Rosh Chodesh- (New Month) /New Moon- Cheshvan

When I look out of the window of my house in the Castel neighborhood in Mevaseret, it's starting to look like fall. It's not the fall of colored leaves or dying trees. It's the fall of a new beginning. Now that the holidays are over, the pomegranates have reached their peak. The oranges are just starting to take shape and the flowers, which have gotten their first rain of the season, are finally starting to bloom. The greenery that has hidden all summer is starting to peak out of the branches as it prepares for the rainy season. The new year has truly started.

Cheshvan, which some people consider the second month of the Jewish year, is sometimes called Marcheshvan. There are two different etymological explanations for the name. The word Marcheshvan is taken from "eighth moon/month" -- the eighth month of the Jewish year (if you count from Nisan, the beginning of Passover as many do for counting the months). The "mar" -- bitter -- at the beginning of the word may have been added because there are no holidays in Marcheshvan.

So we have the second month of the year, starting in the middle of the entire year, depending on how you count. It's a lot like IsraelExperts. We have been running trips for 12 years but are only now starting a blog-- to bring more knowledge of Israel to you-- our friends and readers. We'll look at places in Israel, traditions, customs and holidays as the year rolls by and we invite you to learn with us. We hope you will enjoy and learn from our blogs, and use them to work with us to build the best trips to Israel that you will ever participate in.
Welcome to the IsraelExperts blog.

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IsraelExperts is a fully-licensed Israel tour operator; our head office is in Israel. Comprised of experienced Israel destination professionals, logistics experts, informal educators and accredited tour guides, IsraelExperts works with major organizations around the world in the field of Israel-Diaspora relations and Israel education, and offers you its ability to provide quality innovative programs. You can find IsraelExperts on line at www.israelexperts.com or email us at education@israelexperts.com for more information.