It's been about three weeks since we last wrote a newsletter. But there's a reason. The month of Tishrei is the seventh month of the Jewish year. In Hebrew, seventh is shvii. This word has the same root as the word savah, which means satiated. Our sages explain that the connection is that the seventh month of the year (Tishrei) is a month "satiated," full of mitzvot. From Rosh Hashanah, through the ten days of repentance, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, the days fly by, filled with mitzvot.
Now the month of Tishrei is ending and the month of Cheshvan is beginning. This month is called Mar-Cheshvan for two reasons: 1. mar means drop (of water). Cheshvan is the month that marks the beginning of the rainy season in the Land of Israel. 2. mar means bitter. Cheshvan is a month without any particular commandments, a "bitter" month.
In addition to this, as preparation for the rest of the year, it is often announced in synagogues that "Jacob went on his way" (Genesis 32:2). This verse, which speaks of the travels of Jacob, our patriarch, has a significance closely linked to the end of the month of Tishrei and the beginning of the month of Cheshvan.
Throughout the month of Tishrei, one is engaged in holiness. The sound of the Shofar, fasting, the Sukkah, the Lulav, and so on. Even the ordinary days of Tishrei are connected to the holy days, to the point that the Tachanun prayer—supplications—is not recited throughout the month, even though the holy days themselves have ended. But entering the month of Cheshvan, the "normal" days begin, in which there are no special holidays or mitzvot, just the ordinary life of each person, with work, family, and routine.
So, we announce that Jacob went on his way to signify (among other things) that it is appropriate after a month of holidays and special occasions to return to the paths of daily life, but we must never forget that the way we return to those paths is the way of Jacob, that is, as a Jew lives daily life, working honestly, following the teachings and guidance of our Holy Torah, and emulating our patriarchs.
And we... are writing the newsletter again.