In Sync with Our Land and the Cosmos: Calendar and Culture

INTRODUCTION
The Jewish calendar is an ancient and complex system reflecting both the lunar months and solar years as well as the seasons and crop growth in the Land of Israel. It guides us through the cycles of the year, and also aids our recollection of significant historical moments in our history. So, for example, during Pesach we may watch the wheat ripen and also recall that God redeemed us from slavery in this season.

Zionist pioneers, who were largely secular, noted that the Jewish religious calendar reflected the climate of our ancient homeland and used this calendar for agriculture. They may not have recognized that this calendar, which they embraced for practical purposes, was an indispensable thread weaving through the tapestry of our identity and heritage. Today it is both the civil and religious calendar in Israel, alongside the Gregorian calendar.

DAYS
The Jewish day begins at sunset per the account of creation in Breisheet. “There was setting, there was dawning, day one.” Holidays last from evening to evening. The days of the week are numbered: First Day (א) being Sunday and Seventh Day being Saturday, or Shabbat.

The length of the days and the hours vary by season. Days are longer in summer and shorter in the winter, so the hours of each day vary accordingly. In determining the times of prayer, an hour is one-twelfth of the time between sunrise and sunset.

A new day starts after sunset or when three stars are visible in the sky. (This would have occurred earlier in ancient times, when there was no light pollution obscuring our view of the heavens.) Twilight, the liminal time between the moment the sun disappears below the horizon and the moment three stars are visible in the sky, is called, בֵּין הַשְׁמָשׁוֹת, meaning ‘between the two suns.’ Shabbat is observed from before dark on Friday until after dark on Saturday to ensure that we do not unintentionally violate its proscriptions.

WEEKS
The seven-day cycle of weeks continues regardless of months, seasons, or years, and every seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, during which we emulate God by refraining from creative work.

Every seventh year is considered a Sabbatical year, and today, some farms in modern Israel observe both Sabbatical and Jubilee years even though Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook ruled that this is no longer required.

MONTHS
The months are determined by the new moons and the years are dictated by the position of the earth relative to the sun. Since there are twelve months in the Jewish year, but a lunar month is less than thirty days, the twelve months do not add up to a solar year of three hundred and sixty five days. To ensure it is in sync with both the sun and the moon, some years have an additional month inserted into them, and two particular months may vary between twenty nine or thirty days.

Months begin when the first sliver of the new moon is visible, around sunset. The moon waxes for about two weeks until it is full. After it is full, the moon wanes for about two more weeks until it becomes invisible for approximately two days. Then the next new lunar crescent appears.

In ancient times, the Sanhedrin would declare a new month after two eyewitnesses had seen the lunar crescent between midday and midnight. Although members of the Sanhedrin were well versed in astronomy and had mathematical models to correctly predict when the new moon would appear, the verse in Shemot, “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months,” was understood to mean people were responsible for witnessing and consecrating the new moon. Witnesses would appear in pairs and be questioned individually. If their testimony was accepted, the new month was declared. Specific questions were asked to verify their testimony.

The decision to add a leap month was based on observation of natural agriculture-related events. The earliest known calculation for determining when to add a leap month was introduced around 358 CE, but was revised in the 10th century after a debate between the rabbis of the Holy Land and Babylon.

The synodic month is 29½ days. So, to ensure the calendar remains in sync with the actual phase of the moon, a calendar month is sometimes twenty-nine days long and sometimes thirty. The first day of the month and the thirtieth day of a full or malei month, are called Rosh Chodesh, the “Head of the Month,” and are a semi-festal.

There are twelve lunar months, alternating between 29 and 30 days. The first month, Nisan, has 30 days and the next month, Iyyar, has 29. The number of days alternates between 30 and 29 each month throughout the year, until Cheshvan or Kislev. Following those two months, Tevet always has 29, Shevat 30, and Adar 29.

Nisan 30 days
Iyyar 29 days
Sivan 30 days
Tammuz 29 days
Av 30 days
Elul 29 days
Tishrei (New Year) 30 days
Cheshvan 29 or 30
Kislev 29 or 30
Tevet 29 days
Shevat 30 days
(Adar Alef 30 days)
Adar/AdarBet 29 days

An extra day may be added to Cheshvan or removed from Kislev to prevent Yom Kippur from falling on a Friday or Sunday or to prevent Hoshannah Rabbah from falling on Shabbat. Both months can be 29 days, both can be 30 days, but if Cheshvan has 29 days, then Kislev must have 30. (Yom Kippur cannot fall on a Friday or Sunday, or there would be two consecutive days when preparing food and burying the dead are prohibited, Hoshana Rabbah cannot occur on Shabbat, or we could not carry a lulav on the holiday.)

The new moon of Tishrei is significant because it is the primary determiner of the date of Rosh HaShanah, the new year. Rosh HaShannah begins on the first day of Tishrei. On the evening following 29 Elul, the court would sanctify the day as the first of Tishrei. If witnesses appeared the next day, the day could be retroactively established as Rosh HaShannah. If witnesses did not appear, then the following day would be Rosh HaShannah and retroactively, the previous evening would be a regular weekday. To prevent people from treating the first day lightly, it was decided that Rosh Hashannah would always be celebrated as a two-day holiday.

Each Rosh Chodesh (new moon) is a holiday for women because oral tradition says that when the Israelites who had just left Egypt created a golden calf to worship during Moses’s absence, the Israelite women refused to participate in its creation or worship. In ancient times, women rested from work during the new moon.

Most Jewish festivals begin during the full moon, the fifteenth day of the month. At this time, the moon is at its brightest and rises at sunset.

Originally, we named the months as we do the days of the week: first month, second month, and so on, starting with Nisan, the month God redeemed us from Egypt. After we returned from the Babylonian captivity, we adopted Babylonian names for the months to remind us that God redeemed us a second time.

LEAP MONTHS
As mentioned earlier, a year of 12 lunar months is shorter than a solar year, it is 354 days rather than 365. To ensure that Pesach is observed in the springtime near the equinox, a leap month is added seven times every 19 years. (Every 19 years, the phases of the moon recur on the same day of the year.)

In ancient times, Adar Bet was added to a year based on astronomical events and observation of the ripening barley and fruit on trees. If spring had not arrived, a second Adar was added. Since today’s calendar is based on mathematical calculations, Adar Alef is now considered the extra month.

SEASONS
The autumn and winter months (Elul through Shevat) are called the Days of Rain. The spring and summer months (Adar through Av) are called the Days of Sun. Prayers for rain are included in the liturgy beginning at the end of Sukkot. The three pilgrimage festivals of Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot occur during spring, summer, and autumn.

YEARS
There are four new years in the Hebrew calendar: the first of Nisan, for measuring a king’s reign and marking the beginning of pilgrimages, the First of Elul, for the tithing of animals, the First of Tishrei, the birthday of the world, and Tu B’Shevat, for measuring the age of trees.

YEAR AND EPOCH
In the Middle Ages, Maimonides codified earlier calendrical calculations. He also changed the naming of the epoch. No longer do we date events “since the Destruction of the Temple.” Now the epoch is “since the Creation of the world.” (Anno Mundi 1 is the year before creation.)

HOLY DAYS
Following is a list of the holidays on the Hebrew calendar. With the exception of Chanukah and modern Israeli holidays, most these days are described in The Torah.

The month of Tishrei, The Tribe of Efraim (Libra)
1-2 Rosh HaShannah
3 Tzom Gedaliah
Shabbat Shuvah
10 Yom Kippur
15 Festival of Sukkot (Gate of Earth)
21 Hoshana Raba
22 Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah

The month of Cheshvan, The Tribe of Menasheh (Scorpio)
7 Yom HaAliyah
11 Rachel’s Yahrtzeit
29 Sigd - the Ethiopian Jewish community hopes all Israelis will adopt this holiday (and what could be better than hiking in the desert hills?)

The month of Kislev, The Tribe of Binyamin (Sagitarius)
24-2 Chanukkah

The month of Tevet, Tribe of Dan (Capricorn)
10 Asara B’Tevet

The month of Shevat, The Tribe of Asher (Aqaurius)
Shabbat Shirah
15 Tu B’Shevat

The month of Adar Alef, The Tribe of Levi
(Leap month)

The month of Adar/Adar Bet, The Tribe of Naftali (Pisces)
Shabbat Shekalim
Shabbat Zachor
13 Taanit Ester
14 Purim
Shabbat Parah
Shabbat HaChodesh

The month of Nisan, The Tribe of Yehuda (Aries)
Days of Sun begin!
Shabbat HaGadol
14 Taanit Bechorot
15-21 Festival of Pesach (Gate of Sea)
16 Begin Omer count
22 Mimouna
27 Yom HaShoah

The month of Iyyar, The Tribe of Yissachar (Taurus)
Continue Omer count
3 Yom HaZikaron
4 Yom HaAtzmaut
15 Pesach Sheini
18 Lag B’Omer
29 Yom Yerushalayim

The month of Sivan, The Tribe of Zevulun (Gemini)
6 Festival of Shavuot (Gate of Sky)

The month of Tamuz, The Tribe of Reuven (Cancer)
17 Tzom Tammuz

The month of Av, The Tribe of Shimon (Leo)
Shabbat Chazon
9 Tisha B’Av
Shabbat Nachamu
15 Tu B’Av

The month of Elul, The Tribe of Gad (Virgo)
Days of Rain begin!
20 Leil Selichot

MODERN HOLY DAYS
After the festival of Pesach, three holy days cascade over us in rapid succession: Holocaust Remembrance Day, Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, and Israel’s Independence Day. These new observances were declared after the creation of the modern state of Israel. Their observance would be moved if their dates fell on or adjacent to Shabbat.

Another modern observance occurs shortly after those. Yom Yerushalayim celebrates Israel’s regaining control over Jerusalem nineteen years after Jordan conquered the city, expelled all Jews, and destroyed the Jewish Quarter.

CELESTIAL EVENTS
Cross Quarter Day (Lughnasad)     Av (or Elul) near Tu B’av
Autumn Equinox                             Tishrei (or Elul) near New Moon of Tishrei
Cross Quarter Day (Samhain)         Cheshvan (or Kislev) near Rachel’s Yahrzeit
Winter Solstice                                Tevet (or Kislev) near New Moon of Tevet
Cross Quarter Day (Imbolc)            Shevat (or Adar Alef) near Tu B’Shevat
Vernal Equinox                                Adar (or Nisan) near New Moon of Nisan
Cross Quarter Day (Beltaine)          Iyyar (or Nisan) near Lag B’Omer
Summer Solstice                              Sivan (or Tammuz) near New Moon of Tammuz

THE ZODIAC AND THE TWELVE TRIBES
Ancient astronomers divided the sky (and the year) into twelve equal sections. Later, the Israelites associated these twelve regions with the twelve tribes of Israel.

The Twelve Tribes of Israel originated with the thirteen children of the Four Holy Mothers: Bilhah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Leah (ברז׳׳ל). Bilhah was the mother of Dan and Naftali. Rachel was the mother of Yosef and Binyamin. Zilpah was the mother of Gad and Asher. Leah was the mother of six sons and one daughter: Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Issachar, Zevulun, and Dinah.

The half-tribes of Efraim and Menasheh were descended from the two children of Yosef. (Isaac never stopped playing favorites.) Yosef’s wife, Asnat, may have been the daughter of Dinah, making these tribes descendants of both Leah and Rachel.

The Levites were appointed priests and given no portion in the Land.

The Twelve Tribes lived in the following regions of the Land:

Gad - East bank of the Jordan River  
Efraim - Center
Menasheh - Both sides of the Jordan River
Binyamin - Southern center
Dan - Coastal center
Asher - Coastal north
Levi (no portion in the Land)
Naftali - North
Yehuda - South
Yissachar - Northern center
Zevulun - North
Reuven - East bank of the Jordan River
Shimon - South, within the portion of Judah

THE "SEVEN SPECIES" OF THE LAND
The Hebrew calendar was an agricultural calendar. Holidays, especially the pilgrimage festivals, were determined by agricultural cycles. Seven crops were particularly valued by the ancient Israelites and Judeans:

Grapes, harvested in Elul and Tishrei
Figs, harvested in Elul and Tishrei
Olives, harvested in Cheshvan
Barley, harvested in Nisan and Iyyar
Wheat, harvested in Sivan
Pomegranates, harvested in Tammuz and Av
Dates, harvested in Av, Elul, and Tishrei

CONCLUSION
The Hebrew calendar and the Hebrew language, as much as the knowledge of our sacred texts, are essential for us to live as a people in our Land. It is a cornerstone of Jewish identity and heritage, connecting Jews across generations.

The Hebrew calendar weaves together threads of history, faith, community, and life in the Land. It reminds us of our shared history, guiding us through the cycle of the year, its produce, holy days, and modern commemorations. It provides a roadmap to our future, anchoring our aspirations within a traditional framework.

As early Zionist pioneers discovered almost 200 years ago, the Hebrew calendar is essential for living in the Land. It is second only in importance to the revival of the Hebrew language. The Hebrew language, along with the Hebrew calendar and the Torah and Talmud, form the bedrock of Jewish culture, enabling us to preserve, transmit, and transform our beliefs, values, and customs from one generation to the next. Without this calendar, our connection to our history, our faith, and our Land would be greatly diminished.

The Hebrew calendar and the Hebrew language are unifying forces, sources of strength and unity that reinforce our sense of purpose as a people. Whether it’s the the reading of the weekly Torah parasha on Shabbat, the bicycle riding of Yom Kippur, the joyous observance of the Passover seder, or the grief and pride of Yom HaZikaron, or the quiet joy of watching twinkling Chanukkah lights, the Hebrew calendar keeps us rooted in our Land, offering us a sense of belonging and continuity. The calendar doesn’t just mark time. It marks the heartbeat of the Jewish people and guides us into the future.

The Hebrew Calendar and Arieli's Jewish Tarot

The Jewish calendar reflects the cycles of the sun and moon, as well as astronomical phenomena and the seasonal changes in the Land of Israel. It guides us through the cycles of the year, and also aids our recollection of significant historical moments in our history. So, for example, during Pesach we may watch the wheat ripen and also recall that God redeemed us from slavery in this season.

Early Zionist pioneers noted that the religious calendar reflected the climate of our original homeland and used this calendar for agriculture. Today it is both the civil and religious calendar in Israel.

Days

The Jewish day begins at sunset per the account of creation in Breisheet. “There was setting, there was dawning, day one.”

The length of the days and the hours vary by season. Days are longer in summer and shorter in the winter, so the hours of each day vary accordingly. An hour is one-twelfth of the time between sunrise and sunset.

A new day starts after sunset, when three stars are visible in the sky. (This would have occurred earlier in ancient time, when there was little light pollution obscuring our view of the heavens.) Twilight, the liminal time between the moment the sun disappears below the horizon and the moment three stars are visible in the sky, is called, בֵּין הַשְׁמָשׁוֹת, meaning ‘between the two suns.’

Weeks

The seven-day cycle of weeks continues regardless of months, seasons, or years, and every seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, during which we emulate God by refraining from creative work.

Every seventh year is considered a Sabbatical year, and today, some farms in Israel observe both Sabbatical and Jubilee years.

Months

Months begin when the first sliver of the new moon is visible around sunset. The moon waxes for about two weeks until it is full. After it is full, the moon wanes for about two more weeks until it becomes invisible for approximately two days. Then the next new lunar crescent appears.

The synodic month is 29½ days. So, to ensure the calendar remains in sync with the actual phase of the moon, a calendar month is sometimes twenty-nine days long and sometimes thirty. The first day of the month and the thirtieth day of a malei (full) month, are called Rosh Chodesh, the “Head of the Month,” and are a semi-festival.

There are twelve lunar months, alternating between 29 and 30 days. (The new moon of Tishrei is significant because it is the primary determiner of the date of Rosh HaShanah.) The first month, Nisan, has 30 days and the next month, Iyyar, has 29. The number of days alternates between 30 and 29 each month throughout the year, until Cheshvan or Kislev. Following those two months, Tevet always has 29, Shevat 30, and Adar 29.

Nisan 30 days
Iyyar 29 days
Sivan 30 days
Tammuz 29 days
Av 30 days
Elul 29 days
Tishrei 30 days
Cheshvan 29 or 30
Kislev 29 or 30
Tevet 29 days
Shevat 30 days
(Adar Alef 30 days)
Adar/AdarBet 29 days

An extra day may be added to Cheshvan or removed from Kislev to prevent Yom Kippur from falling on a Friday or Sunday or to prevent Hoshannah Rabbah from falling on Shabbat. Both months can be 29 days, both can be 30 days, but if Cheshvan has 29 days, then Kislev must have 30. (Yom Kippur cannot fall on a Friday or Sunday, or there would be two consecutive days when preparing food and burying the dead are prohibited; Hoshana Rabbah cannot occur on Shabbat, or we could not carry a lulav on this day.)

In ancient times, the Sanhedrin would declare a new month after two eyewitnesses had seen the lunar crescent at sunset. Although members of the Sanhedrin were well versed in astronomy and had mathematical models to correctly predict when the new moon would appear, a verse in Shemot was understood to mean people were responsible for witnessing and consecrating the new moon. Witnesses would appear in pairs and be questioned individually. If their testimony was accepted, the new month was declared. Specific questions were asked to verify their testimony.

Many Jewish festivals begin during the full moon, the fifteenth day of the month. The new moon, Rosh Chodesh, is a holiday for women. Oral tradition says that when the Israelites who had just left Egypt created a golden calf to worship during Moses’s absence, the Israelite women refused to participate in its creation or worship. In ancient times, women rested from work during the new moon.

Leap Month

A year of 12 lunar months is shorter than a solar year; it is 354 days rather than 365. To ensure that Pesach is observed in the springtime near the equinox, a leap month, is added in seven times every 19 years. (Every 19 years, the phases of the moon recur on the same day of the year.)

In ancient times, Adar Bet was added to a year based on astronomical events and observation of the ripening barley and fruit on trees. If spring had not arrived, a second Adar was added. By today’s mathematical calculations, Adar Alef is considered the extra month.

Seasons

The autumn and winter months (Elul through Shevat) are called the days of rain. The spring and summer months (Adar through Av) are called the days of sun. The three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot occur during spring, summer, and autumn.

Years

The procedure for declaring the new month was different for the new moon of Tishrei, which is also the beginning of the New Year. Rosh Hashannah begins on the first day of the seventh month. We couldn’t wait for witnesses to sanctify Rosh Chodesh Tishrei. So on the evening following 29 Elul, the court would sanctify the day as the first of Tishrei. If witnesses appeared the next day, the day could be retroactively established as Rosh HaShanah on that day. If witnesses did not appear, then the following day would be Rosh Hashanah and retroactively, the previous evening would be a regular weekday. To prevent people from treating the first day lightly, it was decided that Rosh Hashanah would be celebrated as a two-day holiday.

There are four new years in the Hebrew calendar:
• Nisan – for measuring a king’s reign and marking the beginning of pilgrimages
• Elul – for the tithing of animals
• Tishrei – the High Holy Days
• Tu B’Shevat – measuring the age of trees

Year/Epoch

Shortly before the Sanhedrin ceased functioning, Hillel HaNasi established a perpetual calendar based on mathematical calculations. In the Middle Ages, Maimonides codified these calculations. He also changed the naming of the epoch. No longer do we date events “since the Destruction of the Temple.” Now the epoch is “since the Creation of the world.” (Anno Mundi 1 is the year before creation. As I write this, it is currently A.M. 5781.)

Not artsy or crafty, but having fun anyway

As a birthday gift, Arlan bought me two plain boxes at a store in the industrial area that sells household goods and a few art supplies. 

I had visions of creating a secretive altar in one of them, but my lack of either artistic talent or craft skills is impeding my vision. The wood is light and dry; I worry that it would absorb paint and turn any outline into a smear of color. So I just sketched with pencil on paper and stuck the paper into the box. (I ran out of paper, so the outside has a post-it note.)

Just as frustrating as my poor drawings skills is the fact that I'm not as proficient printing letters as I am writing in cursive. Not satisfied with my work, but unsure what else to do, I set that project aside for more thought. 

Then I started designing a Hebrew priestess prayer cord. Fun!

Beading supplies are not readily available here, but I've enjoyed thinking about what symbolism I'd want in a prayer cord. I started with the idea of a sea turtle charm and 13 beads to represent the 13 months of the year. I divided them into two halves, days of rain and days of sun, with the leap month, Adar Alef in the middle.

I listed all the holy times for each month. I'd forgotten about some of the special Shabbatot, but they're all on the bead list now, along with holy days, modern Israeli holidays, and the Ethiopian holiday of Sigd. (I thought about including Novy God, but didn't.) I probably wouldn't include little beads for the holidays in each month. Some months would have six extra beads and some would have only one or none. And would Sukkot be represented by one bead or seven?

Then I wondered if Kohenet's 13 priestess archetypes might align with the 13 months, based on the holidays. Then I considered what a symbol might be for each priestess. Too many symbols would be too busy. 

So just 13 moon beads and a sea turtle charm.

But I wanted more beads. How about the Seven Species? Naturally, I had to find out when each one is harvested. Seven didn't fit into the 13 moons evenly, so I had to come up with something else.

I thought about the Four Holy Mothers (ברז׳׳ל). So of course, I had to consider their children, the tribes of Israel. (The half tribes, descended from Dinah's daughter and Yosef, correspond to Libra and Scorpio, so I assigned them to the months of Tishrei and Cheshvan, and I placed the tribe of Levi, which had no portion in the Land, in the month of Adar Alef.) Those four didn't fit into the pattern of 13 beads, either.

And obviously, the 3 Gates of the World (Earth, Ocean, and Sky) also wouldn't fit neatly in the pattern of 13 beads.

However, all three sets of symbols together might fit into the pattern. Here's one possibility I'm considering:

Charm(s): Sea Turtle
Gate of Sky
Gate of Earth
Gate of Sea
Bead 1	Elul	Days of Rain	Seeker Priestess
Seven Species Bead
Bead 2	Tishrei	Days of Rain	Queen Priestess
Holy Mother Bead
Bead 3	Cheshvan	Days of Rain	Wise Woman Priestess
Seven Species Bead
Bead 4	Kislev	Days of Rain	Shrine Keeper Priestess
Priestess Bead (me)
Bead 5	Tevet	Days of Rain	Mourning Woman Priestess
Holy Mother Bead
Bead 6	Shevat	Days of Rain	Witch Priestess
Seven Species Bead
Bead 7	Adar Alef	(leap month)	Fool Priestess
Seven Species Bead
Bead 8	Adar / Adar Bet	Days of Sun	Maiden Priestess
Holy Mother Bead
Bead 9	Nisan	Days of Sun	Midwife Priestess
Seven Species Bead
Bead 10	Iyyar	Days of Sun	Weaver Priestess
Seven Species Bead
Bead 11	Sivan	Days of Sun	Prophetess Priestess
Holy Mother Bead
Bead 12	Tammuz	Days of Sun	Mother Priestess
Seven Species Bead
Bead 13	Av	Days of Sun	Lover Priestess
Charms:  Tree & Snake

I had lots of ideas for charms that could dangle at the end opposite the Sea Turtle charm:

• A bell and a pomegranate? (Decorations on the High Priest's robe in ancient times.)
• A tree and a bronze serpent and a woman (Goddess symbols from the Garden of Eden.)
• Two candles? (The Sabbath Bride.)
• A water jug? (The water drawing ceremony during Sukkot.) 
• A hoopoe? (National bird and a symbol of leadership and knowledge.) 
• A pillar? Two pillars? (The goddess Wisdom, the Temple, and the Tree of Life.)
• A mirror? (A priestess symbol throughout the world.)
• A lamp? (Wisdom goddess.)
• A moon and a sun? (The Hebrew calendar is both lunar and solar.)
• A wheel of the year? (Fits the theme of the cord.)
• A labyrinth? (A symbol of the goddess and of priestesses.)
• A seven-branched menorah? (Like the one that stood in the Temple.)

Miscellaneous notes:

Possible symbols for the Priestess Archetypes

• Seeker Priestess (Labyrinth) - month of Elul
  
• Queen Priestess (Staff or Throne)
• Wise Woman Priestess (Crossroads or Pillar) 
• Shrine Keeper Priestess (Mirror) 
• Mourning Woman Priestess (Stone) 
• Witch Priestess (Feather or Boat) 
• Fool Priestess (Snake or Chariot) 
• Maiden Priestess (Drum or Dancer) 
• Midwife Priestess (Cord or Frog) 
• Weaver Priestess (Loom or Spindle) 
• Prophetess Priestess (A Well or Bee) 
• Mother Priestess (7-branched menorah or a Breast) 
• Lover Priestess (Grapes or a Dancer)

The Seven Species

• Grapes, harvested in Elul and Tishrei
• Figs, harvested in Elul and Tishrei
• Olives, harvested in Cheshvan
• Barley, harvested in Nisan and Iyyar
• Wheat, harvested in Sivan
• Pomegranates, harvested in Tamuz and Av
• Dates, harvested in Av, Elul, and Tishrei
  

The Four Holy Mothers

• Holy Mother Bilhah (mother of Dan and Naftali) 
• Holy Mother Rachel (mother of Yosef and Binyamin) 
• Holy Mother Zilpah (mother of Gad and Asher) 
• Holy Mother Leah (mother of Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah,Yissachar, Zevulun, and Dinah)
  

The Tribes and Times of the Year

• Elul (Virgo) Gad
• Tishrei (Libra) Efraim - half tribe, from Dinah's daughter and Yosef
• Cheshvan (Scorpio) Menasheh - half tribe, from Dinah's daughter and Yosef
• Kislev (Sagittarius) Binyamin
• Tevet (Capricorn) Dan
• Shevat (Aquarius) Asher
• Adar Alef - Levi (priestly tribe, had no portion in the Land)
• Adar (Pisces) Naftali
• Nisan (Aries) Yehudah
• Iyyar (Taurus) Yissachar
• Sivan (Gemini) Zevulun
• Tammuz (Cancer) Reuven
• Av (Leo) Shimon

The Three Gates of the Year

• Gate of Earth (Sukkot, during month of Tishrei)
• Gate of Ocean (Pesach, during month of Nisan)
• Gate of Air (Shavuot, during month of Sivan)
  

I've been dreaming a lot since I started planning the beads. (A bear played a significant role in one dream.) I wake up with more ideas for the cord every day and I wonder what ideas will come to me the next day.

Deck Review: Tarot Yehudi by Betzalel Arieli

During my trip to Tel Aviv yesterday, while walking back to the train station, I stopped at my favorite store in Dizengoff Center.

The store is called Fairies Forest. It takes up two store fronts and is bursting with goodies that would, in other countries, fill four or five New Age stores. They mostly carry Lo Scarabeo decks from Italy and a few Russian decks, but I enjoy seeing what decks they have as well as browsing through fairy tchotchkes, Hebrew oracle decks, fantasy movie paraphernalia, Tolkien books (in English!), and other New Agey gifts. 

Today I saw the kind of deck I've wanted for years and, in fact, started to create: a Jewish tarot deck. It's the Tarot Yehudi by Betzalel Arieli. I was fascinated and even had the clerk take one box out of the locked cabinet. I struggled to make up my mind because tarot decks here cost more than twice what they do in the U.S. I began to walk out of the store without buying it, but then asked myself how often I get to Tel Aviv...

This morning, I explored my new deck while lounging next to the Gulf at 9Beach. Here are some of images of my unboxing:

טארוט יהודי - בצלאל אריאלי

Deck quality: The deck is thicker than I'm used to and the cards are glossy enough to slide in every direction when I remove them from the box. It looks as if the cellophane covering each card may wear off quickly, damaging the cards, if the deck is shuffled much. The figures in the cards are predominantly male; I count 21 women and two babies of indeterminate gender in the deck. (The quintessential Jewish image of a woman lighting Shabbos candles is missing from the deck; in fact, only one card, the Four of Candles, shows Shabbat candles.) However, the card images and the organization of the deck are fascinating!

The Aces show human hands holding ritual objects related to the Havdalah ritual, rather than the hand of God offering gifts to us. The Aces in Arieli's tarot show humans becoming the primary partner in creation. "As below, so above."

The Princesses (represented by the prophets Miriam, Huldah, Avigail, and Devorah) correspond with the four elements. These are the Pages of the RWS, figures that are typically shown accepting the Divine gift represented by the Ace of their suit.

The remaining Court cards are aligned with regions of the zodiac. Fire signs (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius) are the King, Queen, and Prince of Candles. Earth signs are represented by Coins, air signs by Swords, and water signs by Cups.

The numbered cards of the Minor Arcana are not clones of the Rider Waite Smith deck, in fact, they stray pretty far from it. Following are the Three of Wands, Six of Cups, Six of Swords, and Nine of Pentacles:

Printed on each numbered Minor Arcana is a month of the Hebrew year, a region of the zodiac, and a sfirah on the Tree of Life-- all the twos are Ḥokmah (חָכְמָה), all the threes are Binah (בִּינָה), and so forth down to ten and Malkhut.

The Two, Three, and Four of Candles are aligned with the zodiac sign Aries and the month of Nisan (נִיסָן), in which Jews observe the Shabbat HaChodesh, Shabbat HaGadol, Ta'anit Bechorot, Passover, and the beginning of the Counting of the Omer.

Nisan falls in the half of the year called "The Days of Sun." Nisan and the other two months of spring are represented by three Wands, three Coins, and three Swords.

The Majors are aligned, unusually, with Sfirot on the Tree of Life. The Fool card, called Divine Breath, and is number 1, so it and cards 10 (The Prophet) and 19 (The Moon) are aligned with Keter, Crown. 

Since The High Priestess card, called HaShekhinah, is aligned with Binah, the third sfirah on the Tree of Life, she is given the third letter of the alphabet, gimmel, rather than the letter beit, which I usually associate her with.

The Magician card, called The Sage, seems to reflect Christian ceremonial magic-- I don't know how much the symbols reflect actual Jewish mysticism.

None of the Majors, only the number 10 cards of the Minor suits, are aligned with Malkhut, Kingdom.

Fairies Forest had decks for sale in both Hebrew and Russian. Images on the website seem to indicate that an English language version has also been published (with quirky transliterations of the sfirot).  

YouTube video of the Major Arcana

The video says that there are references to the planets in the cards, presumably the Majors, but I haven't found them yet.

Multilingual website (just click on the Union Jack for English)

You can view the cards with Hebrew, Russian, or English titles and descriptions. The English description of the cards on the website doesn't seem to contain exactly the same information as the LWB.

The LWB is in Hebrew (without vowels), so I'm relying on Google Translate. This has yielded several good laughs-- for example, this supposed quote from Megillat Esther: "And take Asparagus to the king on the eve of his kingdom on the tenth month, the new moon, at seven."

Of course, I'll turn to the website and the LWB, but I think the fun part of learning this deck will be creating my own meanings for the cards from my Jewish knowledge and memories and from the Sefer Yetzirah and other Jewish sources.

(I've used the image of the Two of Swords here because that card leaped out of the deck when I first unboxed it.)

Following are images of a few of the Major Arcana cards. The Empress is represented by Queen Esther, The Hierophant by Aharon (Aaron), Strength by Shimshon (Samson), and The Star by Batsheva (Bathsheba).