Rosh Hodesh Heshvan is celebrated on November 2 and 3rd this year. It is sometimes called Mar Heshvan (“bitter Heshvan”) because it has no holidays in the month. Heshvan is also known as a month of pain and suffering for the Jewish people. In Heshvan we commemorate the yahrzeits of our matriarch Rachel, medieval Jewish scholar Ramban (Nachmanides), and Yitzhak Rabin. The Ethiopian celebration of Sigd also takes place in Heshvan.
Yahrtzeit of Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin (March 1, 1922- November 4, 1995 was an Israeli politician and military general. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1974 until 1977 and again from 1992 until he was assassinated on November 4, 1995 (12th of Heshvan) by a right-wing activist. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.
This year on Monday, November 14 (12th of Heshvan) we mark the 10th yahrtzeit of Rabin's death. Prime Minister Rabin said at his last speech at the Peace Rally on November 4, 1995:
“This rally must send a message to the Israeli people, to the Jewish people around the world, to the many people in the Arab world, and indeed to the entire world, that the Israeli people want peace, support peace.” (Read his entire speech at http://www.ariga.com/rabin-speech.shtml ) He is sorely missed today.
Sigd is an Amharic word meaning “prostrating oneself”. In Ethiopia, on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, members of the Jewish community fasted. The Jewish community met in the morning and walked to the highest point on a mountain.
The 'Kessim' (High Priests) came carrying the 'Orit' (Bible). The 'Kessim' recited parts of the 'Orit', including the Book of Nehemiah. Members of the community recited Psalms and remembered the Torah, its traditions, and their desire to return to Jerusalem. In the afternoon they descended to the village and broke their fast, danced, and rejoiced. This holiday symbolized the covenant in receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai.
Sigd is still celebrated in Israel today. The Ethiopian community comes from all over Israel to the Talpiot Promenade overlooking the holy sites in Jerusalem. The 'Kessim' recite the prayers while the community prays. The dream to return to Jerusalem has been realized.
To learn more about Sigd and Ethiopian Jewry, visit the website of the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jewry, an advocacy and service organization representing Israel’s Ethiopian immigrant community: http://www.iaej.co.il/pages/our_culture_sigd.htm
Additional information can be found at the web site of the Education Department of the Jewish Agency: http://www.jafi.org.il/education/festivls/sigd.html
