To read more about the holidays of Tishrei, see Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur: Why Judgment Precedes Mercy.

Although Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, occurs in this month, Tishrei is actually the seventh month in the Jewish calendar. (The calendar begins with Nissan, the month when the Exodus from Egypt occurred.)

According to the Jewish tradition all sevens are dear. For example:

1. Shabbat is the seventh day of the week

2. the holidays of Pesach (Passover) and Sukkot each have seven days (eight days outside of the Land of Israel)

3. during the seventh year, land in Israel must lay fallow (shmitah)

4. a wedding is celebrated for seven days (shevah brachot)

5. the Temple's menorah had seven lights

6. there are seven heavens above

7. and seven seas here below, and many other examples

Tishrei has more holidays, mitzvot (commandments) and opportunities for spiritual growth then any other month of the year, and so for those who wish to either build or strengthen their relationship with G-d, Tishrei is especially dear. It's like hitting the spiritual jackpot - seeing three "7's" pop up on the slot machine - because the spiritual achievements earned during the first three weeks in Tishrei continue to "pay out" throughout the rest of the year,

The month begins with Rosh Hashanah. The Rosh Hashanah prayer services, where we proclaim that G-d is our King, are designed to heighten our awareness that G-d is our source for goodness and abundance - and that we, in return, are His "servants" and have an obligation to perform His will. The high point of the service is the blowing of the shofar - a call to awaken us from our spiritual slumber and inspire us to live our lives at a heightened plane of awareness.

The days in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the Ten Days of Repentance (teshuvah). Teshuvah actually means "to return," and these ten days are especially propitious for returning to G-d, which we do by admitting past mistakes and making a sincere commitment to do a better job of observing His mitzvot.

Mitzvot are divided into two categories - those between G-d and man and those between man and man (and, yes, women are included, too). G-d gives us these ten days to "fix" whatever mitzvot we may have broken during the previous year. However, we cannot ask G-d to forgive us for harm we may have caused others until we have first received forgiveness from the person(s) involved. Therefore, during these ten days we ask our family members, friends, co-workers and clients to forgive us for any words or actions that may have caused them distress during the past year.

During these same ten days, we also do a cheshbon nefesh (spiritual accounting) where we examine how to improve our performance of mitzvot which are between G-d and us (i.e. mitzvot related to Shabbat or keeping kosher.)

On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we ask G-d to accept our efforts to repair any harm we may have caused others - or ourselves - during the previous year. The day is spent in fasting and prayer, and yet is a joyous day for we are confident that G-d wants to forgive us and restore us to a close relationship with Him.

Now that the slate has been wiped clean, so to speak, we are ready to fully enjoy the holiday of Sukkot, which begins on the 15^th day of the month. Sukkot is a seven-day holiday called the "time of our happiness" and during Sukkot we are asked to perform one of the most difficult mitzvot of the Torah - be in a state of joy for an entire week!

Sukkot means "booths," and before the holiday begins we build a temporary booth out of wood or heavy cloth and construct a roof out of palm branches. Our booths are in commemoration of the booths our ancestors lived in when they left Egypt and wandered in the desert for forty years. We are commanded to also live in this booth (sukkah) during the entire holiday - to eat, read, entertain company and even sleep in it.

By leaving behind our sturdily built homes for a week and dwelling in a little make-shift hut, we are able to more fully experience a truth that often gets lost in our busy lives. Our homes and retirement plans may offer an illusion of security, but in reality none of our man-made efforts to achieve security are fool proof. It is G-d - and only G-d - Who watches over us and protects us. Nothing can stand without G-d wanting it to stand - and nothing can fall apart, either.

Sitting in a fragile booth brings home this point in a powerful way. The winds may blow and the walls of the sukkah may sway, but even so we know that we enjoy G-d's protection. Nothing can happen to us unless G-d wills it to happen - and if G-d wills it to happen then ultimately it must be for our own good. This knowledge is the source of our joy - and during Sukkot we can totally immerse ourselves in this feeling of joy just as our entire bodies are immersed in performing the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah.

On the last day of Sukkot comes a special day called Hoshana Rabbah. According to the Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah all people are judged and are given until Yom Kippur to do teshuvah. On Yom Kippur the verdict is written and sealed, but, like the proverbial check, the verdict is still "in the mail." Even after Yom Kippur there is time for the judgement to be reversed. However, this "grace period" ends with Hoshana Rabbah. This is our last day before the verdict becomes decree to show G-d that we want to mend our ways and do better, and so the day has its own special prayers and rituals.

Tishrei's abundance of holidays ends with Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. In Israel they are celebrated on the same day, but outside of Israel they are celebrated as two separate holidays. Both holidays reflect our happiness at having received the Torah and our commitment to learning Torah during the months ahead.

Shemini Atzeret, which means "the Eighth Day of Assembly," comes right after the seven-day holiday of Sukkot. Although it is true that "all sevens are dear," the number eight is also special in the Jewish tradition.

Seven represents a complete cycle of time (seven days in the week), but eight symbolizes that which is beyond time. The eighth day represents the ability of the soul to transcend obstacles seemingly present in the natural world and to connect with G-d. That is why Chanukah has eight days (check back at this site in Kislev/December for more about Chanukah) and circumcision is performed on the eighth day.

Both the Torah and the people of Israel are considered to be eternal and above time, so on this Eighth Day of Assembly it is most appropriate that we show our devotion to the Torah. Outside of Israel, where Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated on separate days, this devotion is more publicly displayed on the second day. The special mitzvah of Simchat Torah, which means Rejoicing of the Torah, is to dance joyously in the synagogue with the Torah scrolls. The celebration often goes on for hours - and in many places the dancing is so enthusiastic that it spills out into the streets.

The holiday of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah is also special because on this day we complete one cycle of reading from the entire Torah (a portion of the Torah is read on every Shabbat) and begin the cycle anew by reading from the beginning chapters of the book of Genesis.

With the close of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, we now approach the final week of the month. For the first time in three weeks there are no special holiday meals to prepare, no out-of-the ordinary mitzvot to perform. It's now back to the normal daily routine - or is it?

On the last Shabbat of the month of Tishrei, we read in the Torah from the first six chapters of the Book of Genesis. We read about the creation of the universe and our own world - with all its magnificent seas and vegetation and birds and animals. We read about Adam and Eve, who the Torah tells us were lovingly created by G-d in His own image. And we read about G-d's commandment to His creation to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

But we also read about how Adam and Eve disobeyed G-d's commandment to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and of their subsequent banishment from the Garden of Eden. And we read about how one of Adam and Eve's sons - Cain - performed the first act of murder and thereby depleted G-d's world instead of adding to it.

As we read this Torah portion, we cannot help but be sensitive to the contrasts presented in it. On the one hand, there is a paradise where G-d rules and His benevolent presence is felt by every blade of grass and every human being. On the other hand, when man tries to usurp G-d's role and disobey His commandments the result is a world characterized by pain, jealousy, anger and alienation.

It is no accident that we read these chapters as Tishrei comes to a close, for the Torah is asking us to realize that even though the holidays may be over - the work of perfecting ourselves and the world around us has only just begun.