Cheshvan - The Month of Hidden Light: The Descent-for-Ascent

After the spiritual heights of Tishrei and filling our days with the sound of the shofar, the joy of Sukkot, the dancing of Simchat Torah, we enter a collective exhale. The air begins to cool, we start praying for rain, the mornings soften, and we enter Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן). This is the month that guides us to slow down, come home, reflect, and rebuild our routine.

There are no chagim or special mitzvot that take place. No celebrations to prepare for. No external pull to push forward our spiritual connection. Just our own light that we have built in Tishrei and the quiet return to settling into a new transition. And within this stillness, there is a hidden invitation: to rebuild.

Cheshvan corresponds to October–November in the Gregorian calendar and is the eighth month from Nissan. In Kabbalah, the number eight (שמונה) is connected to rising above nature known as beyond nature  לְמַעְלָה מִן הַטֶּבַע and physical limitations (seven is bound to nature).  This month is often called Mar-Cheshvan, “bitter Cheshvan,” because there is no light from festivals. But Mar also means “a drop of water” (מָר) and Headmaster. It is in Cheshvan that the first rains begin to fall in the Land of Israel, nourishing the earth and hidden seeds beneath the surface. And when you reverse the letters of Mar (מ–ר), it becomes Ram (רם) — elevated. More on elevating this month to come. 

That’s the secret of Cheshvan: what looks bitter is only waiting to become sweet. What feels empty is actually potent with blessing.

After Tishrei, Cheshvan is our time to integrate, to take the remarkable light and revelations we received and anchor them in the everyday. To infuse our daily lives with the purpose and meaning we’ve acquired in Tishrei and to build a connection with the Divine that is from our own will.  

Cheshvan is not a void. It’s a powerful month of devotion.

A chance to review, to realign, to rebuild.

A time to strengthen the habits, prayers, and intentions that will carry us through the winter. As well as begin to the process of changing our behavior, mindset, choices, and beliefs that we know aren’t fulfilling us. This is the time that the change begins at the root. In Tishrei, we became aware of what needed to change or shift within ourselves - Cheshvan is the opportunity to make subtle effort and take small actions that will lead to great growth.

Because sometimes, the holiest work happens not in the celebration and in front of a crowd but in the quiet, beneath surface, stillness of the inside. This is where you get to meet yourself.  

Below is a spiritual map of the month for you to integrate it’s teachings and spiritual opportunities. 

Cheshvan’s Spiritual Map

(Based on Sefer Yetzirah and the teachings of the Vilna Gaon)

Each Hebrew month has a unique spiritual structure that includes a combination of letter, tribe, sense, body part, and element. Understanding them guides us to evolve each month personal;y and spiritually as well as align our inner world with the energy of time itself.

Letter: Nun - נ 

Symbol of descent that leads to transcendence

Nun has two forms: the bent נ, which bows in humility and prayer, and the final ן, which extends below the line - descending into hidden places to pull light upward.

Nun embodies the principle of ירידה לצורך עלייה - yeridah l’tzorech aliyah - descent for the sake of ascent.

In Kabbalah, the bent Nun (נ) looks like a person bowing in humility, receptivity, and prayer. The final Nun (ן) stretches straight down, below the line reaching into hidden places to pull light up. The final Nun teaches that reaching down into shadow, pain, or the mundane can be the very movement that allows us to rise.

The gematria of Nun is 50, corresponding to the Fifty Gates of Understanding (Binah). While 49 gates can be reached through human effort, the 50th, the gate of transcendence, is a gift received from above.

This is the spiritual work of Cheshvan: to do our part, to explore the descent in spiritual light and how we choose to elevate our reality, trusting that we can rise up again and reach higher spiritual connection. The 49 gates we can attain by effort; the 50th — transcendence — is a gift from above. Cheshvan invites work and surrender: do your part; the last leap is Divine.

Tribe: Menashe (מְנַשֶּׁה)

The power to release and move forward

Menashe’s name contains two hidden gems: 1. Inside it we find both Moshe(משה) If you look at the name מְנַשֶּׁה (Menashe), the core letters מ־ש־ה (Mem–Shin–Heh) spell Moshe.

The additional Nun (נ) at the start transforms Moshe → Menashe.

In Kabbalah, that Nun isn’t random. Nun represents falling and rising, humility, and yeridah l’tzorech aliyah (descent for the sake of ascent).

Moshe (the redeemer) + Nun (the descent) = Menashe - the one who brings redemption into the place that is lost and in exile.

That’s exactly the spiritual movement of Cheshvan, taking divine revelation (Moshe energy) and bringing it down into the hidden, ordinary, and even painful parts of life (the Nun).

2. Neshama (נשמה). If you rearrange the letters to Menashe, you getl נְשָׁמָה (Neshama), the Hebrew word for soul.

The Neshama inside Menashe teaches that even in forgetfulness, loss or exile, the soul doesn’t actually forget, it remembers its divine origin. It remains whole and clear beneath all experiences.

So from Menashe (as he was born in Egypt but still kept to his Jewish roots), we see the soul’s ability to descend into the confusion of the world (Nun) yet remain faithful (Ne’eman נעמן) to its divine root.

In Cheshvan, we are guided to reconnect with that silent, steady part of the self that never loses direction - the Neshama.

The name Menashe comes from Yosef’s words: “For God has caused me to forget my hardship” (Genesis 41:51).

Menashe was Yosef’s firstborn, the older brother who stepped back so his younger brother, Ephraim, could receive the greater blessing. This act wasn’t weakness; it was understanding, humility, and courage.

Menashe teaches the ability to let go and allow for something greater to emerge, to not focus on the pain but to allow space for new beginnings. He represents emotional maturity, the wisdom to understand, and bow in truth. 

In Cheshvan, Menashe’s energy guides us to transmute past struggle into forward movement and to see challenge as preparation, not punishment.

Sense: Smell — רֵיחַ (rei’ach)

The soul’s subtle connection to pleasure and presence

Sefer Yetzirah teaches that the sense of smell governs Cheshvan. Smell bypasses intellect and touches memory, emotion, and the soul itself. 

Our sages say that smell is the only sense from which the soul derives pleasure, not the body. This is why good smelling spices are used at the end of Shabbat, to comfort the soul as it parts from the added spiritual light.

In Cheshvan, the sense of smell reminds us to pause and connect, to bring awareness into small, sensory moments. Light a candle, breathe deeply, or enjoy the scent of rain in the air. Let it draw you inward.

Body Part: Small Intestine

Integration and absorption

According to the Vilna Gaon, the body part associated with Cheshvan is the small intestine, which absorbs and integrates nutrients which transforms what we eat into life force.

Spiritually, this mirrors the work of the month. After the abundance of spiritual light in Tishrei, we come to digest what we’ve received in Cheshvan, this includes insights, intentions, spiritual connection, revelations, will and so on then integrate them into our lives.

The small intestine reminds us that growth happens through assimilation, not excess. It’s the quiet, consistent work of turning inspiration into action.

Element: Water

Soft power and renewal

Water begins to fall this month, both in the skies above and in our spiritual journey. It symbolizes emotional depth, flow, and the ability to adapt.

Like water, we are asked to move gently but persistently, to find our way around resistance, and to nourish what’s hidden and seen. Water doesn’t fight gravity or shape, it flows with intention and openness. Cheshvan is internal: integration. The light we opened in Tishrei now asks to be embodied. If Tishrei poured a river upon you, Cheshvan asks you to learn how to channel that river into your garden.

This is the heart of Cheshvan’s teaching: to learn how to flow with life’s downward movements until they become upward growth.Planet: Mars — מַאֲדִים (Ma’adim)

Energy, drive, and transformation

According to Sefer Yetzirah and the Gra (Vilna Gaon), the planet that rules Cheshvan is Mars (Ma’adim), which governs the astrological sign Scorpio (עַקְרָב).

Mars represents inner strength, discipline, and the courage to transform. Its fire energy pushes us to face challenges, set boundaries, and rebuild from within.

Spiritually, Mars in Cheshvan invites us to direct our inner fire toward self-mastery, not conflict. This is the energy that helps us refine the raw emotions that rise during times of transition.

Just as water and fire seem opposed, this month teaches how to hold both - softness and strength, surrender and will.According to Sefer Yetzirah, the planet Mars (Ma’adim) is governed by the Hebrew letter Dalet (ד). The shape of the dalet looks like a “door” (delet) and is derived from the word dal (דַל), meaning “poor” or “lowly.” This teaches that the true door to strength and transformation opens through humility.

Dalet balances the intensity of Mars with an inner grounding force. It reminds us that every breakthrough must begin with a doorway that needs to be walked through - a willingness to step through discomfort, to let the ego bow, and to channel energy with purpose.

In Kabbalah, Dalet is the vessel that receives abundance. It’s the door through which Divine flow enters. When aligned, Mars’ fiery courage becomes holy boldness - the power to do good, to rebuild, to defend truth. When misaligned, it becomes aggression or anger.

So, during Cheshvan, Dalet teaches us how to use the fire of Mars for construction, not destruction to elevate our world and environment - to turn emotional intensity into focused devotion, and focus on spiritual purpose. It is the month to open the inner door between strength and understanding represented through your actions.

Astrological Sign: Scorpio (עַקְרָב)

(Water element, ruled by Mars)

Cheshvan’s corresponding astrological sign is Scorpio (Akrav), a water sign ruled by Mars. On the surface, this combination of a fiery planet and a water sign seems contradictory, but it perfectly captures the essence of the month.

Scorpio’s emotional depth meets Mars’ drive, creating powerful internal energy. It represents transformation through intensity, the process of shedding old layers so something new can emerge. Just as the scorpion protects itself with armor yet carries deep vulnerability inside, this month teaches us to look beneath our defenses and face what’s real.

In Kabbalah, Scorpio corresponds to the work of birur hanefesh, refining the self. It’s about transforming emotional reactions into awareness, jealousy into motivation, pain into understanding. 

Scorpios are known for passion, loyalty, and depth. Spiritually, this sign asks us to channel that intensity toward inner healing rather than external control. It’s not about fighting the outer world - it’s about mastering the inner one.

Spiritual Opportunity of the Month

Cheshvan teaches us that spirituality isn’t only in the moments of revelation but in the quiet spaces afterward. It’s about taking what we’ve learned and building it into our daily lives through structure, reflection, and elevation.

It’s the month of integration - of rebuilding healthy routines, refining, deepening prayer, and reconnecting to purpose through action. 

Spiritually, we are asked to practice emunah (faith) when the light feels dim or if we have fallen off our spiritual high and to keep showing up, even when the inspiration has faded. Because it’s in these silent stretches that true devotion forms. This spiritual work of this month is not avoidance but in refinement of our behavior, thoughts, actions, beliefs, and choices. To enter the emotional world and elevate what you find there. Cheshvan and the Third Beit HaMikdash

The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Melachim I:184) teaches that although King Solomon completed the First Beit HaMikdash (Temple) in the month of Cheshvan, he was instructed not to dedicate it until the following year in month of Tishrei. The dedication took place during the festival of Sukkot, leaving Cheshvan without a celebration of its own.

In response, Hashem promised the month of Cheshvan:

“Your reward will come - the Third Beit HaMikdash, the eternal Temple, will be inaugurated in you.”

This Midrash reveals something powerful about the essence of Cheshvan.

What appears empty or overlooked now holds the potential for the greatest future revelation. Cheshvan’s stillness is not absence - it’s preparation. The same month that once waited quietly while another received the glory is the month that will one day host the most permanent form of divine presence on earth.

Spiritually, this means that Cheshvan is a time of building from within.

We may not see external celebrations, but beneath the surface, foundations are being laid in our habits, relationships, and inner connection to Hashem. Just as the Temple begins with unseen groundwork before its light shines outward, Cheshvan invites us to build our personal sanctuary quietly, faithfully, one act at a time.

Personal or Rosh Chodesh Women Circle Activites for Cheshvan

1. Journaling Practice: Reflect on one insight or intention from Tishrei you want to practice in Cheshvan.

2. Scent Meditation: Use smell to anchor presence, light incense or bake your favorite dessert, breathe deeply, and let the sense of smell bring connection and awareness.

3. Water practice: Each morning, wash your hands with Netilat Yedaim, slowly and consciously. Invite renewal with each drop.

4. Spiritual practice: When challenges arise, remind yourself: “This descent is part of my ascent.” or “everything is for the good - הכל לטובה”

5. Catch the full replay of our online Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan circle here for $8 here. Includes teachings on Cheshvan, meditation and journaling.

Women’s Rosh Chodesh Circle

Get the dates for in-person or online circles or get Elisheva to guide a circle in your community. 

My heart to yours

Cheshvan is truly a beautiful month when you can see the value within the stillness, it is golden pause that allows the soul to breathe and body to integrate.

Don’t allow for the illusion of the descent to make you think you are off the track, it really is just preparing you to reach something higher.

Chodesh Tov! May this month of stillness become the foundation for all that will grow. Much love, Elisheva More on Rosh Chodesh, circles, and opportunities to collaborate with Elisheva for monthly circles.