Leg a l -e a s e A column devoted to researching commonly-held beliefs What’s the Truth about… “Mar Cheshvan” ? By Rabbi Ari Z. Zivotofsky, Ph.D.

Misconception: The com- seem to preserve a greater fidelity to Cheshvan (the bitter Cheshvan) either plete and correct name for the month the original.7 due to its lack of holidays or because it following Tishrei is Cheshvan, and it is Older sources attest to the name as is when Sarah the Matriarch died.10 a quaint tradition to call it Mar being the longer name Marcheshvan/ Because of those negative associations, Cheshvan because it is bitter (Hebrew: M’rachshwan (as opposed to just there are those who refrain from get- mar) due to its lack of holidays. Cheshvan). When the eighth month ting married in Marcheshvan (Shut Fact: The correct name for this fall is mentioned in the Mishnah and Lev Chaim2:26). The Sdei Chemed month is the one word Marcheshvan/ Talmud, it is referred to as (Ma’arechet Chaton v’Kallah:23) claims M’rachsh’van1 (Aruch Hashulchan, Marcheshvan. A few examples that this was the minhag in Jerusalem. Even Ha’ezer 126:17). include: Taanit 1:3,4; Pesachim94b; Shulchan Ha’ezer (4:5:8) writes that in Background: The Bible usually and Rosh Hashanah7a; 11b. his locale people are not concerned refers to the months by their ordinal Throughout all of Rashi’s Biblical and with this and get married in Cheshvan numbers, although occasional ancient Talmudic commentary, he also refers [sic!].11 Israelite names are also used.2 The cur- to the month as Marcheshvan. A few The Pri Chadash (Even Ha’ezer rently used Jewish names for the examples are: Rosh Hashanah11b, s.v. 126:7) offers the only explanation that months were imported from Bavel v’azda l’tamahu; 16a s.v. D’miz’daran; I have found for calling this month by (Babylonia),3 and many of them Bei t z a h 40a, s.v. bir’vi’ a h . The Rambam8 the two-word name Mar Cheshvan. appear in post-exilic books of the and Ibn Ezra (commentary to Leviticus He suggests that the name Mar Bible.4 Some of these are derived 25:9) also use the complete name. Cheshvan is based on the fact that it is from the names of ancient gods, such This misconception has halachic the beginning of the rainy season. The as Tammuz which is thought to come implications. Since the mistaken prac- Targum translated mar as tipah, a from the Assyrian Du-mu-zu, an tice of simply calling the month drop, in the verse “Hen goyim k’mar Egyptian god, and is mentioned as the Cheshvan is so widespread, either midli — Behold, the nations are as a name of an idol in Ezekiel (8:14).5 Cheshvan or the two-word Mar drop of [water from] a bucket” (Isaiah Marcheshvan is probably derived Cheshvan is now acceptable, post- 40:15). As such, the name means the from its location in the calendar. In facto, if erroneously used in a legal “rainy Cheshvan,” and far from mar Akkadian (Babylonian/Assyrian), “w” document such as a get (Aruch meaning bitter, it connotes a month of (vav) and “m” (mem) sounds can inter- Hashulchan, Even Ha’ezer 127:17). The blessed rain.12 change. As a result, Marcheshvan Ramah (Even Ha’ezer 127:7) lists only The Bnei Yissaschar (2:56-57) which is from the two words “m’rach” Marcheshvan as the month’s name and relates a beautiful midrashabout the and “shvan,” would have been “warh” does not give the halachah if one wrote future of Marcheshvan indicating that and “shman,” in Akkadian, corre- either just Cheshvan or the two-word the dedication of the Third Temple sponding to the Hebrew “yerech shmi- Mar Cheshvan. Others even accept will occur in Marcheshvan, removing ni,” thus “eighth month.”6 In the post-facto the Biblical name of the any doubt about it being a bitter Yemenite tradition, the name of the month, “Bul,” if it was used in a docu- month. JA month is pronounced Marach- ment. The Aruch Hashulchanstates sha’wan, not Mar-cheshvan as in the that the halachah is the same for the Notes: Ashkenazic tradition, and this would imprecise “Menachem Av” (Even 1. Despite the fact that the second pro- Ha’ezer 127:16).9 nunciation is probably more authentic, the Rabbi Dr. Zivotofsky does research in Surprisingly, there are even customs first will be used most of the time in this neurophysiology at the National Institute that developed around the error. The article since it is the more common and of Health in Bethesada, Maryland. assumption is that it is called Mar familiar version.

JEWISH ACTION FALL 5761/2000 2. For example: Aviv (first month - Sivan (Esther8:9), Elul (Nechemiah6:5), agricultural process before the grain is Nissan) appears six times in the Kislev (Zechariah 7:1, Nechemiah 1:1), stored. It is done in the eighth month Pentateuch (Ex. 13:4, 34:18 [x2], Deut. Tevet (Esther 2:16), Shevat (Zechariah before the rains start. 16:1 [x2]); Ziv (the second month - Iyar) 1:7), Adar (Esther3:7). Each of these 8. Zev Vilnay, Matzeivot Kodesh is found in I Kings 6:1 and 6:37; Yerech occurrences gives not only the name of the B’Eretz Yisrael, 3rd edition, 1985, cites Etanim (seventh month - Tishrei) is used month, but its number, and every one cor- from the letters of the Rambam about his in I Kings8:2; and Bul (eighth month - responds to our current use of the name. trip to Israel in which he refers to Marcheshvan) is used in I Kings 6:38. Iyar,Tammuz, Av, Tishrei, and Marcheshvan several times. There are homiletical Talmudic (e.g. Rosh Marcheshvan are not found in the Bible. 9. There are those who write just Hashanah 11a) and Midrashic (Yalkut Some of these names are also found in the “Menachem” as the name of the month, Shimonito I Kings, Chapter 6, remez 184) apocrypha and Megillat Ta’anit. even on legal documents. I have not seen a explanations of these names (See also 5. This is the only place in the Bible discussion of the validity of that custom. Radak and Rashi to I Kings 6:38 on Bul.) where the pagan deity Tammuz is men- 10. Esther Rabbah7:13 states that Sarah It may be that aviv is not a proper name, tioned. See Rashi and Radak on Ezekiel died in Marcheshvan, but no specific date but simply a reference to the “spring 8:14 for a discussion of the name and its within the month is given. Commenting month,” hence it is always chodesh he-aviv meaning. on this midrash, the Anaf Yosefnotes that not chodesh Aviv. 6. Similarly, in the Julian calendar, there are many conflicting sources that 3. According to the Jerusalem Talmud October means eighth month, which it was give alternate dates for Sarah’s death, one (Rosh Hashanah1:2), three things were in the original calendar in which the first of which is in Nissan, immediately follow- imported with the Jews who returned month of spring, March, was the first month. ing the akeidah (binding of Isaac). from Babylonia: the names of the months, 7. Many in the Yemenite community 11. See also Shut B’tzel Hachochmah the names of the angels, and the currently lost the original meaning and have 2:60 and Binyamin Adler, Ha’nisuin used script (Ktav Ashuri as opposed to the ascribed new meaning to it. They note K’hilchatum, 5:56. ancient Ktav Ivri). that marachsha’wanmeans spreading or 12. Rashi says it means a “bitter drop” 4. Nissan (Esther 3:7; Nechemiah2:1), smoothing the grain. This is the final in this verse.

JEWISH ACTION FALL 5761/2000