The Hebrew Month Of Tishrei: The End Is In The Beginning.

The month of Tishrei connect us to the beginning of time, the beginning of creation.  This is not a moment of the past or some spiritual history to plainly understand, it is a time to connect with its very core essence. What is being given to all of us is a powerful influx of energy, which gives us an opportunity of new creations. This is a chance to be pro-active in our personal renewal and re-birth with the direct help of the Divine Light. Every year we are given this month to re-create who we are and become a stronger vessel to hold more celestial light.

The time between Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is related to Gevurah, the left column of the Sephirot (Tree of Life). This represents strictness, judgment and pulling back. This is our time to look within and to cleanse our personal filter of what we desire. This is the purification and letting go process of what doesn’t work or support us anymore. A time of forgiveness, an honest personal assessment and releasing any negativity that is blocking your true purpose in life.

As Yom Kippur comes to an end the energy transforms and moves to the right column of the Sephirot. This is the force of Chessed (kindness), expansion and the higher heart. According to the Arizal, this energy moves into our soul in stages and is called the Or Penimi, the Inner Light. This Inner Light is who we are, our very own essence that we created and strengthened through our personal journey here. It is all that we have corrected and worked on in ourselves and in this world.

As we move into the Holiday of Sukkot (the Holiday of Huts), we enter the middle column of the Sephirot, the strength of Tiferet (harmony/balance). This is associated to the Or Makif, the Surrounding Light that begins to enter our soul in this time. This light is the transcendence of mind and heart. It is directly connected to our faith. It is what drives us to our greatest potential and moves us forward in life. The Or Makif is also known as the “Cloud of Glory” that protected the Jewish nation when wandering in the dessert. By sitting in the Sukkah and connecting to this Holiday we draw this healing, protective light around us.

After all of this internalizing, honest self-examination, letting go of old patterns and finally accepting the new you and your new direction, the only thing left to do is to celebrate! The final Holiday of Tishrei is Shemini Atzeret (the eighth day)/Simchat Torah (the celebration of receiving the Torah), these represent the upper spiritual energies and the lower physical energies becoming one, the marriage of these two worlds in harmony. Through this celebration we are drawing down the last of this months Divine energies that will carry us through the coming year.

The fundamental element of this Holiday is true joyous dancing which is also the core of Judaism. We are taught that being joyous breaks all barriers and transcends all. The dancing is also a deep innate understanding that there is a natural flow between G*d and us, the flow of coming closer and moving apart from G*d, then coming closer again. This awareness is the knowing that our light and shadow parts of ourselves, as well as all the blessings and challenges we have in life are absolutely good, with this knowledge we are able to stand in the Divine truth. We have now completed this cycle of filling our vessel with Supernal light and begin anew. The end is never the end but always a new beginning.