The Year Begins in Cheshvan
In many synagogues there is a custom to publicly proclaim the words, “And Jacob went on his way”[1] three times at the beginning of each year: at the conclusion of Simchat Torah, at the end of Shabbat Bereishit, and on the seventh day of Cheshvan. This indicates that after all the holidays of Tishrei and the seventh of Cheshvan, the year has truly begun. Repeating it three times establishes the idea firmly in reality.
The seventh day of Cheshvan is the day we begin to request rain in the Amidah, the cardinal prayer of Judaism. Although we already began to acknowledge that God makes the “wind blow and the rain fall” on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, we only begin to explicitly request rain on the seventh day of Cheshvan. The reason for this delay is that when the Temple stood in Jerusalem, Jews from all over the Diaspora came to Jerusalem for the holiday of Sukkot and the request for rain had to wait until all the pilgrims were safely back home, as traveling in the rain would be very difficult.
How Jews Travel
The seventh day of Cheshvan always comes in conjunction with the Torah portion of Lech Lecha when God first commands Abraham to “Go out (lech lecha) from your land and the place of your birth, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”[2] A close examination of the words, lech lecha reveals a profound double meaning: on the one hand, God is telling Abraham to go on a physical journey; but, on the other hand, He is also instructing Abraham to go on an inner journey, for the words lech lecha can also be interpreted as “go to yourself.” Abraham’s archetypal journey would prove to be both a physical journey conducted by traveling towards the Promised Land, and a spiritual journey that would require him to reach his inner soul.
In keeping with the important principle that “the actions of the fathers are a sign to the children.”[3] Chasidut explains that each thought and action of the patriarchs (and matriarchs) paved the way for each Jew in every generation. Thus, announcing that “Jacob went on his way” in the portion of Lech Lecha is highly significant.
The dynamic dual motion of the words lech lecha points to a very important concept in Torah referred to as “running and returning,” a phrase taken from the vibrant movement of the angels in Ezekiel’s vision.[4] The dynamic pulsation of running and returning manifests in countless ways throughout creation: from the contraction and expansion at the very origins of the universe, to the beating of our hearts and the pulse of the blood running through our arteries and veins; from the exhalation and inhalation of breath, to the highs and lows of human emotions; from the cycles of the seasons, to the ebb and flow of the tides.
It is explained in Chasidut that the movement of the angels are actually static compared to human beings. In a powerful vision recorded in Zechariah, it is revealed that, “You will be a mover among those who stand.”[5] The angels are called “standers”—meaning that relatively speaking, they remain in fixed positions despite their energetic movement. But a tzaddik like Abraham is called a mover. He is always in motion, always seeking, always rising. This is the essence of what it means to be human: to ascend, to return, and to ascend again.
The angels in Ezekiel’s vision were running upward to catch a glimpse of God’s Presence which had the likeness of a heaven above their heads, only to be overwhelmed by its intensity making them fall back quickly.[6] Then they try again. They ascend and retreat, again and again, in a perpetual dance of yearning and awe. Yet in relative terms the angels do not progress, only human free will can produce real movement, real progress and spiritual growth.
Abraham’s Pursuit of Loving-kindness
In parashat Lech Lecha the Torah relates numerous instances in which Abraham moves around and travels in addition to his first command by God to lech lecha. In our parashah, Abraham is usually referred to as Abram, since God only changed his name to Abraham at the end of the parashah, when he entered the covenant with God through circumcision. Let us quote a few of these instances and explain the significance of the first in light of our earlier discussion:
“Abram journeyed, going and traveling towards the south.”[7] In this seminal verse, the Torah uses three verbs to describe Abraham’s constant movement—always seeking to make progress and grow spiritually. It is explained in Chasidut that the “south” is associated with the trait of loving-kindness, the sefirah of chesed. Abraham is the archetypal soul of loving-kindness, therefore this verse attests that he was always travelling further to the south, seeking to enhance his already essential character trait of loving-kindness more and more. The Hebrew word for “south” (negbah) the Torah uses in this verse also means heights and elevation. Abraham was constantly reaching higher and deeper in his desire to be close to God.
Other verses include,
- “And Abram passed through the land, until the place of Shechem, until the plain of Moreh.”[8]
- “And I will make your seed like the dust of the earth, so that if a man will be able to count the dust of the earth, so will your seed be counted. Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you.”[9]
- “And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be whole.’”[10]
As mentioned above, Abraham’s every act had a profound effect on the entire Jewish people throughout all the generations. Abraham paved the way for every Jew to constantly seek new horizons never content to accept rote and routine as a given, as a reality written in stone.
Holidays and Parashot
Another deep insight of Chasidut corresponds the first three Torah portions of Bereishit, Noach, and Lech Lecha to the three holidays in Tishrei: Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.[11] 11 Bereishit reflects Rosh HaShanah since Rosh HaShanah commemorates Creation in general and the creation of man in particular. Indeed, on Rosh HaShanah we recite in our prayers: “This is the day, the beginning of Your deeds, a remembrance of the first day.”
The portion of Noach corresponds to Yom Kippur since Noach literally means “rest,” and Yom Kippur is the day of ultimate rest. Not only do we rest from our weekday toil, as we do on Shabbat, but we completely rest from all our bodily needs on this holiest day of the year; we do not eat or drink, nor do we engage in any other physical pursuit. Noach’s name is mentioned twice in the first verse[12] of Parashat Noach. The sages explain that the two instances of his name allude to two categories of rest known as “rest above [for the spiritual world]” and “rest below [for the mundane].”[13] Yom Kippur is referred to in the Torah as “Shabbat Shabbaton,”[14] which also means a double rest.
Finally, Parashat Lech Lecha corresponds to Sukkot, the “time of our joy.” Just as Abraham, the first Jew, the archetypal monotheist, and the spiritual leader of all believers brought so much light to a world then inundated with darkness. In the prayers of Yom Kippur, Abraham is described as a great light: “A unique individual—father of the multitudes—suddenly like a star shone from Ur Kassdim to illuminate the darkness.” Light throughout Jewish tradition is associated with joy. Revisiting the life of Abraham every year is a source of true joy, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote[15] in the name of his father-in-law that the week of Parashat Lech Lecha is the first truly joyful week of the year.
There are two additional connections between Abraham and Sukkot. In Parashat Vayeira, the Torah relates how three angels came to inform Abraham and Sarah that they would finally have a child after a lifetime of barrenness. Abraham first mistook them for three simple wandering men. Nonetheless, he interrupted a revelation he was receiving from God to greet them and take care of their needs. He said to them, “My lords, if only I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass on from beside your servant. Please let a little water be taken, and bathe your feet, and recline under the tree.”[16] The sages relate that offering the three guests a place to rest under the tree served as a foreshadow for the future holiday of Sukkot.[17] This is yet another example of the well-known dictum: “The deeds of the fathers are a sign for their children.” With this singular act of loving-kindness “under the tree,” Abraham opened the gates for the holiday of Sukkot to be revealed to all his descendants, who would also one day dwell under a roof of vegetation in the sukkah.
Another beautiful connection between Abraham and the dynamic of running and returning is found in the mitzvah of shaking the four species during Sukkot. Each day of Sukkot (except on Shabbat) we shake or wave them to the four directions, as well as above and below. When fulfilling the mitzvah, we hold the four species close to the heart and then shake them three times in each direction, each time returning them to the heart. This motion is a physical re-enactment of the dynamic of running and returning, but on a deeper level it is also a profound re-enactment of the first command from God to Abraham: lech lecha, go to yourself!
[1]. Genesis 32:2.
[2]. Ibid. 12:1.
[3]. Bachyei on Genesis 12:10, based on Bereishit Rabbah 47:7 and elsewhere.
[4]. Ezekiel 1:14.
[5]. Zechariah 3:7.
[6]. Ezekiel 1:22.
[7]. Genesis 12:9.
[8]. Ibid. v. 6.
[9]. Ibid. 13:16-17.
[10]. Ibid. 17:1.
[11]. See our Hebrew volume, Mivchar Shi’urei Hitbonenut vol. 8, “Kavanot HaLulav VeTikunei HaTenu’ot.”
[12]. Genesis 6:9.
[13]. Bereishit Rabbah 30:5.
[14]. Leviticus 23:32.
[15]. Hayom Yom for the 3rd of Cheshvan.
[16]. Genesis 18:2-4.
[17]. Bereishit Rabbah 47:6.
