equinox is called tekufah (ืชืงืืคื) or plural tekufot (ืชืงืืคืืช). The word means to cycle or turning. The solstice is an astronomical event but in…
Tag: kislev
Kislev โ A Study in Opposites
This is the season of Fire within Water, according to Rabbi Jill Hammer in the The Jewish Book of Days . The fire of the season is easy to see with the lighting of Hanukkah candles and in the way our Christian neighbors light up the nights with decorative lights. The water, for many of us, appears…
Kislev: Spiritual Alchemy
There is so much we could say about Kislev, but I think the spiritual focus of Divine connection through creative expression, from a system I explored years ago, aligns particularly with the Temperance card. For me, fire (ืึตืฉื) represents the element of personal connection to G!(d)dess and water (ืึทืึดื) is the element of personal creative expression. Put together we…
Benjamin: Tribe of Kislev
Kislev (ืึดึผืกึฐืึตื) is called the month of dreams because nine of the ten dreams explicitly mentioned in the Torah occur in the Torah portions of Kislev (Inner.org), which explains why Kohenet associates Kislev with the Baalot Ov (ืึทึผืขึฒืึทืช-ืืึนื)โ but what does that have to do with Benjamin? Benjamin is the last son of Jacob and the only full brother…
Hanukkiah: Symbol of Kislev
In thinking about Kislev, I went right to the dreidel and the Hanukkiah. I decided that if I had to pick one, itโs the Hanukkiah (but I may explore the other dreidels later in the month!) The Hanukkiah is the nine-branched menorah that we light on Hanukkah. Even though we generally just call it a…
Kislev: Rituals and Activities
Some practices and rituals to try out or adapt during the month of Kislev.
Kislev | ืึดึผืกึฐืึตื
Moon of Dreaming (November/December)As the nights grow longer, we read many Torah portions about dreams and dreaming. In these long nights, take the time to dream and re-ignite your creativity. Basics Note: Letter, Tribe, Sense, and Guide are derived from the Sefer YetzirahSee NOTES for additional information on sources of these all correspondences. Want to share…
Hanukkah
Reference materials to deep dive into the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, including it’s connection to the Winter Solstice.