Rosh Hodesh Cheshvan: Flood or Temple

By Rabbi Daniel Klein, Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College

According to Jewish mythic history, two important and diametrically opposed events happened in the Jewish month of Cheshvan, which begins tomorrow.

As we will read in this week’s parasha, on the 17th day of Cheshvan, “all the fountains of the great deep burst apart, and the floodgates of the sky broke open” (Genesis 7:11). Consumed by anger and despair at what humanity has become, Cheshvan is the month in which God brings the great flood to destroy the earth and begin again.

In contrast, the Book of Kings tells us that after seven years of labor, the temple of King Solomon is finally completed in the month of Cheshvan (I Kings 6:38). It is a house intended, as Solomon prays, for God to fulfill God’s promise to dwell among the people and be ever watchful of them and responsive to their sincere prayers and acts of repentance (I Kings 8:29-30).

Cheshvan is thus the month of God’s wrath and destruction and also the month of ongoing, enduring commitment and intimacy between God and people. The month contains both possibilities.

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70 FACES OF TORAH

Asking More of Noah

By Rabbi Frankie Sandmel `22, BASE Bay in Oakland, CA

In  5785, a story about a world so full of evil that God sees no other path beyond total destruction is hard to handle. As our own world feels on the precipice of chaos, it is painful to imagine reaching a point where, as in the time of Noah, even HaShem gives up. 

In the story of Noah, the only source of hope that God found in humanity was our title character: Noah himself. So one must ask, why? Who was Noah? What qualities could he have possibly possessed such that he alone, along with his family, merited to survive, that he was the only hope God saw for the future of creation? What made Noah such a tzadik? 

It turns out, our sages weren’t so clear on Noah’s virtues. Like so many things in our tradition, our ancestors passed down a lot of ambivalence about Noah.

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GRADUATE PROGRAM & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY 

New Certificate in Tefillah (Prayer) Leadership 

Tefillah leadership is a multi-layered, nuanced art form, one that calls for training in liturgy and song as well as in listening—to the community, to the Divine, to our ancestral musical lineage. With this philosophy as a starting point, Hebrew College's new Certificate in Tefillah Leadership: Shabbat will approach prayer leadership as a creative practice.

Cultivate your prayer leadership while learning with Hebrew College faculty and masters of Jewish prayer traditions in the Boston area and beyond.

We invite rabbinical students, Boston-area alumni, lay leaders, professional clergy, and musicians of Jewish traditions, to join us for individual course modules, or to work towards the Certificate with four modules.

Learn more | Read "Building a New Generation of Prayer Leadership"

Join Us for a New Year of Learning Together 

Join Tamid of Hebrew College for a month of new courses and learning experiences! 

That’s just the beginning; visit our course catalog to explore classes about Jewish text, spirituality, current events, and more.

Register for courses | View events

HEBREW COLLEGE FALL ORDINATION OPEN HOUSE 

What Kind of Rabbi Will You Be?

If you or someone you know is interested in the rabbinate, we invite you to join us for Ta Sh'ma (Come & Hear), our fall Rabbinical School open house November 18 (in-person) or online (December 8).

Learn with Hebrew College faculty, including Hebrew College President Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld; Rabbi Jane Kanarek, PhD; Rabbi Daniel Klein, Dr. Devora Steinmet;, Rav Rachel Adelman; Rabbi Nehemia Polen, PhD; Rabbi Dan Judson, PhD; Rabbi Or Rose; and Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer.

Join with current students for an inspiring day of learning, conversation, music and prayer.

Enjoy plenty of breaks and opportunities for small group conversations.