The first of each Jewish month—the celebration of the new moon, its slender crescent barely visible in the night sky—is a day historically associated with women’s renewal and celebration.
In recent decades, Rosh ChodeshThe new moon, which marks the beginning of the Jewish month. According to tradition, because women did not participate in the sin of the golden calf, they were given the holiday of Rosh Chodesh. It is customary for women not to work on Rosh Chodesh. has become an occasion for Jewish women to gather for learning, ritual, and spiritual exploration, and to mark life passages. Rosh Chodesh groups, meeting monthly, offer a women’s space in time. (Some men’s gatherings have begun as well, sometimes associated with kiddushThe prayer recited over wine on Shabbat, holidays, and other joyous occasions. levanah, celebrating the coming full moon.)
“This is the month we remember the rainbow”
Audio/video shiviti meditation chant
“let harvest abound in the exile without end…”
“the trees and we, too, did bloom”
They call this time, Mar, the “bitter” month.
They call this time, Mar, the “bitter” month.
In this study of the Zohar, Rabbi Margie Jacobs will guide you in exploring the ShekhinahThe feminine name of God, expounded upon in the rabbinic era and then by the Kabbalists in extensive literature on the feminine attributes of the divine., the feminine, immanent, indwelling Sacred Presence, through the use of art materials and reflective writing. Four sessions starting May 7, 2024.
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